A PROJECT REPORT ON

“IOT BASED UNDERGROUND CABLE FAULT

DETECTOR”
Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements
For the award of the degree of

BACHELOR OF TECHNOLOGY
In
Electrical and Electronics Engineering

Submitted by
S SUPREM MOHAN (18671A0283)
JAKKALA SRAVAN (18671A0257)
MANDADI NAVEEN KUMAR (17671A0218)
SAGILI VIVEK (18671A0275)
Under the guidance of
Mr B CHANDRA SINGH M.Tech
Asst Professor

Department of Electrical & Electronics Engineering

J.B. INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
(Affiliated to Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University,
Hyderabad, Telangana)
Moinabad, Hyderabad-500075.
 J.B. INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
(Affiliated to Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad)
Department of Electrical & Electronics Engineering

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We would like to express our profound sense of gratitude and
indebtedness to our project guide MR CHANDRA SINGH, Asst Professor,
department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering for her valuable
guidance, untiring cooperation at each and every phase of this project
work and suggestions all the way throughout the project work and for
providing exceptional facilities for successful completion of the project
work.
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to
Mr. B CHANDRA SINGH, Professor and Head of Department of
Electrical and Electronics Engineering, JBIET for providing us with all
the necessary facilities for the project work.

We take immense pleasure in thanking the principal of our

college Dr KRISHNAMACHARY MTech, PHD, Principal, JBIET for
permitting us to carry out this project.

We would like to express our thanks to all the faculty members

& supporting staff of Electrical and Electronics Engineering Department
and we also place on the record, the assistance by our friends during
the course of project.
Finally, we would like to lend our special thanks to all the
persons, who were directly or indirectly involved in the course of project
undertaken. We are grateful to one and all.

S SUPREM MOHAN (18671A0283)

JAKKALA SRAVAN (18671A0257)
MANDADI NAVEEN KUMAR (17671A0218)
SAGILI VIVEK (18671A0275)
 J.B. INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
(Affiliated to Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad)
Department of Electrical & Electronics Engineering

DECLARATION

We hereby declare the desertion entitled “IOT BASED

UNDERGROUND CABLE FAULT DETECTOR ” is being submitted by
us in fulfilment of the requirement for the award of degree in Electrical
& Electronics Engineering from J.B. Institution of Engineering and
Technology college and is a record of bonafide work carried out by us
under the guidance of, Asst Professor
Mr. B CHANDRASINGH Department of Electrical and Electronics
Engineering.
The result embodied in the desertion is not submitted by any
other university or institute for award of any degree or diploma.

S SUPREM MOHAN (18671A0283)

JAKKALA SRAVAN (18671A0257)
MANDADI NAVEEN KUMAR (17671A0218)
SAGILI VIVEK (18671A0275)
 J.B. INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
(Affiliated to Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University,
Hyderabad)
Department of Electrical & Electronics Engineering

CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that the project report entitled “IOT BASED
UNDERGROUND CABLE FAULT DETECTOR” is the bonafide work of
J. SRAVAN (18671A0257), S. VIVEK (18671A0275), S SUPREM MOHAN
(18671A0283) & M NAVEEN KUMAR (17671A0218) who carried out the
project under my supervision as partial for the award of Bachelor of
Technology Degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from
Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad. Certified
further, that to my knowledge the work reported here does not form part
of any dissertation on basis of which a degree was conferred on an
earlier occasion on this or any other candidate.

GUIDE HEAD OF THE DEPARTMENT

(MR. CHANDRA SINGH ) (DR.P. DURAI PANDY)

M.TECH Professor& HOD
Asst Professor
 IOT BASED UNDERGROUND CABLE FAULT
DETECTOR

ABSTRACT:

Underground cables are prone to a wide variety of faults due to underground

conditions, wear and tear, rodents etc. Diagnosing fault source is difficult and entire
cable should be taken out from the ground to check and fix faults. The project work is
intended to detect the location of fault in underground cable lines from the base station
in km using a PIC16F877A controller. To locate a fault in the cable, the cable must be
tested for faults. This prototype uses the simple concept of Ohms law. The current
would vary depending upon the length of fault of the cable. In the urban areas, the
electrical cables run in underground instead of overhead lines. Whenever the fault
occurs in underground cable it is difficult to detect the exact location of the fault for
process of repairing that particular cable. The proposed system finds the exact location
of the fault. The prototype is modelled with a set of resistors representing cable length
in km and fault creation is made by a set of switches at every known distance to cross
check the accuracy of the same. In case of fault, the voltage across series resistors
changes accordingly, which is then fed to an ADC to develop precise digital data to a
programmed PIC IC that further displays fault location in distance. The fault occurring
distance, phase, and time is displayed on a 16X2 LCD interfaced with the
microcontroller. IOT is used to display the information over Internet using the Wi-Fi
module ESP8266.A webpage is created using HTML coding and the information about
occurrence of fault is displayed in a webpage.

SIGNATURE OF PROJECT GUIDE SIGNATURE OF HOD

(M.R. B.CHANDRA SINGH) (DR. P. DURAIPANDY)
 1. INTRODUCTION:-

Power supply networks are growing continuously and their reliability getting more important
than ever. The complexity of the whole network comprises numerous components that can fail
and interrupt the power supply for end user. For most of the worldwide operated low voltage
and medium voltage distribution lines, underground cables have been used for many decades.
Underground high voltage cables are used more and more because they are not influenced by
weather conditions, heavy rain, storm, snow and pollution. Even though the

Cable manufacturing technology is improving steadily; there are still influences which
may cause cable to fail during test and operation. A cable in good condition and installed
correctly can last a lifetime of about 30 years. However, cables can be easily damaged by
incorrect installation or poorly executed jointing, while subsequent third-party damage by
civil works such as trenching or curb edging.

What are the Types of Underground Cables?

The underground cables are classified in two ways: voltage capacity or construction.
 By Voltage
Low-tension cables – maximum capacity of 1000 V (1KV). It is most widely used among
all cables, applied frequently in electric power distribution and control cables that carry
signals from electrical devices or switch gears to control room.
 High-tension cables – maximum of 11KV. Commonly used for electric power
transmission at high voltage, it may be for underground or underwater. It helps in
the reduction of power loss.
 Super-tension cables – rating of between 22 KV and 33 KV. This uses low
viscosity oils for impregnation.
 Extra high-tension cables – rating of between 33 KV and 66 KV.
 Extra super voltage cables – maximum voltage ratings beyond 132 KV.

By Construction: -

 Belted cables: the maximum voltage is 11KVA. Inside have usually three
conductors that are clustered together and then joined by an insulating paper belt
that is impregnated with a suitable dielectric. The gaps between the conductors and
the belt are filled with fibrous dielectric materials. If there’s one notable
characteristic, this is the shape not a perfect circle to take advantage of the
 available space. However, it is not ideal for voltage level above 11KV because the
dielectric strength falls after a few years.

 Screened cables: the maximum voltage is 66 KVA. This type if divided by two
types of cable – H-Type Cables and SL-Type Cables.

