As redes secundárias de distribuição são item de extrema importância no processo de levar a energia produzida de uma fonte até o consumidor final. Dentro de uma Empresa Concessionária de Distribuição de Energia Elétrica o setor de planejamento, juntamente com o grupo técnico, deve realizar o planejamento dos investimentos necessários nos níveis de alta, média e baixa tensão, sendo que para a baixa tensão (redes secundárias de distribuição), normalmente utilizam-se os dados históricos e a média de investimentos dos últimos anos (de três a cinco últimos anos). Em geral não são encontrados nestas Empresas os cadastramentos das redes secundárias de distribuição ou então, quando estes existem, muitas vezes não são confiáveis. Neste ponto, esta dissertação de mestrado apresentará, aplicará e discutirá os resultados de uma metodologia de geração de redes secundárias de distribuição a partir dos dados das redes primárias de distribuição (média tensão) e dos ativos da Empresa, tendo como foco os investimentos necessários para estas dentro do planejamento agregado de investimentos. O trabalho proposto visa criar condições para que as Empresas enquadradas na situação anterior possam realizar o seu planejamento de baixa tensão valendo-se da aplicação de uma metodologia capaz de gerar tais redes. Uma vez criadas, tais redes serão inseridas dentro de um software de planejamento agregado de investimentos que fornecerá o valor total das aplicações necessárias para os próximos dez anos (planejamento decenal – longo prazo). Ao final do processo, poderá ser observado que os resultados obtidos são muito próximos dos valores esperados para as redes secundárias reais e, com isto, a dissertação discutirá como a metodologia foi implementada, os detalhes da aplicação e, até mesmo, todo o processo de planejamento para três Empresas Concessionárias de Distribuição de Energia Elétrica. Já de posse dos resultados, poderá afirmar-se que o processo produziu valores de muito boa aderência e, assim, os investimentos obtidos para as redes secundárias poderão ser aceitos pelo grupo de planejamento da Empresa. Como conseqüência dos valores de investimentos obtidos para os dez anos, poderão ser observados ainda, guardadas algumas considerações especiais, os valores dos custos marginais de baixa tensão, item de grande importância no planejamento de redes de distribuição. / The low voltage distribution networks are an item of extreme importance in the process of delivering the produced energy from a plant (supply) to the final consumer. In an Electric Power Distribution Company the planning group (sector), together with the technical group, must accomplish the planning of the necessary investments in the high voltage, medium voltage and low voltage levels, and for low voltage distribution networks, usually the historical data and the average of investments of the last years are used (from three to last five years). In general the databases of low voltage networks are not found in these Companies or then, when these exist, a lot of times they are not reliable. For this, this article will show, apply and discuss the results of a methodology for generating low voltage distribution networks starting from the database of the medium voltage distribution networks and of the assets of the Company, having as focus the necessary investments for these networks in planning of investments. The proposed work wishes to create conditions so that the Companies that are in the previous situation can accomplish their planning on low voltage distribution networks using a methodology capable to generate such nets. Once created, such nets will be inserted in a software of planning of investments that will supply the total amount of investments for them for the next ten years (long period planning). In the end of the process, it will be observed that the obtained results are very close to the expected values for the real low voltage distribution networks and, with this, the article will discuss how the methodology was implemented, the details of the application and, even, the whole planning process for three Electric Power Distribution Companies. With the results, it will be affirmed that the process produces values of very good adherence and, for this, the investments obtained for low voltage distribution networks can be accepted by the planning group in the Company. As a consequence of the investments values obtained for the ten years, it will be able to be observed, kept some special considerations, the values of the marginal costs of low voltage, item of great importance in the planning of distribution networks.

