Current Measurement Techniques in Power Systems
Summary
Accurate current measurement lies at the heart of modern power system monitoring, protection and control. Traditional methods employ magnetic current transformers for medium and high-voltage networks and capacitive voltage transformers for voltage measurement, each offering robustness but limited bandwidth and size constraints. Emerging solutions, often grouped under low-power instrument transformers, exploit alternatives such as Rogowski coils, Hall-effect devices and optical sensors to meet the demands of rapid transient detection, compact substations and wideband power-electronic applications. Rogowski coils, in particular, deliver inherently linear response over very broad frequency ranges without core saturation, making them ideal for recording fast fault currents, lightning surges and switching transients. Hall-effect sensors provide direct DC measurement and immunity to external magnetic fields but may require complex compensation for temperature drift. Optical current sensors offer galvanic isolation and high accuracy but have so far been hindered by cost and integration challenges. As grids become more decentralised and inverter-rich, the need for wide-band, highly accurate, compact and digitally integrated current measurement continues to drive innovation in sensor design, signal processing and standardisation.
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Current Measurement Techniques in Power Systems publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in current measurement techniques in power systems across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Rogowski coil: An air-core, toroidal sensor that measures the derivative of current and yields high bandwidth and linearity without core saturation.
Current transformer (CT): A wound magnetic core device that produces a secondary current proportional to the primary line current, typically used in protection and metering.
Capacitive voltage transformer (CVT): A voltage sensor using a capacitive divider and transformer coupling for high-voltage measurement in transmission networks.
Low-Power Instrument Transformer (LPIT): A category of non-conventional sensors, including Rogowski coils and optical devices, designed to replace conventional CTs and CVTs with reduced size, weight and loss.
References
- Lightning Current Measurement Method Using Rogowski Coil Based on Integral Circuit with Low-Frequency Attenuation Feedback. Sensors (2024).
- Accuracy Type Test for Rogowski Coils Subjected to Distorted Signals, Temperature, Humidity, and Position Variations. Sensors (2022).
- A Review of Traditional Helical to Recent Miniaturized Printed Circuit Board Rogowski Coils for Power-Electronic Applications. IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics (2020).
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