Detecting power theft from electrical grids using Time Domain Reflectometry

Abstract

Both Less Economically Developed Countries (LEDCs) and More Economically Developed Countries (MEDCs) face loss of revenue due to power theft from the electrical grid. However, MEDCs have the luxury of employing more costly solutions to the problem. As a result, most of the current research on this subject focuses on the use of advanced metering technologies which are very costly to setup. A TDR-based approach (suggested by Method and Apparatus for Power Theft Prevention Based on TDR or FDR Signature Monitoring on LV and MV Power Lines [1]) has the potential to be more cost e ective than the current advanced metering technologies. Hence, this paper provides a proof of concept that a TDR-based method can be used to detect power theft in simple electrical grids.