The H-Type Cable was designed by M. Hochstadter. Each of the three cores is insulated
by a paper and then wrapped by a perforated metallic screen or cover. The three metallic
screens are later on grouped together by a copper or other metallic covers. The main benefit
of the H-Type Cable is that it improves the heat dissipation.
Another one is the SL-Type Cable which is similarly constructed with the H-Type. The only
difference is that the SL-Type’s three cores are individually covered with lead sheaths.
Unfortunately, it’s only limited to up to 66kV. The sheaths are also thin so moisture may
penetrate the cable. On the other hand, there’s also the H.S.L. Type Cables which is
combination of H type and S.L. type cable.

 Pressure cables: the maximum voltage of more than 66KVA. It is classified to two
types – the oil filled cables and the gas filled cables.

1.1. Types of Faults in Cables

1.1.1. Open Circuit Fault

When there is a break in the conductor of the cable, it is called open circuit fault of the cable.
The open circuit fault can be checked by megger. For this purpose, the three conductors of the
3-core cable at the far end are shorted and earthed. Then resistance between each conductor
and earth is measured by a megger. The megger will indicate zero resistance in the circuit of
the conductor that is not broken. However, if the conductor is broken, the megger will
indicate infinite resistance in its circuit. Current will only flow in circuit. That is, around a
continuous path (or multiple paths) from and back to the source of EMF. Any interruption in
the circuit, such as an open switch, a break in the wiring, or a component such as a resistor
that has changed its resistance to an extremely high value will cause current to cease. The
EMF will still be present, but voltages and currents around the circuit will have changed or
ceased altogether. The open switch or the fault has caused what is commonly called an OPEN
CIRCUIT.
Remember that wherever an open circuit exists, although voltage may be present there will be
no current flow through the open circuit section of the circuit. Also, as Power (P) is V x I and
the current (I) = 0, no power will be dissipated.

Looking further at the simple circuit used in Resistors & Circuits let´s put some actual
voltages and currents in and see what happens under ‘Open Circuit’ conditions.

Use the animated version, to select a number of open circuit conditions that might occur in
different parts of the circuit. Notice how the voltages and currents around the circuit change
depending on where the break in the circuit (the open circuit) occurs. Checking the voltages
around a circuit with a voltmeter, and noticing where they differ from what would be
expected in a correctly working circuit, is one of the main techniques used for tracing a fault
in any circuit. Making sense of this method depends on understanding a few basic facts about
the circuit:

The current IS supplied to the circuit by the battery (E) is divided into two currents I1 flowing
through R1 and I2 flowing through R2 and R3.Because R2 and R3 are connected in series, the
same current (I2) flows through both resistors. Both branches of the circuit (R1 and R2/R3
have the same resistance in this circuit (150Ω, commonly shown in circuit diagrams as 150R).
Therefore, half of the 40mA supply current (20mA) flows through each 150Ω branch of the
circuit, causing the shown voltages to be developed across each resistor. It would be unusual
in practice to be given all of the current and voltage information on every circuit diagram. The
voltages and currents would need to be worked out where needed by applying the methods
described in our section on Current and Voltage in Series and Parallel Resistor Networks.
Fault finding techniques vary with the complexity of the circuit involved but all rely to some
degree on the basic methods shown here, and very often on the application of Ohms Law.
These examples, whilst not intended to be typical of faults encountered in already built
printed circuits, may often be encountered when building circuits on breadboard (Proto board)
when components may be wrongly inserted, or not make a good connection.

1.1.2. Short Circuit Fault

When two conductors of a multi-core cable come in electrical contact with each other due to
insulation failure, it is called short-circuit fault. The two terminals of the megger are
connected to any two conductors. If the megger gives zero reading, it indicates short-circuit
fault between these two conductors. The same step can be repeated for other conductors
taking two at a time.
 Some of the reasons for short circuit fault are: -
1. In a DC circuit when the positive and negative are accidentally connected or touched to
each other than the short circuit fault occurs. Positive and negative may be touched to each
other due to insulation failure of the conductor, wrong connection, etc.

2. In electronic PCB boards short circuit fault occurs due to excess soldering, bridging,
terminals of the components touched, etc.

3. In a single-phase AC circuit when the phase and neutral accidentally connected or touched
each other, the short circuit fault occurs. It also may happen due to insulation failure, wrong
connection, failure of load resistance, etc.

4. In a three-phase AC Circuit, when three phases touched to each other or touched with
neutral then the short circuit fault occurs.

5. In transmission and distribution lines also short circuit fault occurs due to the failure of
insulators, Line conductor touched to each other, etc.

6. Short Circuit fault can occur in transformers or electrical motors due to insulation failure or
breakdown of the conductors.

Short circuit fault mostly affects the source of power supply than the load. For example, a
short circuit fault can damage the battery, rectifier circuit if that circuit is DC and other
problems are

1. Short circuit fault causes to flow a very high current which further creates heat, explosion,
and burning of conductors, electric cables, etc.

2. Short circuit fault makes the power supply voltage zero, so all loads connected with that
power supply will be affected, they will not get the power supply.

3. Short circuit fault can create ARC, and it further turns to fire, so a short circuit fault is very
dangerous.

4. Short circuit faults can harm machines, equipment, and even humans also.
1.1.3. Earth Fault

When the conductor of the cable comes in contact with earth, it is called earth fault or ground
fault. To identify this fault, one terminal of the megger is connected to the conductor and the
other terminal connected to earth. If megger indicates zero reading, it means the conductor is
earthed. The same procedure is repeated for other conductors of the cable.

This project is used to detect the location of fault in digital way. Locating the faulty point in
an underground cable helps to facilitate quicker repair, improve the system reliability and
reduced outage period. The article has been organised as follows. Section 2 discuss about
different methods used to detect the location of fault in underground cables. Section 3
describes the basic principle of the proposed fault locating method. Section 4 briefly explains
the working of the proposed system with a help of flow chart. Section 5 presents the circuit
which is a prototype model for the proposed system. Section 6 gives the simulation of the
work using Proteus 8.5 Professional software. The section also explains the hardware
implementation and the results. Section 7 Provides conclusion and future scope of the work.

Earth faults may occur for a number of reasons. For example, a fault to earth in PV cabling
systems may arise due to insulation damaged during installation, subsequent impact or
abrasion damage to the cable sheath, or rodents’ damage. Earth faults may also develop
within PV modules, e.g., due to damage to the module back sheet during installation.

In an ungrounded system (where none of the PV array conductors have been intentionally
connected to earth), two earth faults are required to create a fault current. Such an occurrence
may be rare and can be minimized by good system design and installation practice. However,
such faults can be difficult to detect and may develop over time. Additionally, it is often
stated that where one earth fault has developed, a second is likely to follow.