As redes secundárias de distribuição são item de extrema importância no processo de levar a energia produzida de uma fonte até o consumidor final. Dentro de uma Empresa Concessionária de Distribuição de Energia Elétrica o setor de planejamento, juntamente com o grupo técnico, deve realizar o planejamento dos investimentos necessários nos níveis de alta, média e baixa tensão, sendo que para a baixa tensão (redes secundárias de distribuição), normalmente utilizam-se os dados históricos e a média de investimentos dos últimos anos (de três a cinco últimos anos). Em geral não são encontrados nestas Empresas os cadastramentos das redes secundárias de distribuição ou então, quando estes existem, muitas vezes não são confiáveis. Neste ponto, esta dissertação de mestrado apresentará, aplicará e discutirá os resultados de uma metodologia de geração de redes secundárias de distribuição a partir dos dados das redes primárias de distribuição (média tensão) e dos ativos da Empresa, tendo como foco os investimentos necessários para estas dentro do planejamento agregado de investimentos. O trabalho proposto visa criar condições para que as Empresas enquadradas na situação anterior possam realizar o seu planejamento de baixa tensão valendo-se da aplicação de uma metodologia capaz de gerar tais redes. Uma vez criadas, tais redes serão inseridas dentro de um software de planejamento agregado de investimentos que fornecerá o valor total das aplicações necessárias para os próximos dez anos (planejamento decenal – longo prazo). Ao final do processo, poderá ser observado que os resultados obtidos são muito próximos dos valores esperados para as redes secundárias reais e, com isto, a dissertação discutirá como a metodologia foi implementada, os detalhes da aplicação e, até mesmo, todo o processo de planejamento para três Empresas Concessionárias de Distribuição de Energia Elétrica. Já de posse dos resultados, poderá afirmar-se que o processo produziu valores de muito boa aderência e, assim, os investimentos obtidos para as redes secundárias poderão ser aceitos pelo grupo de planejamento da Empresa. Como conseqüência dos valores de investimentos obtidos para os dez anos, poderão ser observados ainda, guardadas algumas considerações especiais, os valores dos custos marginais de baixa tensão, item de grande importância no planejamento de redes de distribuição. / The low voltage distribution networks are an item of extreme importance in the process of delivering the produced energy from a plant (supply) to the final consumer. In an Electric Power Distribution Company the planning group (sector), together with the technical group, must accomplish the planning of the necessary investments in the high voltage, medium voltage and low voltage levels, and for low voltage distribution networks, usually the historical data and the average of investments of the last years are used (from three to last five years). In general the databases of low voltage networks are not found in these Companies or then, when these exist, a lot of times they are not reliable. For this, this article will show, apply and discuss the results of a methodology for generating low voltage distribution networks starting from the database of the medium voltage distribution networks and of the assets of the Company, having as focus the necessary investments for these networks in planning of investments. The proposed work wishes to create conditions so that the Companies that are in the previous situation can accomplish their planning on low voltage distribution networks using a methodology capable to generate such nets. Once created, such nets will be inserted in a software of planning of investments that will supply the total amount of investments for them for the next ten years (long period planning). In the end of the process, it will be observed that the obtained results are very close to the expected values for the real low voltage distribution networks and, with this, the article will discuss how the methodology was implemented, the details of the application and, even, the whole planning process for three Electric Power Distribution Companies. With the results, it will be affirmed that the process produces values of very good adherence and, for this, the investments obtained for low voltage distribution networks can be accepted by the planning group in the Company. As a consequence of the investments values obtained for the ten years, it will be able to be observed, kept some special considerations, the values of the marginal costs of low voltage, item of great importance in the planning of distribution networks.

In this thesis, the conventional low voltage power line communication methods is investigated in the axis of automated meter reading applications and the classification and experimental verification of common noise types for low voltage power line communication network. The investigated system provides the real time transmission of electricity consumption data recorded by electricity meters, initially to a local computer via a low voltage line through a low speed PLC (Power Line Carrier) environment and subsequently to a corporate network through a high speed data transmission medium. The automated meter system provides a more effective tracking and data acquisition, a more detailed and vigorous knowledge about consumer behavior for subscriber assessment in electricity distribution in association with a brand new management and system supervision concept in electricity distribution control and management technology. The theoretical studies are experimentally verified for the Turkish low voltage power infrastructure through laboratory experiments performed in METU Electrical and Electronics Engineering Department, Electrical Machines and Drives Laboratory and R&amp / D Laboratories of MAKEL facilities in Hadimk&ouml / y. The single phase voltage of the mains line between the phase and neutral is monitored to exhibit the disturbing effects of various noise sources. The resulting voltage spectrum is logged by using digital data acquisition devices in time and frequency domain. The waveforms are converted to frequency domain using the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) functions of the MATLAB. The experimental results are compared to the theoretical findings obtained through literature survey.

In recent years there has been a large increase in the connection of photovoltaic generators to the low voltage distribution network in urban residential areas. In the future, it is predicted that this trend will continue and be accompanied with a rise in the uptake and connection of electric vehicles and heat pumps. Recently, monitoring trials have found widespread current unbalance in the feeders that transmit electrical energy to and from these urban residential areas. This unbalance is likely to be accentuated by the gradual and piecemeal uptake of the aforementioned devices. The combined impact of the changes and present day unbalance is likely to be more frequent thermal and voltage constraint violations unless new strategies are adopted to manage the flow of electrical energy. Here, a novel device named the 'phase switcher' that has no customer compliance requirements is proposed as a new tool for distribution network operators to manage the thermal and voltage constraints of cables. The phase switcher is shown to unlock cable ampacity and maximise voltage headroom and it achieves this through phase balancing in real time. A centralised local feeder controller is simulated to employ dynamic and scheduled phase switcher control algorithms on a real network model, and it's ability to unlock cable ampacity and reduce cable losses is quantified. Also, a small model based controller algorithm is presented and shown to perform almost as well as others despite having a very limited sensing and communication system requirement. Phase switchers are also quantified for their ability to increase feeder voltage headroom when employed to improve the balance of photovoltaic distributed generators across phases. To this end, an exhaustive offline photovoltaic capacity prediction technique is documented which shows that when phase switchers are placed explicitly to a known photovoltaic installation scenario, an almost linear relationship exists between the penetration level and maximum node voltage when PSs or phase conductor rejointing is considered as an option for implementation. Finally, a fast feeder assessment algorithm is detailed that is found to be better and more robust at estimating extreme maximum and minimum photovoltaic penetration level scenarios that cause over-voltage. All the work is presented within a new general mathematical framework that facilitates formulation of the problem and calculation of device phase connections for networks containing phase switchers.