METHOD AND DEVICE FOR DIAGNOSING AN ELECTRICAL NETWORK AND ASSOCIATED INSTALLATION METHOD

Abstract

This method for diagnosing the energy consumption of an electrical network supplying power to multiple pieces of equipment and comprising at least one single- or multi-conductor electrical cable supplying this equipment, includes the following steps, which do not require any interruption of operations on said electrical network: identification (10) of at least one piece of equipment to be monitored; location (12) of at least one point on the network where consumption can be measured; selection (14) of at least one cable to be monitored; positioning (16), at at least one location on the cable to be monitored, of at least one current measurement device that simultaneously determines the current flowing in all conductors of the cable to be monitored and determines the energy consumption, per conductor, of this cable; parameterization (18) of the measurement device; output (20) of a network consumption diagnosis. Figure for the summary: Fig. 1

Description

Title of the invention: METHOD AND DEVICE FOR DIAGNOSING AN ELECTRICAL NETWORK AND ASSOCIATED INSTALLATION METHOD

[0001] The present invention relates to a method and a device for non-intrusive diagnosis of the energy consumption of an electrical network, as well as to an associated method for installing this diagnostic device in this network.

[0002] The methods and device according to the present invention are based on the simultaneous measurement of the instantaneous current intensity in each phase of a single-phase or polyphase electrical cable, alternating or direct current, by means of magnetic field sensors.

[0003] The invention relates to the field of electrical cables intended for the transport of energy and / or the transmission of data. It is particularly applicable in the field of optimizing energy distribution in buildings.

[0004] When an electrical network, for example a low voltage network, requires an energy consumption diagnosis, there are two cable configurations in the network: single-phase or single-conductor cables and polyphase or multi-conductor cables.

[0005] Currently, to measure the instantaneous current intensity in each conductor of a cable, whether single- or multi-conductor, the current intensity in the cable conductor(s) is most often measured successively using a clamp-type current meter. In the case of a multi-conductor cable, such a device does not allow the current intensity for each phase of the cable to be determined at a given instant.

[0006] Furthermore, these operations are time-consuming and generally provide imprecise results. Moreover, while they are suitable for one-off measurements, they do not, in practice, allow for the implementation of sustained monitoring or diagnosis of an electrical network.

[0007] A solution generally implemented to be able to monitor the energy consumption of an electrical network in a sustainable way consists of integrating into the electrical panel or cabinet of the electrical network in question a connected metering device, which generally monitors the current intensity, the power used and the energy consumption.

[0008] However, these connected metering devices necessitate a mandatory suspension of operations carried out by the electrical network, since it is necessary to disconnect and then reconnect the cables when installing the device. counting.

[0009] In addition, if the diagnostic mode is exited, a new suspension of operations is necessary to rewire the electrical network in the same way as its original configuration.

[0010] In the state of the art, there is therefore no known solution allowing the energy consumption of an electrical network comprising single- and multi-conductor cables to be diagnosed without having to suspend the operations carried out by this network.

[0011] The present invention aims to remedy the aforementioned drawbacks of the prior art.

[0012] To this end, the present invention proposes a method for diagnosing the energy consumption of an electrical network, this network supplying electrical energy to a plurality of equipment and comprising at least one electrical cable supplying the plurality of equipment, this cable comprising one or more conductors, the method being remarkable in that it comprises the following steps without requiring any interruption of the operations carried out by the electrical network: an entry step into a diagnostic mode, comprising the following steps: - an identification step, consisting of identifying, among the plurality of equipment, at least one piece of equipment to be monitored; - a localization step, consisting of locating at least one point in the network where energy consumption can be measured, at least from the identification of at least one piece of equipment to be monitored in the identification step; - a step of selecting at least one cable to monitor from among the at least one electrical cable of the network, from the location of at least one point of the network in the location step; - a positioning step, consisting of positioning, in at least one location around the at least one cable to be monitored, at least one current intensity measuring device simultaneously determining the intensity of the current flowing in all the conductors of the at least one cable to be monitored and determining the energy consumption, per conductor, of the at least one cable to be monitored; - a parameterization step, consisting of configuring at least one measurement device; - a reporting step, consisting of providing an energy consumption diagnosis of the electrical network, including information on the current intensity flowing in each of the conductors of the at least one cable to be monitored and on the energy consumption, per conductor, of the at least one cable to be monitored, this information on the current intensity flowing in each of the conductors of the at least one cable to be monitored and on the energy consumption, per conductor, of the at least one cable to be monitored being obtained from the measurements carried out by the at least one measuring device once configured in the configuration step.

