Emergency Communication System for Fault Diagnosis in Power Distribution Networks

This paper describes a preliminary research aimed to explore the feasibility of the idea of creating an alternative, backup communication system for fault diagnosis in power distribution networks, based on the WSN technology. According to this study, it appears that a plurality of WSN nodes, spatially distributed in a chain topology, and equipped with specially designed communication protocols may route relatively small amounts of data over extended distances. Such a system is, in principle, capable to provide the means for remote fault diagnosis operations in power distribution networks, in circumstances when other communication systems are unavailable.