Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi (RD/SB)
Udupi, Feb 10: Pranab Purkayastha, a fourth year student and Aditya Mishra, a third year student of Manipal Institute of Technology (MIT) - Manipal University outshone students from Indian Institute of Technology (IITs) and National Institute of Technology (NITs) to bag the prestigious “IIT Kharagpur Kshitij 2010” award at the recently held national level, Techno-Management Fest at IIT Kharagpur.
The BE students of electronics and communications presented the ‘Advanced Energy Monitoring System’, a working prototype model of robust residential energy metre that meets typical Indian specifications with two additional features of preventing theft and communication with the utility operating centre.
These students stood first in the major event ‘Energia’, sponsored by GE Company. They were presented with cash prize of Rs 55,000 along with an offer of six months internship at GE, Bangalore.
Features of Advanced Energy Monitoring System
The proposed system has a solution for having control over the energy theft. Since energy supplied through block metre and energy received by the house metre is linked together so, we can find out where the energy has been lost in case of energy theft. Other features for theft control of our metre are -
Hall effect current sensors for current measurement
Dual Current Sensors on both neutral and livewire
Ferro-magnetic shield for the hall-effect IC against stray magnetic field
Electromagnetic 8-Digit password protected lock
Epoxy coating for circuitry against chemical tampering
Glass sealed inside of the UEM.
Future Plans
The winning MIT students have the future plans to make an energy metre compatible for 3-phase, meant for industrial uses, with features to using web-based and mobile-based credit-recharge system for end-users.
Integrating a mobile/web based widget into their IO-Bridge setup, which can be, in the future, used to remotely operate appliances. A central control room will monitor suspicious activities in the grid.