[0013] Thus, the invention makes it possible, through the use of suitable measuring devices placed in the electrical network and through the measurement of the current intensity in all the conductors of the cable to be monitored, in a single operation and without having to remove the cable sheath, to obtain a real-time energy consumption diagnosis of an electrical network, in a non-intrusive manner and without requiring any suspension of the operations carried out by the network.

[0014] The invention offers numerous applications, such as the identification of unbalanced current distributions sometimes indicative of a faulty power supply, the anticipation of cable failures when a conductor reaches an excessive temperature or the reduction of electrical energy consumption in the installation supplied by the electrical network diagnosed thanks to the present invention.

[0015] In a particular embodiment, the identification step consists of identifying, among the plurality of equipment, those which have an average energy consumption greater than a predetermined threshold and / or which are used most intensively according to a predefined intensive use criterion.

[0016] This makes it possible to identify the locations in the electrical network where failures and / or maintenance needs are most likely to occur.

[0017] In a particular embodiment, the localization step consists of locating at least one point of the network from available information concerning the network configuration and from the location of at least one piece of equipment to be monitored identified in the identification step.

[0018] This allows the diagnosis to be focused on the points of the network to be monitored particularly because they present the highest probability of failure and / or high frequency of maintenance.

[0019] In a particular embodiment, the selection step consists of selecting at least one cable passing through at least one point of the network that was determined in the location step.

[0020] Thus, the locations on the electrical cables where it is relevant to monitor current flow and energy consumption are optimally chosen, in order to provide the most accurate and useful consumption diagnosis possible.

[0021] In a particular embodiment, the method further comprises, between the selection and positioning steps, a determination step, consisting of determining whether the at least one cable to be monitored is single-conductor or multi-conductor.

[0022] This allows the use of the measuring device(s) most suitable for the type of cable to be monitored.

[0023] In a particular embodiment, the parameterization step consists of parameterizing at least one measuring device via a visualization platform.

[0024] This visualization platform allows the user to configure the measuring devices quickly, easily and ergonomically.

[0025] In this embodiment, the restitution step may include an immediate visualization step, as soon as the parameterization of at least one measuring device has been carried out, of the intensity and consumption, in graphical form, via this visualization platform.

[0026] This allows the user to view diagnostic data easily, quickly and ergonomically.

[0027] In a particular embodiment, at least one current intensity measurement device comprises a plurality of magnetic field sensors and a processing means adapted to receive values ​​of at least one component of the magnetic field induced by the current flowing in the conductors of the cable to be monitored, and the diagnostic process comprises, between the parameterization and feedback steps, steps consisting of: place the plurality of magnetic field sensors around the cable, in at least one location on the cable; to measure simultaneously, for each of the conductors, at least one component of the magnetic field produced by the current flowing in the conductor, by means of the plurality of magnetic field sensors; For each conductor, determine, using the processing means, the angle between the conductor and the nearest magnetic field sensor of the plurality of magnetic field sensors, this angle being defined with respect to the center of the cable and by assimilating the conductors and sensors to points; and The current intensities in the conductors being related to the components of the magnetic field measured by the relation B = kMI where B is the matrix of the components of the magnetic field, I is the matrix of current intensities, M is a matrix containing a plurality of proportionality coefficients depending on the angles between the conductors and the magnetic field sensors and k is a predetermined coefficient, calculate the inverse M 1 of the matrix M, so as to deduce the values ​​of the current intensities I = (po / 2ir).M *.B, where po is an equivalent magnetic permeability which takes into account the presence of insulating materials in the cable.

[0028] Thus, the measuring devices implemented in the present diagnostic method make it possible to obtain, simultaneously for all phases of a cable and in real time, The current intensity can be measured easily, quickly, and non-intrusively, without damaging, marking, deforming, or modifying the cable being monitored. Furthermore, since the position of the magnetic field sensors relative to the cable conductors is unknown, accounting for the angular offset between the sensors and conductors increases the accuracy of the current values ​​obtained. This also ensures accurate measurement of the current intensity in the cable conductors, even if they are twisted in a way that could potentially affect the sensitivity of the current measurement.

[0029] In the above embodiment where at least one current intensity measurement device comprises a plurality of magnetic field sensors, the measurement step may consist of simultaneously measuring, for each of the conductors of the cable to be monitored, the tangential component and the radial component of the magnetic field produced by the current flowing in the conductor, by means of the plurality of magnetic field sensors.

[0030] This makes it possible to minimize the error on the intensity values ​​obtained, i.e. to further increase the precision of these values.

[0031] In a particular embodiment, the diagnostic process further comprises the following step which does not require any interruption of operations carried out by the electrical network: a step to exit diagnostic mode, consisting of removing at least one cable to be monitored from at least one measuring device.

[0032] Alternatively, rather than removing the measuring devices from the network to be diagnosed, they can be left in the network, around the cables to be monitored, but switched off or deactivated.

