A device, such as a link box, with health monitoring has a housing defining an interior space, at least one surge arrester positioned in the interior space, at least one contactless temperature sensor positioned to contactlessly measure a temperature of the at least one surge arrester and generate temperature data therefrom, and at least one controller connected to the at least one contactless temperature sensor and configured to receive the temperature data.

Wireless communication enabled circuit breakers are described. Methods associated with such wireless communication enabled circuit breakers are also described. The wireless communication enabled circuit breakers may controlled by a remote entity. The remote entity may wirelessly case the wireless communication enabled circuit breakers to trip.

A communications network for communication between at least one power electronics element and at least one control unit is disclosed. According to one or more embodiments, the communications network can be described as a communications network having parts or portions thereof employing multi-hop and/or hybrid communication.

A method for analyzing power quality events in an electrical system includes processing electrical measurement data from or derived from energy-related signals captured by at least one of a plurality of metering devices in the electrical system to generate or update a plurality of dynamic tolerance curves. Each of the plurality of dynamic tolerance curves characterizes a response characteristic of the electrical system at a respective metering point of a plurality of metering points in the electrical system. Power quality data from the plurality of dynamic tolerance curves is selectively aggregated to analyze power quality events in the electrical system.

A system for differential current monitoring includes a control module and a plurality of nodes operatively connected to the control module. Each node is configured to monitor current from a bus to a respective load. The control module and nodes are configured to monitor current at each of the nodes, issue a pulse for each node, wherein the pulse has a duration that is proportional to current at the node, concatenate all of the pulses for the nodes to determine the total current drawn from the bus at the nodes, compare the total current drawn from the bus at the nodes to current input to the bus, and signal a fault condition if the total current drawn from the bus is not within a predetermined range of the current input to the bus.

Systems and techniques are disclosed that monitor an area adjacent to power system components and detect objects that may pose a probable risk of causing a fault, for example, making contact with the power system component. Various embodiments initiate a preventative, a corrective, and/or a mitigative action in advance of the fault. Examples of possible actions include, but are not limited to, an audible alert, a visual alert, a tactile alert, a remote notification, a limiting of machinery motion, a stopping of machinery motion, a reversing of machinery motion, de-energization of the power system component, or combinations thereof.

The invention relates to an overvoltage protection device with monitoring and communication functions, in particular for the information and process industries, having at least one surge arrester with a self-diagnostics unit and a wireless and/or wired standard interface for data transmission. According to the invention, an additional module is provided to detect the behaviour and/or the properties of a connected electrical energy source, wherein a bidirectional exchange of data and commands to and between a higher-level control system and among multiple overvoltage protection devices takes place and parametrisation of lower-level terminals to be protected can be realised via the standard interface.

Methods of controlling lockout of a switching or isolating component of an electrical grid are provided. A method of controlling lockout of a switching or isolating component includes, responsive to a plurality of trips occurring at the switching or isolating component during a predetermined time window, incrementing, by the switching or isolating component, a plurality of counters, respectively, and determining whether a number of the trips meets or exceeds a predetermined threshold. Moreover, the method includes, responsive to meeting or exceeding the predetermined threshold, driving the switching or isolating component to lockout. Related switching or isolating components are also provided.

Communicating fault conditions between primary-side and secondary-side controllers of a Universal Serial Bus Power Delivery (USB-PD) device is described. The primary-side controller receives a control signal from the secondary-side controller across a galvanic isolation barrier. The primary-side controller converts the control signal into a first pulse signal and applies the first pulse signal to control a primary-side switch. When the primary-side controller detects that a first fault condition has occurred, the primary-side controller communicates a first information signal about the first fault condition to the secondary-side controller across the galvanic isolation barrier. The first information signal is generated by converting the control signal into a second pulse signal having a different pulse width than the first pulse signal. The primary-side controller applies the second pulse signal to control the primary-side power switch.

The present disclosure pertains to systems and methods for monitoring electrical arc events in an electric power system. In one embodiment, a system may comprise an arc flash detection (AFD) unit to detect electromagnetic radiation generated by an electrical arc event, a primary protection relay to generate measurements of an electric current, and an integrator. In various embodiments, the integrator may comprise a communication port to receive the detection of the electrical arc event and the measurements of the electric current. The integrator may also comprise a processing subsystem to validate the detection of the electrical arc and generate protective actions to interrupt the flow of the current to the electrical arc event.