Air-core inductive current sensor for fast transients measurements in distribution networks

Observation of fast transients in power networks can provide some of the most valuable information. The transients from partial discharge can provide the information about the power line insulation state; fault-produced fast transients can also provide information about the fault or problematic section location. For measurement of fast transients, there would also need to be a very fast sensor, as the pulsed measurements could require the bandwidth range reaching in the tens of MHz range. In this paper, a sensor for fast transients measurements is presented and tested. While very simple, this sensor can offer very good performance while being inexpensive and robust. The results of performance verification measurements show very good results when testing with high-frequency pulse source, presenting the potential of such sensor.