For grounded systems where one of the supply conductors is connected to earth, then only
one earth fault may be necessary in order for a fault current to flow. In such systems the
earthing of one conductor is required for functional or performance reasons (functionally
earthed PV arrays) and is implemented either permanently (directly or through an
impedance), or temporarily. In the aforementioned cases there should be at least a simple
separation between the DC power circuits and the AC network. The protective earthing of one
of the conductors for safety reasons is not in line with IEC 62548:2016.
 2. LITERATURE SURVEY

2.1 Sectionalizing

This procedure reduces cable reliability, because it depends on physically cutting and splicing
the cable. Dividing the cable into successively smaller sections and measuring both ways with
an ohmmeter or high-voltage insulation resistance (IR) tester enable to narrow down search
for a fault. This laborious procedure normally involves repeated cable excavation.Hipotronics
X-WAVE is a 10-kV sectionalizing primary cable fault locator. It is an advanced, safe, and
powerful cable fault-locating tool for sectionalizing URD loop feed installations.
The controller is microprocessor-based with large weather-tight push buttons and optical
encoder knob with user-friendly sequencing for ease of operation. The integrated emergency
stop button, isolated return, and unique mechanical design ensures user safety.
The Hipotronics X-WAVE is specifically designed to shorten restoration time and increase
productivity for today’s utilities, resulting in an improved SAIDI index.

2.2. Thumping

When high voltage is supplied to faulty cable, the resulted high current arc makes a noise loud
enough to hear above ground. While this method eliminates the sectionalizing method’s
cutting and splicing, it has its own drawback. Thumping requires a current on the order of
tens of thousands of amps at voltages as high as 25 kV to make an underground noise loud
enough to hear above ground. The heating from this high current often causes some
degradation of the cable insulation. The limit of damage can be reduced by passing minimum
required power to conduct the test. A cable thumper a high voltage DC surge (about 25 kV)
into the faulty cable. If you supply a sufficiently high voltage to the faulty cable, the open-
circuit fault will break down creating a high-current arc. This high current arc makes a
characteristic thumping sound at the exact location of the fault.
To find the location of cable fault using the thumping method, a thumper is set to thump
repeatedly and then walking along the cable route to hear the thumping sound. The higher the
dc voltage applied; the louder will be the resulting thump. This method is useful for relatively
shorter cables. For longer cables, the thumping method becomes impracticable (imagine
walking along a cable that runs several kilometres to hear the thump).
 Advantages And Disadvantages of Cable Thumping: -

A major advantage of cable thumping is that it can locate open circuit faults very accurately.
Also, this method is easy to apply as well as easy to learn.
Though the thumping method provides very accurate fault location, it has its own drawbacks.
Applying this method for longer cables is extremely time-consuming. It may take hours or
even days to walk along the cable to locate the fault. Moreover, during that time, the cable is
exposed to high voltage surges. So, while the existing fault is located, the high voltage surges
may weaken the insulation of the cable. If you are proficient in cable thumping, you can limit
the damage to the cable insulation by reducing the power sent through the cable to the
minimum required to conduct the test. While moderate thumping may not cause noticeable
damage, frequent thumping may degrade the cable insulation to an unacceptable condition.
Also, this technique cannot find faults that do not arc-over (i.e., short circuit faults).

2.3. Time-Domain Reflectometry

The Time domain reflectometer (TDR) is an electronic instrument that uses time domain
reflectometry to characterize and locate faults in metallic cables. The TDR sends a low-energy
signal through the cable, causing no insulation degradation. A theoretically perfect cable
returns that signal in a known time and in a known profile. Impedance variations in a “real-
world” cable alter both the time and profile, which the TDR screen or printout graphically
represents. One weakness of TDR is that it does not pinpoint faults. Overview of TDR
Applications
TDR is largely used for diagnostic and monitoring purposes in different fields, and this is due
to its high versatility, accuracy, and relatively low implementation costs, and also, thanks to
the possibility of carrying out continuous real-time measurements. An additional advantage is
that TDR can be automated (so as to be remotely controlled) and through multiplexers it is
possible to employ simultaneously several probes with a single measurement instrument. For
example, the TDR200 reflectometer can control up to 512 probes through multiplexers. One
of the first TDR applications relates to fault diagnosis in wires. In particular, TDR has been
used for fault detection in electric wires in buildings, aircraft, and transportation systems;
additionally, TDR has been used to identify bad splices in telephone cables and to
characterize electronic devices/components and antennae.

Dielectric characterization of materials is another major application field of TDR.

Furthermore, impedance measurements; failure in interconnection mechanisms; and
qualitative, quantitative, and/or structural controls on materials are only a few of the domains
in which TDR has gained particular interest. TDR has also been largely employed in moisture
content measurements. In particular, TDR is widely used for routine field monitoring of water
content in soil. In fact, over the years, several theoretical (e.g., Maxwell-De Lor) and
empirical models (e.g., fitting exponent mixing model) have been developed to infer soil
moisture content from TDR measurements.

Moreover, TDR has been adopted for measuring water content of agri-food materials (e.g.,
soybean, coffee, bran, and corn), thus inferring their qualitative status, and also for studying
the microwave dielectric properties of solid and liquid foods. TDR is also used in
geotechnical engineering for assessing distributed pressure profiles (useful for evaluating the
strength of the ground for constructions), for monitoring liquefaction of soils, for the detection
of organic pollutants in sandy soils, etc. Additionally, TDR has also been used for the
investigation of contaminated land and in particular of leachate-contaminated soil. Another
well-established application of TDR relates to dielectric characterization of soil.

TDR has also been used for landslide monitoring, for example, by using coaxial cables
grouted in rock or soil mass and watching for reflections due to cable deformity induced by
the ground deformation. Recently, TDR technology has been implemented for measurement
of slope underground movements, with the intent of providing a geotechnical monitoring of
road embankment in landslide areas. TDR has become a well-established technique also for
monitoring the static electric conductivity of materials. In this regard, TDR becomes
particularly useful when dealing with porous media (e.g., soil). In this case, traditional
methods such as conductive meters (in which an alternating current is applied to two
electrodes and the voltage is measured to retrieve the conductance) pose problems with regard
to electrode polarization; on the other hand, the principle behind TDR makes this technique
less sensitive to this phenomenon.

Finally, TDR-based techniques are also providing promising results for monitoring
applications in civil engineering for dynamic structure analysis.