[0033] This avoids having to replace them if a new diagnosis of the same network, i.e. containing the same cables and electrical equipment, is to be carried out later.

[0034] For the same purpose as indicated above, the present invention also proposes a device for diagnosing the energy consumption of an electrical network, the network supplying electrical energy to a plurality of devices and comprising at least one electrical cable supplying the plurality of devices, the cable comprising one or more conductors. This diagnostic device is remarkable in that its implementation does not require any interruption of the operations carried out by the electrical network and in that it comprises at least one current intensity measurement device adapted to simultaneously determine the current intensity flowing in all the conductors of a cable to be monitored from among the at least one electrical cable and adapted to determine the energy consumption, per conductor, of the other less one cable to be monitored, at least one measuring device being suitable for implementing the steps of a diagnostic process as briefly described above.

[0035] Since the advantages of the diagnostic device are similar to those of the diagnostic process, they are not all repeated here.

[0036] In a particular embodiment of the diagnostic device, it further comprises a visualization platform adapted to serve as a human-machine interface allowing the parameterization of at least one measuring device.

[0037] In this embodiment, the visualization platform can further be adapted to display the aforementioned intensity and consumption.

[0038] In a particular embodiment of the diagnostic device, at least one current intensity measurement device comprises a plurality of magnetic field sensors and a processing means adapted to receive values ​​of at least one component of the magnetic field induced by the current flowing in the conductors of the cable to be monitored and to perform steps of a diagnostic process as briefly described above.

[0039] In a particular embodiment of the diagnostic device, at least one measuring device further comprises a housing containing the plurality of magnetic field sensors.

[0040] This facilitates the installation of the measuring device around the cable to be monitored, as it is thus not necessary to install each sensor individually.

[0041] In this embodiment, the housing may optionally be surrounded by electromagnetic shielding.

[0042] This makes it possible to prevent the penetration of electromagnetic disturbances due, for example, to the permanent Earth's magnetic field and to possible sources of electromagnetic field located near the cable to be monitored and the sensors.

[0043] According to a particular feature, the housing may have a section formed of two half-rings, adapted to the positioning of at least one measuring device around the cable to be monitored.

[0044] This configuration allows for quick installation of the measuring device around the cable to be monitored, which is therefore housed in the center of the circular opening formed by the meeting of the two half-rings.

[0045] According to a particular feature, the diagnostic device may further include at least one additional magnetic field sensor adapted to measure the Earth's magnetic field.

[0046] This allows the value of the Earth's magnetic field to be taken into account, which can thus be subtracted when processing the magnetic field values ​​collected by the sensors.

[0047] According to a particular feature, at least one additional sensor may be located inside the case and / or outside the case.

[0048] Still with the same purpose as indicated above, the present invention also proposes a method of installing, in an electrical network, a diagnostic device as briefly described above, this installation method being remarkable in that it includes a step consisting of positioning, in at least one location around the at least one cable to be monitored, the at least one measuring device in order to carry out steps of a diagnostic process as briefly described above.

[0049] The other special features and advantages of the diagnostic device, as well as the special features and advantages of the installation method, being similar to those of the diagnostic method, are not repeated here. Brief description of the drawings

[0050] Other aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of particular embodiments, given by way of non-limiting examples, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0051] [Fig-1] is a flowchart illustrating the steps of a process, in accordance with the invention, for diagnosing the energy consumption of an electrical network, in a particular embodiment.

[0052] [Fig.2] is a geometric representation illustrating different parameters used in a diagnostic method according to the present invention, in a non-limiting example where an electrical cable to be monitored has five conductors.

[0053] [Fig.3] is a schematic representation of a measuring device implemented in the present invention, in a particular embodiment.

[0054] [Fig.4] is a partial schematic representation of an electrical cable to be monitored following a diagnostic method according to the present invention, around which several measuring devices implemented in the present invention have been positioned, in a particular embodiment.

[0055] [Fig.5] is a flowchart illustrating the implementation of a measurement device in a diagnostic method according to the present invention, in a particular embodiment.

[0056] [Fig.6] is a flowchart illustrating another step in a process, in accordance with the invention, for diagnosing the energy consumption of an electrical network, in a particular embodiment.

[0057] [Fig.7] is a flowchart illustrating yet another step in a process, conforming to the invention, of energy consumption diagnosis of an electrical network, in a particular embodiment.

[0058] [Fig.8] is a schematic representation of a diagnostic device conforming to the present invention, in a particular embodiment. Description of embodiment(s)

[0059] In the present invention, an electrical network is considered, which supplies electrical power to a plurality of equipment. The electrical network comprises at least one electrical cable, with all the electrical cables of the network supplying the plurality of electrical equipment. The cables may be single-phase (single-conductor) or polyphase (multi-conductor) and may carry alternating or direct current.

