Behavioral Model of G3-Powerline Communication Modems for EMI Analysis

Abstract

G3-powerline communication (G3-PLC) is a robust communication protocol originally developed for smart metering in low-voltage power distribution networks. Modeling G3-PLC modems is an essential task to investigate electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) issues related to the coexistence of the PLC signal with the high-frequency noise affecting low-voltage networks, mainly due to the presence of power converters and non-linear loads. Since detailed information on the modem internal architecture is usually not available to the end-user, this work investigates the possibility of developing behavioral (black-box) models of G3-PLC modems, whose parameters can be estimated starting from measurements carried out at the modem output ports. To this end, suitable test benches are set up and used for model-parameter extraction as well as for validation purposes. Experiments have proven that an equivalent representation involving non-ideal voltage sources (i.e., in terms of extended Thevenin/Norton equivalent circuits) is no longer feasible for the transmitting modem, since the presence of a closed-loop control system invalidates the linearity assumption. Hence, while the receiving modem is still modeled through an impedance matrix (since it behaves as a linear device), an alternative representation is proposed for the transmitting modem, which resorts to the use of two ideal voltage sources in accordance with the substitution theorem. Experimental results prove that the proposed modeling strategy leads to satisfactory predictions of the currents propagating on the PLC system in the frequency interval of interest. Hence, it could be used in combination with high-frequency models of the other components in the network to investigate EMC and the coexistence of the PLC signal with the high-frequency noise generated by power converters.