2.4. Arc Reflection Method

This method is often referred to as a high voltage radar technique that overcomes the 200 Ω
limitation of low-voltage radar. In addition to the TDR, an arc reflection filter and surge
generator is required. The surge generator is used to create an arc across the shunt fault which
creates a momentary short circuit that the TDR can display as a downward-going reflection.
The filter protects the TDR from the high voltage pulse generated by the surge generator and
routes the low-voltage pulses down the cable. Arc reflection is the most accurate and easiest
pre location method. The fault is displayed in relation to other cable landmarks such as
splices, taps and transformers and no interpretation is required. Arc reflection makes it
possible for the TDR to display “before” and “after” traces or cable signatures. The “before”
trace is the low-voltage radar signature that shows all cable landmarks but does not show the
downward reflection of a high resistance shunt fault. The “after” trace is the high-voltage
signature that includes the fault location even though its resistance may be higher than 200 Ω.
This trace is digitized, stored and displayed on the screen and the cursors are positioned in
order to read the distance to the high resistance fault.
The arc reflection method of fault relocating combines the use of a TDR (cable radar) and a
surge generator (thumper). By using an arc reflection filter, a low voltage TDR and a high
voltage surge generator can both be connected to the faulted cable and the TDR can be
looking down the cable while thumping. The filter protects the TDR from the surge generator
high voltage pulses and routes the low voltage pulses down the cable. This method utilizes the
fact that when an arc is created at the fault, its resistance is reduced to a very low value, less
than 200 ohms, which will reflect radar pulses. The arc location will appear as a downward
going reflection on the TDR cable trace. See Figure 4. The cable analysis systems should
capture and store the complete trace including the downward going fault location in memory
so measurements can be made easily. Rather than thumping and walking the cable route to
discover the fault location, the cable analysis system should provide a relocation measurement
with as little as one or two thumps and about 95% of the time gets you within 10 to 20 feet of
the fault. Pinpointing efforts can then be concentrated within a well-defined section of the
cable. This technique substantially reduces the amount of high voltage exposure to the cable,
preventing the initiation of new faults, which will surface after the cable is put back into
service.

2.5. Blavier Test

When a ground fault occurs in a single cable and there is no other cable, then blavier test can
be performed to locate the fault in a single cable. In other words, in the absence of a sound
cable to locate fault in the cable, then measurement of the resistance from one side or end is
called blavier test. Ground fault of a single cable can be located using Blavier’s test. In this
Kind of test, low voltage supply, an ammeter and voltmeter are used in a bridge network.
Resistance between one end of the cable (Sending End) and earth is measured while “Far
End” is isolated from the earth.
 3. EMBEDDED SYSTEMS

3.1 Embedded Systems:

An embedded system is a computer system designed to perform one or a few

dedicated functions often with real-time computing constraints. It is embedded as part of a
complete device often including hardware and mechanical parts. By contrast, a general-
purpose computer, such as a personal computer (PC), is designed to be flexible and to meet a
wide range of end-user needs. Embedded systems control many devices in common use today.

Embedded systems are controlled by one or more main processing cores that
are typically either microcontrollers or digital signal processors (DSP). The key characteristic,
however, is being dedicated to handle a particular task, which may require very powerful
processors. For example, air traffic control systems may usefully be viewed as embedded,
even though they involve mainframe computers and dedicated regional and national networks
between airports and radar sites. (Each radar probably includes one or more embedded
systems of its own).Since the embedded system is dedicated to specific tasks, design
engineers can optimize it to reduce the size and cost of the product and increase the reliability
and performance. Some embedded systems are mass-produced, benefiting from economies of
scale. Physically embedded systems range from portable devices such as digital watches and
MP3 players, to large stationary installations like traffic lights, factory controllers, or the
systems controlling nuclear power plants. Complexity varies from low, with a single
microcontroller chip, to very high with multiple units, peripherals and networks mounted
inside a large chassis or enclosure.

In general, "embedded system" is not a strictly definable term, as most systems

have some element of extensibility or programmability. For example, handheld computers
share some elements with embedded systems such as the operating systems and
microprocessors which power them, but they allow different applications to be loaded and
peripherals to be connected. Moreover, even systems which don't expose programmability as
a primary feature generally need to support software updates. On a continuum from "general
purpose" to "embedded", large application systems will have subcomponents at most points
even if the system as a whole is "designed to perform one or a few dedicated functions", and
is thus appropriate to call "embedded". A modern example of embedded system is shown in
fig: 3.1.
 Fig 3.1: A modern example of embedded system

Labeled parts include microprocessor (4), RAM (6), flash memory

(7).Embedded systems programming is not like normal PC programming. In many ways,
programming for an embedded system is like programming PC 15 years ago. The hardware
for the system is usually chosen to make the device as cheap as possible. Spending an extra
dollar a unit in order to make things easier to program can cost millions. Hiring a programmer
for an extra month is cheap in comparison. This means the programmer must make do with
slow processors and low memory, while at the same time battling a need for efficiency not
seen in most PC applications. Below is a list of issues specific to the embedded field.

3.1.1 History:

In the earliest years of computers in the 1930–40s, computers were sometimes

dedicated to a single task, but were far too large and expensive for most kinds of tasks
performed by embedded computers of today. Over time however, the concept
of programmable controllers evolved from traditional electromechanical sequencers, via solid
state devices, to the use of computer technology.

One of the first recognizably modern embedded systems was the Apollo

Guidance Computer, developed by Charles Stark Draper at the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory. At the project's inception, the Apollo guidance computer was considered the
riskiest item in the Apollo project as it employed the then newly developed monolithic
integrated circuits to reduce the size and weight. An early mass-produced embedded system
was the Automatics D-17 guidance computer for the Minuteman missile, released in 1961. It
was built from transistor logic and had a hard disk for main memory. When the Minuteman II
went into production in 1966, the D-17 was replaced with a new computer that was the first
high-volume use of integrated circuits.
3.1.2 Tools:

Embedded development makes up a small fraction of total programming.

There's also a large number of embedded architectures, unlike the PC world where 1
instruction set rules, and the UNIX world where there's only 3 or 4 major ones. This means
that the tools are more expensive. It also means that they're lowering featured, and less
developed. On a major embedded project, at some point you will almost always find a
compiler bug of some sort.

Debugging tools are another issue. Since you can't always run general
programs on your embedded processor, you can't always run a debugger on it. This makes
fixing your program difficult. Special hardware such as JTAG ports can overcome this issue
in part. However, if you stop on a breakpoint when your system is controlling real world
hardware (such as a motor), permanent equipment damage can occur. As a result, people
doing embedded programming quickly become masters at using serial IO channels and error
message style debugging.

3.1.3 Resources:

To save costs, embedded systems frequently have the cheapest processors that
can do the job. This means your programs need to be written as efficiently as possible. When
dealing with large data sets, issues like memory cache misses that never matter in PC
programming can hurt you. Luckily, this won't happen too often- use reasonably efficient
algorithms to start, and optimize only when necessary. Of course, normal profilers won't work
well, due to the same reason debuggers don't work well.
Memory is also an issue. For the same cost savings reasons, embedded systems
usually have the least memory they can get away with. That means their algorithms must be
memory efficient (unlike in PC programs, you will frequently sacrifice processor time for
memory, rather than the reverse). It also means you can't afford to leak memory. Embedded
applications generally use deterministic memory techniques and avoid the default "new" and
"malloc" functions, so that leaks can be found and eliminated more easily. Other resources
programmers expect may not even exist. For example, most embedded processors do not have
hardware FPUs (Floating-Point Processing Unit). These resources either need to be emulated
in software, or avoided altogether.

3.1.4 Real Time Issues:

Embedded systems frequently control hardware, and must be able to respond to

them in real time. Failure to do so could cause inaccuracy in measurements, or even damage
hardware such as motors. This is made even more difficult by the lack of resources available.
Almost all embedded systems need to be able to prioritize some tasks over others, and to be
able to put off/skip low priority tasks such as UI in favor of high priority tasks like hardware
control.

