Development of Overvoltage and under voltage Protection System for A Residential Building Interfaced with a GSM Notification System

Abstract

Overvoltage and under voltage are undesirable conditions capable of causing damages to electrical appliances. In literature, detection and protection of electrical appliances from these voltage irregularities have been largely explored. Nonetheless, load control during irregularities and fault location remains subjects of considerations. In this work, an overvoltage and undervoltage protection system is designed for a residential building. The voltage limits of 240 V and 200 V are set for overvoltage and undervoltage protection, respectively. The protective system unit is developed utilizing a PIC 16F876A microcontroller. A GSM module, SMS 808, with the capacity to send an SMS and location via longitude and latitude, is interfaced for notification and tracking purposes. With the aid of a variac, five different levels of voltage are fed as input for each condition (normal, overvoltage, undervoltage). At each stage of the tested conditions, the protection system operated as set and notifications were sent as programmed. The results revealed that the device can disconnect the load when there are irregularities as well as notifying the utility company and consumers of the locations.