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In view of the need for communication with distributed sensors/items, this paper presents the design of a single-port antenna with dual-mode operation, representing the front-end of a future generation tag acting as a position sensor, with identification and energy harvesting capabilities. An Archimedean spiral covers the lower European Ultra-Wideband (UWB) frequency range for communication/localization purposes, whereas a non-standard dipole operates in the Ultra High Frequency (UHF) band to wirelessly receive the energy. The versatility of the antenna is guaranteed by the inclusion of a High Impedance Surface (HIS) back layer, which is responsible for the low-profile stack-up and the insensitivity to the background material. A conformal design, supported by 3D-printing technology, is pursued to check the versatility of the proposed architecture in view of any application involving its deformation and tracking/powering operations.

Diagnoses of power transformers by partial discharge (PD) measurement are effective to prevent dielectric failures of the apparatus. Ultra-high frequency (UHF) method has recently received attention due to its various advantages, such as the robustness against external noise and the capability of PD localization. However, electromagnetic (EM) waves radiated from PD tend to suffer attenuation before arriving at UHF sensors, because active part of the transformer disturbs the EM wave propagation. In some cases, that results in poor detection sensitivity. To understand propagation and attenuation characteristics of EM waves and to evaluate the detection sensitivity quantitatively, a computational approach to simulate the EM wave propagation is important. Although many previous researches have dealt with EM wave simulation for transformers, validations of those simulations by comparing with the experimental ones have seldom been reported. In this paper, cumulative energies, signal amplitudes and propagation times of EM waves were measured using a 630 kVA transformer. EM wave propagation was computed using the time-domain finite integration technique and the results were compared with the experimentally obtained ones. These simulation results showed good agreement with the experimental ones. The results can serve as guidelines to improve the efficiency of UHF PD detection and offer the possibility to achieve optimal placement of UHF sensors in power transformers.

Partial discharges (PD) measurement provides valuable information for the condition assessment of the insulation status of high-voltage (HV) electrical installations. During the last three decades, several PD sensors and measuring techniques have been developed to perform accurate diagnostics when PD measurements are carried out on-site and on-line. For utilities, the most attractive characteristics of on-line measurements are that once the sensors are installed in the grid, the electrical service is uninterrupted and that electrical systems are tested in real operating conditions. In medium-voltage (MV) and HV installations, one of the critical points where an insulation defect can occur is inside metal-clad switchgears (including the cable terminals connected to them). Thus, this kind of equipment is increasingly being monitored to carry out proper maintenance based on their condition. This paper presents a study concerning the application of different electromagnetic measuring techniques (compliant with IEC 62478 and IEC 60270 standards), together with the use of suitable sensors, which enable the evaluation of the insulation condition mainly in MV switchgears. The main scope is to give a general overview about appropriate types of electromagnetic measuring methods and sensors to be applied, while considering the level of detail and accuracy in the diagnosis and the particular fail-save requirements of the electrical installations where the switchgears are located., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.