3.2 Need For Embedded Systems:

The uses of embedded systems are virtually limitless, because every day new
products are introduced to the market that utilizes embedded computers in novel ways. In
recent years, hardware such as microprocessors, microcontrollers, and FPGA chips have
become much cheaper. So when implementing a new form of control, it's wiser to just buy the
generic chip and write your own custom software for it. Producing a custom-made chip to
handle a particular task or set of tasks costs far more time and money. Many embedded
computers even come with extensive libraries, so that "writing your own software" becomes a
very trivial task indeed. From an implementation viewpoint, there is a major difference
between a computer and an embedded system. Embedded systems are often required to
provide Real-Time response. The main elements that make embedded systems unique are its
reliability and ease in debugging.

3.2.1 Debugging:

Embedded debugging may be performed at different levels, depending on the

facilities available. From simplest to most sophisticate they can be roughly grouped into the
following areas:
 Interactive resident debugging, using the simple shell provided by the embedded
operating system (e.g. Forth and Basic)
 External debugging using logging or serial port output to trace operation using either a
monitor in flash or using a debug server like the Remedy Debugger which even works
for heterogeneous multi core systems.
 An in-circuit debugger (ICD), a hardware device that connects to the microprocessor
via a JTAG or Nexus interface. This allows the operation of the microprocessor to be
controlled externally, but is typically restricted to specific debugging capabilities in
the processor.
 An in-circuit emulator replaces the microprocessor with a simulated equivalent,
providing full control over all aspects of the microprocessor.
 A complete emulator provides a simulation of all aspects of the hardware, allowing all
of it to be controlled and modified and allowing debugging on a normal PC.
 Unless restricted to external debugging, the programmer can typically load and run
software through the tools, view the code running in the processor, and start or stop its
operation. The view of the code may be as assembly code or source-code.
 Because an embedded system is often composed of a wide variety of elements,
the debugging strategy may vary. For instance, debugging a software (and microprocessor)
centric embedded system is different from debugging an embedded system where most of the
processing is performed by peripherals (DSP, FPGA, and co-processor). An increasing
number of embedded systems today use more than one single processor core. A common
problem with multi-core development is the proper synchronization of software execution. In
such a case, the embedded system design may wish to check the data traffic on the busses
between the processor cores, which requires very low-level debugging, at signal/bus level,
with a logic analyzer, for instance.

3.2.2 Reliability:

Embedded systems often reside in machines that are expected to run

continuously for years without errors and in some cases recover by them if an error occurs.
Therefore the software is usually developed and tested more carefully than that for personal
computers, and unreliable mechanical moving parts such as disk drives, switches or buttons
are avoided.
Specific reliability issues may include:
 The system cannot safely be shut down for repair, or it is too inaccessible to repair.
Examples include space systems, undersea cables, navigational beacons, bore-hole
systems, and automobiles.
 The system must be kept running for safety reasons. "Limp modes" are less tolerable.
Often backup s is selected by an operator. Examples include aircraft navigation,
reactor control systems, safety-critical chemical factory controls, train signals, engines
on single-engine aircraft.
 The system will lose large amounts of money when shut down: Telephone switches,
factory controls, bridge and elevator controls, funds transfer and market making,
automated sales and service.

A variety of techniques are used, sometimes in combination, to recover from

errors—both software bugs such as memory leaks, and also soft errors in the hardware:
 Watchdog timer that resets the computer unless the software periodically notifies the
watchdog
 Subsystems with redundant spares that can be switched over to
 software "limp modes" that provide partial function
 Designing with a Trusted Computing Base (TCB) architecture[6] ensures a highly
secure & reliable system environment
  An Embedded Hypervisor is able to provide secure encapsulation for any subsystem
component, so that a compromised software component cannot interfere with other
subsystems, or privileged-level system software. This encapsulation keeps faults from
propagating from one subsystem to another, improving reliability. This may also allow
a subsystem to be automatically shut down and restarted on fault detection.
 Immunity Aware Programming

3.3 Explanation of Embedded Systems:

3.3.1 Software Architecture:

There are several different types of software architecture in common use.

 Simple Control Loop:

In this design, the software simply has a loop. The loop calls subroutines, each of
which manages a part of the hardware or software.

 Interrupt Controlled System:

Some embedded systems are predominantly interrupt controlled. This means

that tasks performed by the system are triggered by different kinds of events. An interrupt
could be generated for example by a timer in a predefined frequency, or by a serial port
controller receiving a byte. These kinds of systems are used if event handlers need low latency
and the event handlers are short and simple.

Usually these kinds of systems run a simple task in a main loop also, but this
task is not very sensitive to unexpected delays. Sometimes the interrupt handler will add
longer tasks to a queue structure. Later, after the interrupt handler has finished, these tasks are
executed by the main loop. This method brings the system close to a multitasking kernel with
discrete processes.

 Cooperative Multitasking:

A non-preemptive multitasking system is very similar to the simple control

loop scheme, except that the loop is hidden in an API. The programmer defines a series of
tasks, and each task gets its own environment to “run” in. When a task is idle, it calls an idle
routine, usually called “pause”, “wait”, “yield”, “nop” (stands for no operation), etc.The
advantages and disadvantages are very similar to the control loop, except that adding new
software is easier, by simply writing a new task, or adding to the queue-interpreter.

 Primitive Multitasking:
 In this type of system, a low-level piece of code switches between tasks or
threads based on a timer (connected to an interrupt). This is the level at which the system is
generally considered to have an "operating system" kernel. Depending on how much
functionality is required, it introduces more or less of the complexities of managing multiple
tasks running conceptually in parallel.

As any code can potentially damage the data of another task (except in larger
systems using an MMU) programs must be carefully designed and tested, and access to shared
data must be controlled by some synchronization strategy, such as message queues,
semaphores or a non-blocking synchronization scheme.

Because of these complexities, it is common for organizations to buy a real-

time operating system, allowing the application programmers to concentrate on device
functionality rather than operating system services, at least for large systems; smaller systems
often cannot afford the overhead associated with a generic real time system, due to limitations
regarding memory size, performance, and/or battery life.

 Microkernels And Exokernels:

A microkernel is a logical step up from a real-time OS. The usual arrangement

is that the operating system kernel allocates memory and switches the CPU to different
threads of execution. User mode processes implement major functions such as file systems,
network interfaces, etc.

In general, microkernels succeed when the task switching and inter task
communication is fast, and fail when they are slow. Exokernels communicate efficiently by
normal subroutine calls. The hardware and all the software in the system are available to, and
extensible by application programmers. Based on performance, functionality, requirement the
embedded systems are divided into three categories:

3.3.2 Stand Alone Embedded System:

These systems takes the input in the form of electrical signals from transducers
or commands from human beings such as pressing of a button etc.., process them and
produces desired output. This entire process of taking input, processing it and giving output is
done in standalone mode. Such embedded systems comes under stand alone embedded
systems

Eg: microwave oven, air conditioner etc...