[0060] A method according to the present invention, for diagnosing the energy consumption of an electrical network, includes steps which do not require any interruption of operations carried out by the electrical network.

[0061] As shown in [Fig.1], the diagnostic process includes an entry step into a diagnostic mode.

[0062] This step itself comprises steps described below.

[0063] An identification step 10 consists of identifying, among the plurality of equipment, at least one piece of equipment to be monitored.

[0064] This step 10 may, for example, consist of identifying, among all the equipment supplied by the network, those which have an average energy consumption greater than a predetermined threshold.

[0065] By way of non-limiting examples of equipment, one might cite a motor, a compressor, or an extruder. For example, the extruder may be considered to have high energy consumption if its average energy consumption exceeds 1 kWh, this threshold value being given for illustrative purposes and in no way limiting. In this regard, the present invention is particularly suited to the measurement and monitoring of high currents. It is in the area of ​​high currents that the most significant savings can be achieved.

[0066] In addition to or instead of high-energy-consuming equipment, step 10 may consist of identifying the equipment that is used most intensively, according to a predefined criterion of intensive use. By way of non-limiting example, a compressor consuming several hundred amperes per phase may be considered to be subject to intensive use.

[0067] Then, a localization step 12 consists of locating at least one point in the network where energy consumption can be measured. This step is carried out in particular based on the identification of the equipment to be monitored, which is performed in identification step 10.

[0068] For example, the location step 12 may consist of collecting information that is available, for example concerning the network configuration and may also use information giving the location of the equipment to be monitored identified in the identification step 10.

[0069] The localization step 12 may also be based on information possibly obtained elsewhere on the equipment or on other information concerning sensitive points of the network already known before launching the diagnosis, i.e. the places of the network considered to require specific monitoring.

[0070] As shown in [Fig.1], following the localization step 12, the diagnostic method according to the invention includes a step 14 of selecting at least one cable to be monitored from among all the electrical cables in the network.

[0071] This selection step 14 is carried out from the location of the point(s) in the network where energy consumption is measured, carried out in the location step 12.

[0072] Selection step 14 may, for example, consist of selecting at least one cable that passes through that point of the network for each point of the network that has been determined in location step 12.

[0073] Next, the diagnostic procedure may optionally, but not necessarily, include a step 15 for determining the type of cable to be monitored. This step 15 is illustrated in [Fig. 7] and consists of determining, for each cable selected in step 14, whether it is a single-conductor or multi-conductor cable. This determination is carried out, for example, by reading information on the cable and possibly also on the electrical diagram of the installation.

[0074] The determination step 15 is carried out after the selection step 14 and before a positioning step 16, which, as shown in Figures 1 and 7, consists of positioning, in one or more locations around each cable to be monitored, one or more current intensity measuring devices 30.

[0075] The measuring device 30 is described in detail later in relation to [Fig.3]. It is capable of simultaneously determining the intensity of the current flowing in all the conductors of the cable to be monitored and of determining the energy consumption, per conductor, of the cable to be monitored.

[0076] The diagnostic method according to the invention further includes a parameterization step 18, which consists of parameterizing each measuring device 30. The parameterization step 18 of the measuring device(s) 30 can be carried out after the positioning step 16 of these measuring devices 30, but can also be carried out before the positioning step 16, provided that information on the cable to be monitored by a measuring device 30 is available and useful for parameterization.

[0077] By way of non-limiting example, this parameterization can be carried out on screen, via a visualization platform 82, described later in connection with [Fig.8].

[0078] The diagnostic method according to the invention further comprises a step 20 of restitution which consists of providing, at the end of the steps described above, a diagnosis of energy consumption of the electrical network.

[0079] The resulting diagnostic report includes information on the current intensity flowing in each conductor of the cable(s) being monitored and on the energy consumption of each conductor of these cables. This information can, for example, be expressed as a value in kWh, which can be updated at a given frequency, this frequency being, for example, selectable by the user. Thus, the present invention has the advantage of providing a diagnostic report that includes measurements of current, power, and consumption, at a frequency, for example, defined by the user according to their needs, or according to the needs of the monitored equipment.

[0080] This information is obtained from the measurements taken by the measuring device(s) 30 once they have been configured in parameterization step 18.

[0081] The restitution step 20 may for example include an immediate visualization step, after setting up the measurement device(s) 30, of the intensity and consumption, in graphical form, via the visualization platform 82.

[0082] Figure 6 illustrates another step that can be included in the diagnostic process according to the invention, in a particular embodiment. This step is an exit from the diagnostic mode. According to the invention, it does not require any interruption of the electrical network operations. In the illustrated particular embodiment, the exit from the diagnostic mode step comprises a step 60 consisting of removing the measuring device(s) 30 from the cable(s) 32 to be monitored.

