An

Ounce
of
Doing Things
Is
Worth
A
Pound Of Theorizing
 CHAPTER 1

POWER LINE CARRIER

COMMUNICATION
 1.1 Model of a Communication System
Purpose
To transmit information bearing
signals from one point to another
point
M E SSA G E IN P U T TR A N S M IS S IO N O U TP U T M E SSA G E
TR A N S M ITTE R R E C E IV E R
SO U R C E TA N S D U C E R C HA N N EL TA N S D U C E R D E S TIN A TIO N

N O IS E , D IS TO R TIO N
& IN TE R F E R E N C E

M O D E L O F A C O M M U N IC A T IO N S Y S T E M
1.2 Characteristics of Human Speech

The Human speech consists of a complex

assortment of a frequency components
ranging from 100Hz to 8000Hz
For commercial services, the telephone
circuits employ 0.3 to 3.4 kHz as per the
recommendations of CCITT
In PLCC the speech band is normally 0.3
to 2.4 kHz or 0.3 to 2.0 kHz
1.3 Power Line Carrier Communication

Electric power is transmitted to various grid substations

through transmission lines
Communication system are required to send quick
messages whenever breakdown occurs or shut down is
required
Transmission lines or power lines are used for
communication
Communication signal is sent using high frequency
carrier (50-500 kHz)
Hence, this type of communication is called POWER
LINE CARRIER COMMUNICATION
1.4 PURPOSE OF POWER LINE
COMMUNICATION

To transmit speech, data and

protection signal from one station to
another through transmission lines at
high frequencies
1.5 PLCC CHANNEL
Consists of two PLC Terminals at two stations A and B
connected together with the help of HT transmission line
and coupling equipment like wave traps (line traps)
coupling capacitors, coupling devices and H.F. cable. A
typical arrangement is shown on next slide
Information (speech, signalling, data signals, protection
signals etc) are accepted by one PLC terminal and passed
on to its counterpart at remote station in form of H.F.
signals
 3 P H A S E H T L IN E

A B

UUUU W T
f1 f2
UUUU
W T

C C C C

UUUU

UUUU
UUUU
UUUU

C O U P L IN G UUUU
UUUU C O U P L IN G
D E V IC E D E V IC E

H F C A BLE H F C A BLE
PLC PLC
PSU TE R M . PSU TE R M .

D A TA D A TA
TE L E P H O N E P R O TE C T IO N TE L E P H O N E P R O T E C T IO N
S W ITC H IN G S IG N A L S S W ITC H IN G S IG N A L S
 The speech band is generally limited from 300 Hz to 2400 Hz or
2000 Hz.
The band of 2.4 kHz to 4 kHz can be used for pilot, signaling and
data signals. The protection signals are usually in the speech band.
Speech..........300-2000 or 2400 Hz.
Pilot...............2580+/-30 or 3780+/-30 or 3923 Hz
Sig.................FSK or 3825 Hz.
Data...............for speech band of 0.3-2.0 kHz Superimposed Data
band is 2280-3720 and for speech band 0.3-2.4 kHz. Data band is
2640-3720 Hz.
PLC terminals use amplitude modulation with single side band (SSB)
transmission.
If F1/F2 are H.F. carrier frequencies used by one PLC terminal for
transmitting / receiving carrier signals, then F2/F1 are used by the
opposite end PLC terminal for transmitting / receiving the same.
1.6AmplitudeModulation

The VF frequencies (0-4kHz) are very close to power frequency 50 Hz

existing on H.T. lines.
It is not possible to design filters (combination of wave traps, coupling
capacitors, tuning components etc.) which will withstand H.T. power voltage
and current and at the same time separate power current of 50 Hz from the
basic signals of frequencies 300 Hz to 4000 Hz.
Basic signals must be translated to a much higher frequency, quite away
from 50Hz.
The basic signal (0-4kHz) is transmitted with the help of a carrier signal of
much higher frequency.
The basic VF signal is added to the carrier frequency signal.
This is done by changing some characteristic of carrier wave (e.g. amplitude,
frequency or phase) in accordance with the basic signal. The resultant signal
will contain the basic VF signal.
The process of changing some characteristic of a carrier wave in accordance
with the intensity of basic signal is known as modulation.
 Modulation means to "change" . The changed carrier wave is called modulated signal
and contains the basic VF signal. Therefore, modulation permits the transmission to
occur at high frequency while it simultaneously allows the carrying of the VF signal.
When the amplitude of a high frequency carrier wave is changed in accordance with the
intensity of the signal, it is called amplitude modulation.
The AM wave contains three frequencies viz. Fc, Fc+fs and Fc-fs. The first frequency
is carrier frequency. Thus, the process of amplitude modulation does not change the
original carrier frequency but produces two new frequencies (Fc+fs) and (Fc-fs) which
are called upper side band (USB) and lower side band (LSB) frequencies respectively.
The carrier frequency Fc is many time greater than the signal frequency fs. Hence the
side band frequencies are close to the carrier frequency.
The basic signal is contained in each of the side bands.
The PLC terminals are so designed that one side band and the carrier frequency signal
are suppressed and only the remaining side band is transmitted.
This reduces the bandwidth requirement of each PLC terminal and also enables the
entire transmit power to be allocated to the useful side band.
1.7TwoStageModulation
In case of single modulation, the side bands are so close to each other that
it is impossible to design cheap filters to eliminate a pure side band
frequency from the composite wave. Unwanted carrier and other side band
will un-necessarily leak through and load the send signal power available.
To overcome these difficulties the PLC terminal design makes use of two
stage modulation (and demodulation). (In case of ABB ETL-42 it is 3-stage
Modulation & 4-stage de-modulation).
In two stage modulation, the VF signal first modulates an intermediate
carrier frequency (I.F.) signal of frequency 16 kHz, 20 kHz, 4896 kHz, etc.
depending on the manufacturer.
From this AM signal one side band is selected for second stage modulation.
From second stage modulation (i.e. from IF to HF) only one side band is
selected for transmission.
1.8Demodulation:
Demodulation is the process of recovering the basic signal from the
modulated signal.
A Demodulator circuit takes in a side band of the AM wave, and a
H.F. Carrier signal, mixes with it to produce the original audio
signals.
A modulator can be said to be an adder of H.F. frequency to V.F.
frequency and a Demodulator can be said to be a subtractor of H.F.
frequency from the received modulated signal.
A demodulator cancels the action of Modulator to produce the
original basic information (audio/VF) signal.
For 1st and 2nd stage demodulation the H.F. carrier oscillator and I.F.
oscillator respectively normally tallies with those in transmitter.