3.3.3 Real-time embedded systems:

 Embedded systems which are used to perform a specific task or operation in a
specific time period those systems are called as real-time embedded systems. There are two
types of real-time embedded systems.

 Hard Real-time embedded systems:

These embedded systems follow an absolute dead line time period i.e.., if the
tasking is not done in a particular time period then there is a cause of damage to the entire
equipment.

Eg: consider a system in which we have to open a valve within 30 milliseconds. If this
valve is not opened in 30 ms this may cause damage to the entire equipment. So in such cases
we use embedded systems for doing automatic operations.

 Soft Real Time embedded systems:

Eg: Consider a TV remote control system, if the remote control takes a few milliseconds
delay it will not cause damage either to the TV or to the remote control. These systems which will not
cause damage when they are not operated at considerable time period those systems comes under soft
real-time embedded systems.

3.3.4 Network communication embedded systems:

A wide range network interfacing communication is provided by using

embedded systems.

Eg:

 Consider a web camera that is connected to the computer with internet can be
used to spread communication like sending pictures, images, videos etc.., to
another computer with internet connection throughout anywhere in the world.

 Consider a web camera that is connected at the door lock.

Whenever a person comes near the door, it captures the image of a person and
sends to the desktop of your computer which is connected to internet. This gives an alerting
message with image on to the desktop of your computer, and then you can open the door lock
just by clicking the mouse. Fig: 3.2 show the network communications in embedded systems.
 Fig 3.2: Network communication embedded systems

3.3.5 Different types of processing units:

The central processing unit (c.p.u) can be any one of the following
microprocessor, microcontroller, digital signal processing.

 Among these Microcontroller is of low cost processor and one of the main advantage
of microcontrollers is, the components such as memory, serial communication
interfaces, analog to digital converters etc.., all these are built on a single chip. The
numbers of external components that are connected to it are very less according to the
application.

 Microprocessors are more powerful than microcontrollers. They are used in major
applications with a number of tasking requirements. But the microprocessor requires
many external components like memory, serial communication, hard disk, input output
ports etc.., so the power consumption is also very high when compared to
microcontrollers.

 Digital signal processing is used mainly for the applications that particularly involved
with processing of signals

3.4 APPLICATIONS OF EMBEDDED SYSTEMS:

3.4.1 Consumer applications:

At home we use a number of embedded systems which include microwave

oven, remote control, vcd players, dvd players, camera etc….
 Fig3.3: Automatic coffee makes equipment

3.4.2 Office automation:

We use systems like fax machine, modem, printer etc…

Fig3.4: Fax machine Fig3.5: Printing machine

3.4.3. Industrial automation:

Today a lot of industries are using embedded systems for process control. In
industries we design the embedded systems to perform a specific operation like monitoring
temperature, pressure, humidity ,voltage, current etc.., and basing on these monitored levels
we do control other devices, we can send information to a centralized monitoring station.
 Fig3.6: Robot

In critical industries where human presence is avoided there we can use robots
which are programmed to do a specific operation.

3.4.5 Computer networking:

Embedded systems are used as bridges routers etc...

Fig3.7: Computer networking

3.4.6 Tele communications:

Cell phones, web cameras etc.

 Fig3.8: Cell PhoneFig3.9: Web camera

4. INTERNET OF THINGS

The evaluation of IOT in the electrical Power Industry transformed the way things performed
in usual manner. IOT increased the use of wireless technology to connect power industry
assets and infrastructure in order to lower the power consumption and cost. The applications
of IOT are not limited to particular fields, but span a wide range of applications such as
energy systems, homes, industries, cities, logistics, heath, agriculture and so on. Since 1881,
the overall power grid system has been built up over more than 13 decades, meeting the ever
increasing demand for energy. Power grids are now been considered to be one of the vital
components of infrastructure on which the modern society depends. It is essential to provide
uninterrupted power without outages or losses. It is quiet hard to digest the fact that power
generated is not equal to the power consumed at the end point due to various losses. It is even
harder to imagine the after effects without power for a minute. Power outages occur as result
of short circuits. This is a costly event as it influences the industrial production, commercial
activities and consumer lifestyle. Government & independent power providers are
continuously exploring solutions to ensure good power quality, maximize grid uptime, reduce
power consumption, increase the efficiency of grid operations and eradicate outages, power
loss & theft. Most importantly, the solution should provide a real-time visibility to customers
on every penny paid for their energy. There is an increasing need of a centralized management
solution for more reliable, scalable, and manageable operations while also being cost
effective, secure, and interoperable. In addition, the solution should enable power providers
and utilities to perform effective demand forecasting and energy planning to address the
growing need for uninterrupted quality power.

The goal of IOT is not just only connecting things such as machines, devices and
appliances, but also allowing the things to communicate, exchanging control data and other
necessary information while executing applications. It consists of IOT devices that have
unique identities and are capable of performing remote sensing, monitoring and actuating
tasks. These devices are capable of interacting with one another directly or indirectly. Data
collection is performed locally or remotely via centralized servers or cloud based applications.
These devices may be data collection devices to which various sensors are attached such as
temperature, humidity, light, etc., or they may be data actuating devices to which actuators are
connected, such as relays. IOT system is composed of three layers: the perception layer, the
network layer, and the application layer. The perception layer includes a group of Internet-
enabled devices that can percept, detect objects, collect systems information, and exchange
information with other devices through the Internet communication networks. Sensors, Global
Positioning Systems (GPS), cameras, and Radio Frequency Identification Devices (RFID) are
examples of devices that exist at perception layer. The network layer is responsible of
forwarding data from perception layer to the application layer under the constraints of
devices’ capabilities, network limitation and the applications’ constraints. IOT systems use a
combination of Internet and short-range networks based on the communicated parties. Short-
range communication technologies such as Bluetooth and ZigBee are used to carry the
information from perception devices to a nearby gateway. Other technologies such as Wi-Fi,
2G, 3G, 4G, and Power line Communication (PLC) carry the information for long distances
based on the application. The upper layer is the application layer, where incoming information
is processed to induce insights for better power’s distribution design and management
strategies.
 Figure 1 Architecture of IOT

4.1 Online Monitoring of Power Lines

As more buildings and areas are being covered with power line systems, the number and
severity of power outages become more serious leading to lower system’s reliability.
Reliability is important as it causes serious negative impacts on public health and economical
systems. Integration of IOTs technology together with the power grid, aims to improve the
reliability of power grids through a continuous monitoring of transmission lines status; in
addition to environmental behaviours and consumers activities to send periodic reports to the
grid control units. The control units process and extract information from the reported data in
order to detect faults, isolate the fault, and then resolve faults intellectually performing energy
restoration in smart grid must take into the account the location criticality of blackouts. For
examples, it is critical to guarantee high reliability for health and industrial systems. The
restoration problem becomes a very complex problem when taking into the consideration the
large number of combinations of switching operations which exponentially increases with the
increase in system’s components. Designing the smart grid in a hierarchical model divides the
problem into multiple control units in charge of restoring power within its region or scope.
This enhances the time needed to process the data and speeds up the restoration process. If
some control units fail to restore energy in some regions within their scope, they forward the
problem to upper levels for better action and handling as higher levels have a larger system’s
view.
4.2 Demands-Side Energy Management

