Automated shipboard diagnostics and health evaluation for power equipment and systems: advanced techniques developed for terrestrial power systems

Shipboard power distribution systems and their first cousins in the terrestrial world have common fundamental characteristics. They use a variety of interconnected components to transport electrical energy, safely and reliably, from a source of supply to end users and loads. From cables to connectors, from switches to transformers, electric power distribution systems rely on the proper operation of hundreds or even thousands of interconnected components in order to perform this basic function. Failure of a single component or subsystem compromises the integrity of the delivery system as a whole and can have significant widespread ramifications on the rest of the system and on connected loads. For the past several years, Texas A&M University has conducted a major research program aimed at automatically assessing the health of electric power distribution feeders. This program consists of continuously monitoring 60 distribution feeders at eleven electric utility companies located across North America. The goal of the program is to detect incipient faults and operational problems that, if left unchecked, can escalate and cause interruptions, outages, and cascading damage. This paper describes Texas A&Ms research program and provides selected case studies that illustrate some of the benefits being achieved in terrestrial power systems. The techniques involved are applicable and extensible to shipboard power systems.