[0083] Alternatively, rather than removing the measurement devices 30 from the network to be diagnosed as soon as the diagnosis is completed, they can be left in the network, around the cables 32 to be monitored, but switched off, put on standby or deactivated in another way.

[0084] In the particular embodiment illustrated in [Fig.3], the device 30 for measuring the intensity of the electric current comprises a plurality of magnetic field sensors 36.

[0085] In the non-limiting example of [Fig. 3], a cable 32 to be monitored is illustrated. This cable 32 has five conductors 34, and the measuring device 30 has two sets of five sensors 36 each (one set of sensors 36 is shown in solid lines and the other in dashed lines). This example is not limiting in any way, as the diagnostic method according to the invention is applicable regardless of the number of conductors in the cables to be monitored and using a number of sensors chosen according to the electrical network to be diagnosed.

[0086] The measuring device 30 further includes a processing means 38 adapted to receive values ​​of at least one component of the magnetic field induced by the current flowing in the conductors of the cable 32 to be monitored, measured by the plurality of magnetic field sensors 36.

[0087] Thus, the diagnostic process according to the invention comprises, between the parameterization step 18 and the restitution step 20, detailed steps as follows.

[0088] As indicated above, the cable 32 to be monitored is a single-phase or polyphase electrical cable, with alternating or direct current. N denotes the number of conductors in the cable. These conductors are not necessarily identical.

[0089] The invention is based on the local measurement of at least one component of the magnetic field emitted by the current sources, which are here the N conductors, by means of magnetic field sensors.

[0090] In short, given that the cable 32 to be monitored has one or more current densities from its N conductors (N = 1 when the cable 32 is single-phase), we can first calculate the magnetic field produced by the current using the Biot-Savart law, then invert all the local measurements of the components of the magnetic field by determining an inverse matrix, in order to obtain the current intensities from the N current sources.

[0091] Thus, as shown in the flowchart of [Fig.5], the current intensity in the N conductors is measured simultaneously by carrying out a first step El which corresponds to the positioning step 16 described above, consisting of placing a plurality of magnetic field sensors around the cable, in at least one location of the cable.

[0092] Step El may for example consist of fixing around the cable one or more measuring devices 30 according to the invention containing the plurality of sensors.

[0093] Then a step E2 consists of simultaneously measuring, for each of the N conductors of the cable, at least one component of the magnetic field produced by the current flowing in that conductor.

[0094] These simultaneous measurements are carried out using a plurality of magnetic field sensors.

[0095] In a particular embodiment, the plurality of magnetic field sensors can measure for each conductor only the tangential component or only the radial component of the magnetic field.

[0096] Alternatively, for greater accuracy, the plurality of magnetic field sensors can measure for each conductor both the tangential and radial components of the magnetic field.

[0097] Then, in step E3, for each of the conductors, the angle a is determined between this conductor and the nearest magnetic field sensor of the plurality of magnetic field sensors. The angle α is defined with respect to the center of the cable cross-section, and by considering the conductors and sensors as points. Indeed, for simplicity, we assume that each conductor has an infinitesimally small cross-section and that the magnetic field detected by each sensor is localized at a point corresponding to the sensor's location.

[0098] Figure 2 schematically illustrates, by way of non-limiting example, a circular cross-section cable comprising five conductors regularly distributed within the cable, which are considered as five points C1 to C5 equidistant from each other on the circumference of a circle Te. Only the magnetic field sensor closest to conductor C1 has been shown and is symbolized by point A. The radius of the circle Te is denoted by r, the distance between conductor C1 and sensor A is denoted by dH, the line segment connecting sensor A and the center of circle Te is denoted by d, and the angle at point A between the line segment d'i and the line segment connecting conductor C1 and point A is denoted by [3]. The magnetic field detected by sensor A is represented by the vector Bb, which is orthogonal to the line segment connecting conductor C1 and point A.

[0099] For a cable comprising N conductors, each producing a magnetic field B, i = 1, ..., N, the component BA of the magnetic field at point A originating from the N conductors is defined as follows:

[0100] [Math.l] B A = Y > B t = Y, ..B im • cos( / l) = Y 7 ' cos (Arcsinij ) • / • / 1 i ^i=i un i / a,- \ \. dj / / a

[0101] where: Bim is the component of the magnetic field coming from the ith conductor captured by the mth sensor; the angles a; and [3; are defined for the i-th conductor in a similar way to the angles a and [3 defined above, respectively; d; denotes the distance between the i-th conductor and the nearest sensor; po is an equivalent magnetic permeability that takes into account the presence of insulating materials in the cable; r is, as defined above, the radius of the circle Te; and Iim is the value of the intensity of the current flowing in the th conductor and deduced from the magnetic field measurement carried out by the mth sensor.