Demand-Side Energy Management (DSM) is the change in consumer’s energy consumption

profiles according to varying electricity price over time, and other payment’s incentives from
utility companies. Demand response is used to minimize consumer’s electricity bill, shift
peak’s load demand, minimize operation cost of the power grid, and minimize energy loss and
greenhouse’s gas emissions. IOT components collect energy requirements of different home
appliances and send them to smart meters. The control unit in smart grid schedules energy
consumption of homes’ appliances according to the user’s preferences in a strategy that
minimizes the electricity bill. The DSM problem can be solved at different levels of the
hierarchical smart grid infrastructure. It can be solved at the level of home premises to
preserve consumer’s privacy. Also, it can be solved at higher levels to generate more effective
scheduling plan that do not only benefit consumers but also the utility company. Most of the
time, demand-side energy management involves strategies designed to cut back, or curtail, the
amount of energy facilities like yours use for any number of reasons like: Saving money,
reducing air pollution, cutting your facility’s carbon footprint—and even earning revenue. So
why is it called demand-side energy management? To answer that question, let’s take a basic
look at how energy typically travels from its source of generation to your facility. Sometimes,
the demand for energy outpaces the grid’s ability to supply it, causing brownouts or blackouts.

Instead of producing more energy at great expense to consumers and the environment, the
grid operator can offset the imbalance by reducing the amount of electricity being consumed
when demand exceeds supply. That’s demand response, and it can be very financially
rewarding for organizations like yours. Energy Efficiency programs pay organizations for
permanent load reduction resulting from energy efficiency projects they have completed or
will complete in the future.

4.3 Integration of Distributed Energy Sources

Renewable energy generators are being integrated into today’s power grid because of
environmental reasons, climate change, and its low cost. This reduces emissions of
greenhouse gases that rises the Earth temperature. In recent years, many governments,
organizations, and individuals started to install solar cells and wind turbines to satisfy part of
their power requirements. Germany for example plans fully fulfil their power demands using
renewable energy sources by 2050. IOT technology uses wireless sensors to collect real-time
weather information to help in predicting the energy availability in the near future. Accuracy
of the forecasted power amounts during the next time intervals is crucial for energy
scheduling models. Different strategies and optimization solutions have been developed in
research to efficiently manage renewable energy sources within the smart grid. Integration of
Distributed Energy Resources in Power Systems: Implementation, Operation and Control
covers the operation of power transmission and distribution systems and their growing
difficulty as the share of renewable energy sources in the world’s energy mix grows and the
proliferation trend of small-scale power generation becomes a reality. The book gives students
at the graduate level, as well as researchers and power engineering professionals, an
understanding of the key issues necessary for the development of such strategies. It explores
the most relevant topics, with a special focus on transmission and distribution areas. Subjects
such as voltage control, AC and DC Microgrids, and power electronics are explored in detail
for all sources, while not neglecting the specific challenges posed by the most used variable
renewable energy sources.

4.4 Integration of Electric Vehicles

Electric Vehicles (EVs) are used as energy storage devices while they are idle. Also they
provide efficient and clean transportation services. Developing efficient scheduling techniques
for charging and discharging of electric vehicles can potentially lead to reduce emissions,
shave peak load, and increase the used percentage of generated renewable. Perception devices
collect information about electric vehicles identity, battery state, location, etc, to improve the
efficiency of charging and discharging scheduling algorithms. Vehicle to grid technology
allows bidirectional energy exchange between electric vehicles and the power grid, which
offers numerous services to the power grid, such as power grid regulation, spinning reserve,
peak load shaving, load levelling and reactive power compensation. Energy crisis and
environmental issues have encouraged the adoption of electric vehicle as an alternative
transportation option to the conventional internal combustion engine vehicle. Recently, the
development of smart grid concept in power grid has advanced the role of electric vehicles in
the form of vehicle to grid technology. Vehicle to grid technology allows bidirectional energy
exchange between electric vehicles and the power grid, which offers numerous services to the
power grid, such as power grid regulation, spinning reserve, peak load shaving, load levelling
and reactive power compensation. As the implementation of vehicle to grid technology is a
complicated unit commitment problem with different conflicting objectives and constraints,
optimization techniques are usually utilized. This paper reviews the framework, benefits and
challenges of vehicle to grid technology. This paper also summarizes the main optimization
techniques to achieve different vehicle to grid objectives while satisfying multiple constraints.

4.5 Smart Homes

The system and appliances include sensors and actuators that monitor the environment and
send surveillance data to a control unit at home. The control unit enables the householders to
continuously monitor and fully control the electrical appliances. It also uses the surveillance
data to predict future activities to be prepared in advance for a more convenient, comfortable,
secure, and efficient living environment. Smart home refers to a convenient home setup where
appliances and devices can be automatically controlled remotely from anywhere with an
internet connection using a mobile or other networked device. Devices in a smart home are
interconnected through the internet, allowing the user to control functions such as security
access to the home, temperature, lighting, and a home theatre remotely. A smart home allows
homeowners to control appliances, thermostats, lights, and other devices remotely using a
Smartphone or tablet through an internet connection.
Smart homes can be set up through wireless or hardwired systems.
Smart home technology provides homeowners with convenience and cost savings.
Security risks and bugs continue to plague makers and users of smart home technology.
How Smart Homes Work: -
A smart home’s devices are connected with each other and can be accessed through one
central point—a Smartphone, tablet, laptop, or game console. Door locks, televisions,
thermostats, home monitors, cameras, lights, and even appliances such as the refrigerator can
be controlled through one home automation system. The system is installed on a mobile or
other networked device, and the user can create time schedules for certain changes to take
effect. Smart home appliances come with self-learning skills so they can learn the
homeowner’s schedules and make adjustments as needed. Smart homes enabled with lighting
control allow homeowners to reduce electricity use and benefit from energy-related cost
savings. Some home automation systems alert the homeowner if any motion is detected in the
home when they're away, while others can call the authorities—police or the fire department
—in case of imminent situations. Once connected, services such as a smart doorbell, smart
security system, and smart appliances are all part of the internet of things (IOT) technology, a
network of physical objects that can gather and share electronic information.

5. PROPOSED SYSTEM
The proposed system is an IOT enabled underground cable fault detection system. The basic
principle behind the system is Ohms law. When fault occurs in the cable, the voltage varies
which is used to calculate the fault distance. The system consists of Wi-Fi module,
Microcontroller, and Real-Time Clock. The block diagram of the fault detection system is
shown in the Figure 2.The power supply is provided using step-down transformer, rectifier,
and regulator. The current sensing circuit of the cable provides the magnitude of voltage drop
across the resistors to the microcontroller and based on the voltage the fault distance is
located.

