BAHIRDAR UNIVERSITY INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Graduate in Power System Engineering
Research Proposal on

Design of GSM based power theft detection

(Addisu Mengesha)

October, 2013 E.C

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Table of Contents
List of Figures ................................................................................................................................................ ii
List of Table ................................................................................................................................................... ii
Abbreviations ............................................................................................................................................... iii
Chapter One .................................................................................................................................................. 1
Introduction .............................................................................................................................................. 1
Background of Study ............................................................................................................................. 1
1.2 Statement of problem ..................................................................................................................... 2
1.3 Objectives........................................................................................................................................ 2
1.4 Hypothesis....................................................................................................................................... 2
1.5 Scope and Significant of the Study.................................................................................................. 3
2. Chapter Two .............................................................................................................................................. 4
Literature Review ...................................................................................................................................... 4
3. Chapter Three ........................................................................................................................................... 5
Methodology............................................................................................................................................. 5
3.1 Way of Electricity Theft ................................................................................................................... 5
A. shorting the phase line (bypassing .................................................................................................. 5
B. Disconnecting Neutral line............................................................................................................... 6
C.Tampering using magnet .................................................................................................................. 7
Chapter Four ................................................................................................................................................. 8
Protection Techniques of Electricity Theft................................................................................................ 8
1. Protection against shorting phase current coil ................................................................................. 8
2. Protection against disconnecting the neutral line ............................................................................ 8
3. Protection against magnetically tampering ...................................................................................... 8
Reference: ................................................................................................................................................... 12

i|Page
List of Figures
FIG.1 SHORTING THE PHASE LINE (BYPASSING ........................................................................................................................5
FIG 2. DISCONNECTING NEUTRAL LINE ....................................................................................................................................6
FIG 3. TAMPERING USING MAGNET ........................................................................................................................................7
FIG 4. SYSTEM BLOCK DIAGRAM ............................................................................................................................................9

List of Table

TABLE-1: WORK PLAN ........................................................................................................................................................10

TABLE-2 RESEARCH PLAN BUDGET .......................................................................................................................................11

ii | P a g e
Abbreviations
CT Current Transformer

PT Potential Transformer

GSM Global System Mobile for communication

LCD Liquid Crystal Display

PIC Programmable Integrated Circuit

LDR Light Dependent Resister

LED Light Emitting Diode

SMS Short Message Service

IN Neutral Current

IP Phase Current

iii | P a g e
 Chapter One
Introduction

Background of Study

Electricity theft is a very common problem in our country, where population is very high and
the use of electricity is tremendous. In Ethiopia, every year increasing number of electricity
thefts occurs across domestic electricity connection and as well as industrial electricity supply.
It brings regarding lack of electricity companies energy and attributable to that we generally
tend to area unit dealing with the incessant problems with load shading in urban and
additionally provincial regions if you want to defeat the need of power for whole nation
Likewise the approaches that utilizing which thieving have to be practicable region unit The
electricity is needed to be protected for efficient power delivery to the consumer because
electricity is indispensable to domestic and industrial development activity. Generation,
transmission and distribution of electrical energy involve many operational losses. There are
two types of losses technical and Nontechnical losses overall technical losses occur naturally
and are caused because of power dissipation in transmission lines, transformers, and other
power system components. Technical losses in transmission and distributions computed with
the information about total load and the total energy billed. While nontechnical losses cannot
be precisely computed, but it can be estimated from the difference between the total energy
supplied to the customers and the total energy billed. Moreover non-technical losses are illegal
utilization of power by electricity consumers innumerable hence we can ne'er monitor but
thieving is going on, and this issue is needed to be understood as in advance than time table as
can also moderately be predicted. During this theoretical we tend to propose an influence
thieving identification framework to acknowledge the thieving that may be a created by the
foremost well-known methodology for doing the thieving which is bypassing the meter utilizing
the a trifle of wire, people basically sidesteps electric meter that is tallying the current unit by

1|Page
setting a wire antecedently, then once the actual fact the meter reading unit. Once somebody
try and power thieving, the projected structure connected to the meter, it'll send sms to
manage unit of electricity board. A current electrical device within the framework, one will
place input aspect of post line. Alternative current transformers area unit set at the
appropriation functions of the house lines. The yield of CT esteems is given as contribution to
PIC microcontroller modification over easy contributions to process. At that time PIC is
bothered the knowledge current and also the same of yield current. Within the event that
considered outcome has any negative esteem then this specific post is recognized as thieving
purpose. This contrasted esteem is transmitted with power board, this esteem show in liquid
crystal display show. The info can then be forthwith handled by the microcontroller and a SMS
are going to be sending through the GSM technology.