[0102] The number of magnetic field sensors is at least equal to the total number N of conductors in the cable.

[0103] Thus, the current intensities in the conductors are related to the measured magnetic field components by the relation B = kMI where B is the matrix of the components components of the magnetic field measured in all conductors by all sensors, I is the matrix of current intensities flowing in all conductors, M is a matrix comprising a plurality of proportionality coefficients depending on the angles between the conductors and the magnetic field sensors and k is a predetermined coefficient.

[0104] It follows that I = (po / 2ir).M *.B, where M 1 is the inverse matrix of M.

[0105] Thus, as shown in [Fig. 5], following step E3 of determination of the angle a between each conductor and the nearest sensor, we carry out a step E4 consisting of calculating the inverse matrix M1, so as to deduce the values ​​of the current intensities I in all the conductors of the cable.

[0106] By way of non-limiting example, for N = 5 conductors and five magnetic field sensors placed respectively at points A, B, C, D and E, the analytical expression allowing the current intensities in the conductors to be deduced is as follows:

[0107] [Math.2] i-cosM -1 ^1' A i-cosM i-cosM i-cosM i-cosM i-cosM te to » / = h i-cosW i-cosM i-cosW i-cosW Bc hi~cosM i'cosM i-cosM i cosM Bd \be! d-cosM i-cosW i-cosMl

[0108] where h, i = 1, . 5 denotes the intensity of the current flowing in the th conductor and BA, Bb, Bc, Bd and Be denote the components of the magnetic field respectively measured by the five sensors.

[0109] The equivalent magnetic permeability po is a macroscopic permeability, which makes the calculation simpler than if one considered the local magnetic permeability.

[0110] In a particular embodiment, the angle α between this conductor and the magnetic field sensor of the nearest plurality of magnetic field sensors is determined so as to maximize the following function F: [YES] [Math.3]

[0112] where h denotes the intensity of the current flowing in the th conductor.

[0113] There are various methods of mathematical convergence known in themselves to maximize F, such as the Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm (also called the LM algorithm) or the Nelder-Mead method.

[0114] The processing means 38 is suitable for applying the determination steps E3 angle and E4 inverse matrix calculation, to deduce the intensity of the current flowing in each of the conductors 34.

[0115] The processing means 38 can be located either in the measuring device 30 or remotely from it, in which case a communication means is provided to transmit the measured magnetic field component values ​​from the sensors 36 to the processing means 38. When located remotely from the measuring device 30, the processing means 38 can be located in a laptop or desktop computer, a tablet, a smartphone or other mobile communication device, or even be located in the cloud.

[0116] In the particular embodiment illustrated, the measuring device 30 further comprises a housing 31 containing the plurality of magnetic field sensors 36. Such a housing is optional, the sensors 36 being able to be placed around the cable without being contained within any enclosure.

[0117] In the particular embodiment illustrated in [Fig.3], the housing 31 has a section formed of two half-rings 311 and 312, adapted to the positioning of the measuring device 30 around the cable 32, the two half-rings 311 and 312 defining by their assembly an opening through which the cable 32 passes. In the particular embodiment illustrated, the cable 32 has a circular cross-section and the opening formed by the two half-rings 311 and 312 is also circular and of a diameter slightly greater than that of the cross-section of the cable.

[0118] Once the measuring device 30 is placed around the cable 32, the two half-rings 311 and 312 can be connected to each other, for example, by means of a hinge-type joint, or secured to each other, for example, by means of screws or nuts or other preferably removable fastening means.

[0119] Optionally, the housing 31 can also be surrounded by electromagnetic shielding to prevent interference with the sensors from any surrounding sources of electromagnetic waves as well as from the Earth's permanent magnetic field. This shielding can be made, for example, of a specific steel.

[0120] Whether or not such shielding is present, the device 30 can also be equipped with one or more additional magnetic field sensors 37 adapted to measure, in particular, the Earth's magnetic field, in order to subtract its value when processing the values ​​of the magnetic field components measured by the magnetic field sensors 36. The additional sensor(s) 37 can be arranged inside and / or outside the housing 31, or directly around the cable to be monitored when there is no housing.

[0121] Thus, an electrical cable arrangement within a network undergoing diagnosis according to a diagnostic method according to the present invention comprises the cable 32 and at least one measuring device 30 placed around the cable 32.

[0122] As shown in the particular embodiment of [Fig.4], the electrical cable arrangement can include, around a single cable 32 to be monitored, a plurality of measuring devices 30, placed around the cable 32 at predetermined intervals from each other.

[0123] The processing means 38 may be a single means common to all the measuring devices 30. Alternatively, a processing means 38 may be provided for each measuring device 30, and communication means adapted for communication between the various processing means 38 may optionally be provided.

