Internet of Things Network to Inhibit power Theft in Power Distribution Network

Project Title

Internet of Things Network to Inhibit power Theft in Power Distribution Network

Project Area of Specialization Internet of ThingsProject Summary

This project consists of an IoT relay network of multiple smart nodes to monitor the flow of current in the power distribution network between the main distribution point and customers (houses/ offices).  Each sensor node consists of a microcontroller board connected to the current sensors. Each node can communicate with the neighboring node over a wireless channel. These four key components of the project are, smart nodes, a gateway, a server to hold data, and an application to process data.

Each smart node consists of a non-invasive current sensor, ESP32 microcontroller board equipped with a Wi-Fi modem and a long-range and low-power (LoRa) device. The current sensor generates signals, which are fed to the analog-to-digital converter ( ADC) of the ESP32 microcontroller.   Each smart node forwards the measured current to the gateway. The server consists of a LoRa transceiver and an ESP32 microcontroller, which has a Wi-Fi modem. LoRa receives data packets from the sensor nodes and delivers to the ESP32 microcontroller. ESP32 microcontroller pre-processes the received data and uploads it to the cloud using a Wi-Fi stack.

An application with a graphical user interface (GUI) processes data from the cloud and looks for the anomaly, which is power theft, and reports and logs for further action.

Project Objectives

Electricity theft is a common problem in Pakistan, which costs power distributors billions of rupees each year. The main goal of this project is to develop an internet of things (IoT) network of smart sensor nodes to monitor the current flow of power transmission networks and detect power theft. Multiple smart sensors publish their data of current flow through a relay network with the master node connected to the cloud. The master node uploads data of the multiple sensors with their unique ID on the cloud. An application can access data from the cloud for real-time analysis and theft detection. Following the analysis, alerts can be issued and logged. The proposed solution is scalable to a much larger level.

Project Implementation Method

The project plan is to execute sequentially and divided into the following five phases.

1. Calibration of the current sensors to measure the current flow.
2. The communication between sensor nodes and gateway.
3. Uploading the data to the cloud using the IoT protocols.
4. Scripting of the raw data from the microcontroller using JavaScript or any other language.
5. Development of a user-friendly application for real-time data analysis for smartphones or computers.

The project team consists of two BS students and a Supervisor. Two student team members share the workload equally under the supervision of the advisor. 

Benefits of the Project

This project resolves the chronic problem of electricity theft mainly in remote areas. Wireless IoT network with LoRa transceivers makes real-time monitoring of Power flow in remote areas viable. A single sensor node can monitor the power usage of homes and upload real-time observations to the local server for monitoring. The proposed solution is low cost and saves man-power for physical inspection.

Technical Details of Final Deliverable

We propose a low-powered system that can detect electricity theft in the power distribution network. The project includes both software and hardware component.

Hardware Components: 

The Hardware component includes smart sensor nodes and a gateway. Each sensor node has two 30A non-invasive current transformers (zmct103b) working as sensors. The output of these sensors is low current and the current to voltage amplifier amplifies the low current to a detectable voltage level. The amplifier feeds the voltage level to the ADC of the microcontroller (ESP32) where an RMS value is calculated by the microcontroller even if the power factor is non-zero. The Microcontroller can take real-time readings from the multiple amplifiers at a time by multiplexing the ADC input pins. Thus, one microcontroller can monitor the electric current flow of the multiple homes connected to the same distribution box.  After the current reading, the acquired data string is compiled in a presentable format tagged by the address of each home user.   The string is then uploaded wirelessly using LoRa (SX-1278). Above mentioned components together make a single node. Nodes and gateway are connected in a star topology and communicate in half-duplex mode using a secure protocol.

At the gateway, a LoRa device receives data from nodes and forwards it to the microcontroller which uploads the data to the cloud using Wi-Fi protocols. Each node and gateway is powered by a 9V battery.

Software Components:

A scripted cloud space that stores data from the gateway time stamps the data. The Cloud is only accessible by specific individuals for security concerns. An application designed for computers and mobile phones presents real-time data.

Final Deliverable of the Project HW/SW integrated systemCore Industry TelecommunicationOther Industries IT , Energy , Security Core Technology Internet of Things (IoT)Other TechnologiesSustainable Development Goals Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, Responsible Consumption and ProductionRequired Resources

Item Name	Type	No. of Units	Per Unit Cost (in Rs)	Total (in Rs)
			Total in (Rs)	80000
Current Transformer	Equipment	30	500	15000
ESP 32 Dev Module	Equipment	7	1200	8400
LORA SX-1278	Equipment	6	1200	7200
9V-5V regulator	Equipment	10	200	2000
Voltage Amplifiers	Equipment	30	100	3000
USB Data Cables	Equipment	10	200	2000
Connecting Wires in Bundle	Equipment	5	250	1250
Transportation	Miscellaneous	5	800	4000
Power extension Board	Miscellaneous	1	2000	2000
Wires 10m	Equipment	1	1000	1000
switch and sockets	Equipment	24	50	1200
printing material and literature	Miscellaneous	1	4000	4000
9 Volt Battery	Equipment	10	100	1000
Voltage Sensors	Equipment	20	600	12000
PZEM 004t	Equipment	4	2300	9200
9 Volt Battery	Equipment	10	100	1000
Voltage Sensors	Equipment	4	600	2400
ESP32 LoRaWAN Gateway	Equipment	1	3350	3350