1.2 Statement of problem

Electricity theft has emerged as a serious problem in power sectors especially in the developing
countries. A huge amount of revenue is lost due to electricity theft. In some countries this is so
severe that governments are incurring losses instead of revenue. In some cases government
has to provide subsidies to the power sector to maintain a reasonable price of electricity. The
financial loss results in shortage of funds for investments to expand the existing power capacity
and as a result governments are failing to satisfy the ever increasing demand of electricity

1.3 Objectives
To design and implement of detector of illegal electric power consumptions using GSM based
PIC microcontroller.

1.4 Hypothesis
Designing GSM based detector for minimizing illegal power consumption by using different way
of theft.

2|Page
1.5 Scope and Significant of the Study
The scope of this project is to develop continuous protection and control system for power theft
based on GSM based PIC Microcontroller. All the sensors are used to acquire data from the
consumers and transfer the data they acquire to PIC microcontroller board.
Finally, we give highest emphasis to the software design and implementation in order to develop a
suitable algorithm that will promptly interact with the, microcontroller and the LCD. This
contributes to detect, control and trip the system as soon as fault occur so as to reduce man power
required which saves time and energy.
Major contribution of the project:
➢ To reduce man power required
➢ To detect and neutralize as soon as the person attempt steal power.
➢ To reduce unforeseen expenditure due to power theft.
➢ To save wastage of time

3|Page
 2. Chapter Two
Literature Review

The shunts detecting equipment proposed are time efficient and help in the detection of electricity
theft in underground distribution cables. The resolution of illegal consumers detected depends on
the deviation of the losses and the connected time of the check meter [2]. The further
improvements to detect the electricity theft lead to grouping of customers by means of Support
Vector Machine (SVM) [3]. Aryadevi Remanidevi Devidas [4] proposed a wireless sensor network for
remote monitoring and optimizing electric transmission in India. This will reduce the energy
wastage and save lot of energy for future use. Even this is an advanced technology it cannot cover
the remote area. In order to check out the wide area real time investigation is needed [5].
The value of energy read by the central observer meter is compared with the sum of energy
consumption values read by all energy meters in range. These two values of the current are
compared to estimate the total electricity that is being consumed illegally.
Vigilant Energy Metering System is a proposed energy metering system that can fight electricity
theft. It has the ability to collect, transfer and process data between other energy meters, local
station and base station. It also identifies probable locations of theft and helps the utilities to
control theft. A remote billing system can also be developed modifying this model. Illegal
consumption of electricity can be detected by using a remote check meter based on the amount of
losses and time stamp of the check meter.

4|Page
 3. Chapter Three
Methodology

3.1 Way of Electricity Theft

Electricity thefts may occur in different forms. From available literature and practical daily reports in
the world, the common ways include bypassing (illegal tapping of electricity from the feeder), meter
tampering (by grounding the neutral wire as it does not measure readings) and physical methods to
evade payment of bills. The basic method of stealing electricity is a direct wire-connection to a main
power route passing a shop or a house so that electricity can flow to the consumer without crossing
the electric meter installed by a government agency which is responsible for providing electrical
services to customer.

A. Shorting the phase current coil

If a consumer shorts the current coil of the meter the total current flows through the shorted path,
so the meter cannot detect the current flow through it. We know that electrical power is given by
the equation. P=IV, where, P=power, I=current and V=voltage I=0 ultimately leads P=0. Therefore
illegally connected load is not detected by the meter.

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Kwh

Aluminum disk

CT
PT

Ip Ip L
P
Ip o

N
IN IN a

Fig.1 shorting the phase line (bypassing)

5|Page
 B. Disconnecting the neutral line.
A more common method of tampering analog meter is disconnecting the neutral line. In this
condition, the meter cannot detect any voltage difference across the supply line and neutral line.
As V=0 here, power will be zero by according to P=VI formula. So, no energy consumption will be
shown by the meter.

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Kwh

Aluminum disk

CT
PT

Ip Ip
L
P
Ip O

a
N
IN IN d

Fig 2. Disconnecting Neutral line N

6|Page
 C. Tampering using magnet

We know that Aluminum disk is revolving by the magnetic flux produced inside the device due to
current flow. If a magnet is kept in the path of this flux, the magnet interferes with the flow of flux.
So, the produced flux cannot help the aluminum disk rotate. In this case, the disk is stopped or
revolves slower producing less number of revolutions than that it should give. Therefore, accurate
energy consumption is not shown in the meter.