[0124] In the particular embodiment illustrated, the measuring devices 30 are all identical, each comprising two sets of five magnetic field sensors 36 (one set of sensors 36 is shown in solid lines and the other in dashes) and are arranged at regular intervals along the cable 32.

[0125] Such a configuration makes it possible to guarantee a measurement of the current intensities of high quality including in the case where the conductors 34 are twisted, for example due to manufacturing conditions and / or specific constraints, which could affect the sensitivity of the measurement of magnetic fields.

[0126] The number of measuring devices 30 to be placed around the cable 32 to be monitored and the distance between each measuring device 30 on this cable 32 are of course to be defined according to the type of cable 32 considered.

[0127] Fig. 8 illustrates a particular embodiment of a device 80 for diagnosing the energy consumption of an electrical network, according to the present invention, the network supplying electrical energy to a plurality of equipment and comprising at least one electrical cable supplying the plurality of equipment, this cable comprising one or more electrical conductors, as described above in connection with the diagnostic process.

[0128] The diagnostic device 80 is adapted to the implementation of the diagnostic process described in detail above.

[0129] The implementation of the diagnostic device 80 therefore does not require any interruption of operations carried out by the electrical network.

[0130] As shown in [Fig. 8], the diagnostic device 80 includes at least one measuring device 30. As described above in connection with the diagnostic process, the measuring device(s) 30 are adapted to measure the current intensity flowing in all conductors of a cable to be monitored among the cable(s) of the network and are adapted to determine the energy consumption, per conductor, of the cable(s) to be monitored.

[0131] In the particular embodiment of [Fig.8], the measuring device 30 comprises at least one magnetic field sensor 36 and at least one processing means 38 as described above.

[0132] In the particular embodiment of [Fig.8], the diagnostic device 80 further comprises a visualization platform 82, adapted to serve as a human-machine interface and allowing, for example, the parameterization of the measuring device(s) 30.

[0133] Optionally, the visualization platform 82 can also be adapted to display the current intensity measured in each conductor of each cable to be monitored and the energy consumption per conductor.

[0134] Just as the processing means 38 can be located in a laptop or not, a tablet, a smartphone or other mobile means of communication, or even be located in the cloud.

[0135] The diagnostic device 80 according to the invention can be installed in the electrical network to be diagnosed by implementing the installation method according to the invention, which includes the positioning step 16 described above, consisting of positioning, in at least one location around the cable or cables to be monitored, the measuring device or devices 30 in order to carry out steps of the diagnostic method detailed above.

[0136] The invention can be applied to many types of cables, such as cables used in buildings, which are designed for voltages generally below 1000 V, and distribution cables, which are designed for voltages generally equal to or greater than 1000 V.

Claims

Demands

1. A method for diagnosing the energy consumption of an electrical network, said network supplying electrical energy to a plurality of equipment and comprising at least one electrical cable supplying said plurality of equipment, said cable comprising one or more conductors, said method being characterized in that it comprises the following steps not requiring any interruption of the operations performed by said electrical network: an entry step into a diagnostic mode, comprising the following steps: - an identification step (10), consisting of identifying, among said plurality of equipment, at least one piece of equipment to be monitored; - a localization step (12), consisting of locating at least one point of said network where energy consumption is to be measured, at least from the identification of said at least one piece of equipment to be monitored in the identification step (10); - a step (14) of selecting at least one cable to be monitored from said at least one electrical cable of said network, from the location of said at least one point of the network in the location step (12); - a positioning step (16), consisting of positioning, in at least one location around said at least one cable to be monitored, at least one current measurement device (30) simultaneously determining the current intensity flowing in all the conductors of said at least one cable to be monitored and determining the energy consumption, per conductor, of said at least one cable to be monitored; - a parameterization step (18), consisting of parameterizing said at least one measuring device (30); - a reporting step (20), consisting of providing an energy consumption diagnosis of said electrical network, including information on the intensity of the current flowing in each of the conductors of said at least one cable to be monitored and on the energy consumption, per conductor, of said at least one cable to be monitored, said information on the intensity of the current flowing in each of the conductors of said at least one cable to be monitored and on the energy consumption, per conductor, of said at least one cable to be monitored being obtained from the measurements carried out by said at least one measuring device (30) once parameterized in parameterization step (18).

2. Diagnostic method according to claim 1, characterized in that the identification step (10) consists of identifying, among said plurality of equipment, those which have an average energy consumption greater than a predetermined threshold and / or which are used most intensively according to a predefined intensive use criterion.

3. Diagnostic method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the localization step (12) consists of locating said at least one point of said network from information available concerning the configuration of said network and from the location of said at least one equipment to be monitored identified in the identification step (10).

