Analysis of Distribution Line Carrier Propagation Using the Bus Impedance Matrix

Distribution line carrier (DLC) is a communication system used in automated distribution systems to transmit data between the substation and certain locations on the distribution primary and secondary. Extensive DLC propagation measurements have shown that the propagation of signals on a power distribution line is difficult to predict because of the complexity and variability of distribution systems. This paper presents an efficient and comprehensive analytical tool for predicting DLC signal propagation over complex distribution systems. This paper develops a three-phase bus impedance matrix, which consists of 3×3 transfer impedance submatrices. These submatrices represent the general transfer function which relates the three-phase received voltage vector at any point of interest to any three-phase transmitted (injected) current vector at any point of interest. The method described here is an extension of the three-phase bus impedance approach used for 60 Hz power distribution.