Electricity theft detection on a low voltage reticulation environment

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Electricity theft in South Africa has become a major problem. This led to several developmentsfrom both industries and research institutes to counter these actions. Since equipment is alreadyinstalled and major capital has been invested to provide electricity for a broad spectrumof consumers, the challenge is to find a low cost solution harnessing current investments andtechnology to detect electricity theft more accurately.This thesis investigates into the electricity theft topic. Two different methods, Time DomainPulse Reflectometry and a data driven platform based on the Theory of Constraints philosophy,were investigated to provide means to detect and determine the impact of illegal electricityusage. Both methods required detailed designs to conduct preliminary proof of concept tests ina laboratory environment.These methods are evaluated against their economical viability, possible practical implicationsand applications. This thesis presents a practical approach to electricity theft detectionand provides the basic tools for management of this ever-increasing problem.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University