Figure 2 Block Diagram of Fault Detection system

6. FLOW CHART

The flow chart of the logic behind the fault detecting system is given in Figure 3. The input
and output ports of Microcontroller, LCD display, RTC and Wi-Fi module of the system are
configured and initialized. When fault occurs (switch is pressed), the fault distance, time and
phase are displayed corresponding to that fault. The above fault information will be displayed
in the webpage using Wi-Fi module.

7. CIRCUIT DESCRIPTION

The prototype uses resistors to represent the cable length. The resistors R R1 to RR5 represents
R phase of the cable. Similarly R Y1 to RY5 and RB1 to RB5 represent Y and B phase of the
cable. RN1 to RN12 are used to represent the neutral lines. To represent the occurrence of fault
in underground cables switches are used. Each phase is connected with a relay which in turn
is connected to Port C of Microcontroller. When there is no fault, the LEDs connected to each
relay glows.

Figure 3 Flow Chart of Fault Detection System

 When a switch connected to a particular phase is closed, the LED connected to the
particular phase alone glows. The resistance connected to that particular phase adds up and
the voltage drop thus generated is given to Port A of the Microcontroller. The voltage drop is
converted to distance as per Table 1 and is displayed in the LCD. Additionally, the pin of Port
C connected to that particular LED goes high and the name of the faulted phase is displayed
in the LCD. The cable side circuit diagram is shown in the Figure 4.

Figure 4 Cable Side - Circuit Diagram

S.No. Switch Analog Fault ADC

1. SW 1 3.33 V 1 km 682
2. SW 2 3.99 V 2 km 818
3. SW 3 4.28 V 4 km 876
4 SW 4 4.4 V 8 km 909

Table 1 Mapping Table for Fault Identification

 Figure 5 Switch Over Connection- Circuit Diagram

The Real Time Clock DS1307 is connected to Port C of the Microcontroller to display the
time at which fault has occurred. For every clock period the time gets incremented. During
fault, SCL pin of RTC synchronizes the data and SDA pin transmits data to the
Microcontroller which is displayed in the LCD. The switch over connection is activated
during fault period of the cable to transmit uninterrupted power supply which is shown in
figure 5.

8. OBSERVATION AND RESULT

The fault detection system is simulated using Proteus 8.5 professional software and the
fault information is displayed in the LCD. The simulation and hardware setup of the fault
detection system are shown in the Figure 6 and Figure 7 respectively. The Fault display
message is shown in the table 2. The work “IOT Based Underground Cable Fault Detector” is
an efficient system as it reduces the time to detect the exact location of fault.

Figure 6 Simulation of the System using Proteus

 Figure 7 Hardware Setup of the System

HARDWARE STATUS

Problem Affected in R Phase in Time 12:04:35PM

Phase Relay switch Over Distance (in km)

ring
R Phase R2 8 km
Y Phase R 0 km
B Phase R 0 km

Table 2 Fault Display Message in the Webpage

9. CONCLUSION

The short circuit fault at a particular distance in the underground cable is located to rectify the
fault efficiently using simple concepts of Ohms law. The work automatically displays the
phase, distance and time of occurrence of fault with the help of PIC 16F877A and ESP8266
Wi - Fi module in a webpage. The benefits of accurate location of fault are fast repair to
revive back the power system, it improves the system performance, it reduce the operating
expense and the time to locate the faults in the field.

10. FUTURE SCOPE

The work can be extended for open circuit fault, short circuit Line to Line Fault (LL) and
double Line to Ground Fault (LLG). The open circuit fault can be detected using a capacitor
in ac circuit which measures the change in impedance and calculate the distance of fault.
REFERENCES

[1] Xiaoning Kang; Xiuda Ma; Shuai Jiang; Xiaoyun Qu, Chao Zhang; Xiaoning
Kang;Xiuda Ma; Shuai Jiang; Xiaoyun Qu 2016 IEEE PES Asia-Pacific Power
and EnergyEngineering Conference (APPEEC)

[2] Gilbert Cheung, Yuan Tian, Tobias Neier, Techniques of Locating Underground
Cable Faults inside conduits, International Conference on Condition Monitoring
and Diagnosis IEEE (CMD 2016)

[3] Nikhil Kumar Sain, Rajesh Kajla, and Mr.Vikas Kumar, Underground Cable Fault
Distance Conveyed Over GSM, International Organization of Scientific Research
Journal of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Volume 11, Issue 2, Mar-April
2016.

[4] C.Bharatiraja, S.Jeevananthan, J.L. Munda, A Timing Correction Algorithm based

extended SVM for three level Neutral point clamped MLI in Over Modulation
Zone IEEE Journal of Emerging and Selected topics in Power Electronics.

[5] Manar Jaradat, Moath Jarrah, Abdel Kader Bousselham, Yaser Jararweh,
Mahmoud Al-Ayyoub The Internet of Energy: Smart Sensor Networks and Big
Data Management for Smart Grid, Procedia Computer Science Elsevier, July 2015.

[6] Dhivya Dharani. A and Sowmya. T, Development of a Prototype of Underground

Cable Fault Detector, International Journal Electrical, Electronics, and Computer
Systems, Volume-2, 2014.

[7] Md. Fakhrul Islam, Amanullah M T O, Salahuddin. A. Azad, Locating

Underground Cable Faults: A Review and Guideline for New Development, 2013
IEEE Conference

[8] M.Fonseca_Badillo, L. Negrete_Navarrete, A. Gonzalez_parada, A.

Castaneda_Miranda, Simulation and analysis of underground power cables faults,
2012 Elsevier Procedia Engineering

[9] Abishek Pandey, Nicolas H. Younan Underground cable fault detection and
identification using Fourier analysis, 2010 IEEE Conference
[10] Tobias Neier, Cable fault location practical experience, HV Technologies, version-
1, June 2006.

[11] M.S. Choi, D.S. Lee, and X. Yang, A Line to Ground Fault Location Algorithm
for Underground Cable System, Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers
International Transactions on Power Engineering, pp. 267 – 273, Jun 2005.

[12] K.K. Kuan, Prof. K. Warwick, Real-time expert system for fault location on high
voltage underground distribution cables, IEEE Proceedings-C, Volume. 139, No.
3, MAY 1992.

[13] Ashlesha A. Patil and Dr. S. R. Suralkar. Review on-IOT Based Smart Healthcare
System. International Journal of Advanced Research in Engineering and
Technology, 8(3), 2017, pp 37–42

[14] Snehal R. Shinde, A. H. Karode and Dr. S. R. Suralkar, Review onIOT Based
Environment Monitoring System, International Journal of Electronics and
Communication Engineering and Technology, 8(2), 2017, pp. 103–108

[15] Viswanath Naik.S1 , S.Pushpa Bai1 , Rajesh.P , Mallikarjuna Naik.B, IOT Based
Green House Monitoring System, International Journal of Electronics and
Communication Engineering & Technology (IJECET), Volume 6, Issue 6, June
(2015), pp. 45-47