4. Diagnostic method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the selection step (14) consists of selecting at least one cable passing through said at least one point of said network which was determined in the location step (12).

5. Diagnostic method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it further comprises, between the selection (14) and positioning (16) steps, a determination step (15), consisting of determining whether said at least one cable to be monitored is single-conductor or multi-conductor.

6. Diagnostic method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the parameterization step (18) consists of parameterizing said at least one measuring device (30) via a visualization platform (82).

7. Diagnostic method according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the restoration step (20) includes an immediate visualization step, after parameterization (18) of said at least one measuring device (30), of said intensity and said consumption, in graphical form, via said visualization platform (82).

8. Diagnostic method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said at least one current intensity measurement device (30) comprises a plurality of magnetic field sensors (36) and a processing means (38) adapted to receive values ​​of at least one component of the magnetic field induced by the current flowing in the conductors of said cable to be monitored and in that said diagnostic method comprises, between said parameterization (18) and restitution (20) steps, steps consisting of: placing (11) said plurality of magnetic field sensors around said cable, in at least one location of said cable; to measure (E2) simultaneously, for each of said conductors, at least one component of the magnetic field produced by the current flowing in said conductor, by means of said plurality of magnetic field sensors; for each of said conductors, to determine (E3), by means of said processing means (38), the angle between said conductor and the nearest magnetic field sensor of said plurality of magnetic field sensors, said angle being defined with respect to the center of said cable and by assimilating said conductors and said sensors to points; and the current intensities in said conductors being related to the components of the magnetic field measured by the relation B = kMI where B is the matrix of said components of the magnetic field, I is the matrix of said current intensities, M is a matrix comprising a plurality of proportionality coefficients depending on said angles between said conductors and said magnetic field sensors and k is a predetermined coefficient, calculate (E4) the inverse M 1 of the matrix M, so as to deduce the values ​​of said current intensities I = (po / 2ir).M *.B, where po is an equivalent magnetic permeability which takes into account the presence of insulating materials in said cable.

9. Diagnostic method according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the measurement step (E2) consists of simultaneously measuring, for each of said conductors, the tangential component and the radial component of the magnetic field produced by the current flowing in said conductor, by means of said plurality of magnetic field sensors.

10. Diagnostic method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it further comprises the following step not requiring any interruption of the operations carried out by said electrical network: an exit step of said diagnostic mode, consisting of removing (60) from said at least one cable to be monitored said at least one measuring device (30).

11. Device (80) for diagnosing the energy consumption of an electrical network, said network supplying electrical energy to a plurality of equipment and comprising at least one electrical cable supplying said plurality of equipment, said cable comprising one or more conductors, said device being characterized in that its implementation does not require any interruption of operations carried out by said electrical network and in that it comprises at least one current intensity measuring device (30) adapted to simultaneously determine the current intensity flowing in all conductors of a cable to be monitored among said at least one electrical cable and adapted to determine the energy consumption, per conductor, of said at least one cable to be monitored, said at least one measuring device (30) being adapted to the implementation of the steps of a diagnostic process according to any one of the preceding claims.

12. Diagnostic device (80) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that it further comprises a visualization platform (82) adapted to serve as a human-machine interface for setting said at least one measuring device (30).

13. Diagnostic device (80) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that said display platform (82) is further adapted to display said intensity and said consumption.

14. A diagnostic device (80) according to any one of claims 11 to 13, characterized in that said at least one current-intensity measuring device (30) comprises a plurality of magnetic field sensors (36) and a processing means (38) adapted to receive values ​​of at least one component of the magnetic field induced by the current flowing in the conductors of said cable to be monitored and to perform steps of a diagnostic process according to claim 8 to 13.

15. uu y. Diagnostic device (80) according to any one of claims 11 to 14, characterized in that said at least one measuring device (30) further comprises a housing (31) containing said plurality of magnetic field sensors (36).

16. Diagnostic device (80) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that said housing (31) is surrounded by electromagnetic shielding.

17. Diagnostic device (80) according to claim 15 or 16, characterized in that said housing (31) has a section formed of two half-rings (311, 312), adapted for positioning said at least one measuring device (30) around said cable (32).

18. A diagnostic device (80) according to any one of claims 15 to 17, characterized in that it further comprises at least one sensor additional (37) magnetic field adapted to measure the Earth's magnetic field.

19. Diagnostic device (80) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that said at least one additional sensor (37) is disposed inside said housing and / or outside said housing (31).

20. A method for installing a diagnostic device (80) according to any one of claims 11 to 19 in an electrical network, characterized in that it comprises a step of positioning, in at least one location around said at least one cable to be monitored, said at least one measuring device (30) in order to carry out steps of a diagnostic method according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

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