A 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Kwh
Mma
G Aluminum disk

N
CT
E PT

Ip Ip
L
P
Ip O

A
N
d

Fig 3. Tampering using magnet

7|Page
 Chapter Four
Protection Techniques of Electricity Theft
1. Protection against shorting phase current coil
CT1 is used in series within phase side and CT2 in neutral side. If phase coil is shorted, the current
flows through the shorted path so the CT1 current is zero but CT2 current is not zero. The output of
the two current transformers enter bridge rectifier and a regulated current will enter to the
microcontroller. Our device works with the value of the difference between the readings of two
CTs. If the difference is occur between the two transformers microcontroller will notify to power
supplier via GSM.SMS message will send to Power Company by GSM modem

2. Protection against disconnecting the neutral line

When the neutral line of the meter is opened with intention to tamper, no current flows through
the neutral line, So CT2 has no voltage. But CT1 has current. The difference between these two
voltage is transferred to the enter bridge rectifier and a regulated voltage will enter to the
microcontroller. If the difference is occur between the two transformers microcontroller will notify
to power supplier via GSM. SMS message will send to Power Company by GSM modem.

3. Protection against magnetically tampering

The aluminum disc of the meter is divided into four sectors each occupying same amount of surface
area. Two sectors are painted in black and rests are kept as they were before. Among these four
sectors two opposite sectors are of same color and the other two are without any color in the
proposed device an additional LED and LDR were used to prevent magnetic tampering. The LED will
always be on and the light will fall upon the disc and the reflected light will be received by the LDR.
LDR will convert the received light into electrical voltage and transfer it to the microcontroller. The
micro controller receives the voltage value thereafter. At normal condition, the disc keeps rotating
and the LDR output voltage is always changing. If someone attempts to tamper the meter by placing
a magnet the received voltage of microcontroller will not change. The disc will not rotate in this
case and therefore there will be no change in the voltage from LDR to microcontroller. When

8|Page
microcontroller will not find any change in the voltage from the LDR, then SMS message will send to
Power Company by the help of GSM modem and indicate the occurrence of theft.

Energy Load
Meter

P N

Current I/V Relay

Transformermer Converter
(C1)
LCD
Microcontr
oller

Current I/V (PIC)

GSM
Transformermer Converter
(C2)

LED
LDR

Fig 4. System Block diagram

9|Page
 Table-1: work plan

Work Plan Schedule

Task Duration Start Finish Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar
week 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
Chapter-1
Introduction 14 days 1/3/2013 14/3/13
Chapter-2
Literature Review 28 days 15/3/13 13/4/13
Chapter-3
Methodology 35days 14/4/13 21/5/13
Chapter-4
Analysis &
Evaluation 21days 22/5/13 13/6/13
Chapter-5
Conclusion &
Recommendation 14days 14/6/13 28/6/13
Reference 7days 29/6/13 5/7/13
Correction &
Submission Date 14days 6/8/13 20/7/13

10 | P a g e
 Table-2 Research Plan Budget

Research Budget
Expenses Amount in ETB

Equipment 3000

Consulting 16000

Printing 1500

Others 1000
Total 21500

11 | P a g e
Reference:

[1] Saptarshi De, Rahul Anand, A Naveen and Sirat Moinuddin,”emetering solution for
checking energy thefts and streamlining revenue collection in INDIA” IEEE 2003.
[2] W.A. Doorduin, H.du T. Mouton, R.Herman and H.J. Beukes “Feasibility study of
Electricity Theft detection using Mobile Remote Check Meters”, IEEE AFRICON 2004
[3] J. Nagi, K. S.Yap,S. K. Tiong, Member, IEEE, S. K. Ahmed, Member, IEEE, A. M.
Mohammad “Detection of Abnormalities and Electricity Theft using Genetic Support Vector
Machines”, IEEE Xplore 2009.
4] Aryadevi Remanidevi Devidas, Maneesha Vinodini Rames, “Wireless Smart Grid Design
for Monitoring and Optimizing Electric Transmission in India”, Fourth International
Conference on Sensor Technologies and Applications 2009.
[5] Lijuan Chen, Xiaohui Xu, Chaoming Wang “Research on Antielectricity Stealing
Method Base on State Estimation”, IEEE, 2011.
[6] Solomon, Nunoo, Joseph C. Attachie, “A Methodology for the Design of an Electricity
Theft Monitoring System”, Journal of Theoretical and Applied Information Technology, 2011.

12 | P a g e