Power distribution systems play an important role in modern society. Safety and security are always considerable factors for the “health” of power distribution systems. Accordingly, there should be a technology that enables monitoring of the “health” of the power distribution systems.
In a medium or high voltage power distribution system, the temperature of conductors of electrical cables may increase as currents carried by the cables increase. Accordingly, the “health” of such system can be assessed by monitoring the temperature of the on-line electrical conductor, for example, at the cable splices or the junctions, which may be the weak points, in such a system. Usually, normal currents flowing through the cable splices or the junctions may create a temperature of up to, for example, about 90° C. If the temperatures of the cable splices or the junctions were to increase beyond that, it could be an indication that something may be wrong in this power distribution system. On the other hand, it is also useful to know if the existing power distribution system is at maximum current carrying capacity, to know if additional power can be reliably distributed with the existing system, or, to know if additional infrastructure expenditures are needed.