Grid Frequency Measurement through a PLHR Analysis Obtained from an ELF Magnetometer

Abstract

The stability of the power grid’s frequency is crucial for industrial, commercial, and domestic applications. The standard frequency in Europe’s grid is 50 Hz and it must be as stable as possible; therefore, reliable measurement is essential to ensure that the frequency is within the limits defined in the standard EN 50160:2010. In this article, a method has been introduced for the measurement of the grid frequency through a power line harmonics radiation analysis. An extremely low-frequency magnetometer was developed with the specific purpose of monitoring, in real time, the electromagnetic field produced by electrical installations in the range from 0 to 2.2 kHz. Zero-crossing and Fast Fourier transform algorithms were applied to the output signal to calculate the grid frequency as a non-invasive method. As a final step, data for a complete month (May 2021) were compared with a commercial power quality analyzer connected to the main line to validate the results. The zero-crossing algorithm gave the best result on 3 May 2021, with a coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.9801. Therefore, the indirect measurement of the grid frequency obtained through this analysis satisfactorily fits the grid frequency.