Reasons Why You Need A Current Sensor To Sense Current

Posted on: 22 April 2019

AC current sensors are used to sense current, both the flow of and the lack of flow. For those that do not work in electrical works or industrial plants, there are plenty of questions about why anyone would need a sensor to sense electricity, given that the flow of electricity becomes obvious in everything that uses it. Actually, there are some very good reasons for needing sensor currents to sense current.

Avoid Overloading the Entire Electrical Grid

Imagine that you have this massive manufacturing plant. Nearly everything relies on electricity, so you have a bunch of really powerful backup generators in case the power goes out during a bad storm. If the power does go out, the generators kick on to keep everything going.

Now imagine that the power is restored in under thirty minutes. Guess what would happen if the generators are still running and the power fed into the plant from city power lines also comes flooding into the plant? There would be a major electrical overload of the entire electrical grid in the plant, possible ruination of some machines from the excessive jolt, and maybe even an overload and shutdown of the electrical grid of the entire twelve-block area around the plant. If you have current sensors in place, they signal the generators to shut down when they detect that the original power source is turning back on again. No damage, no foul; everything is good. 

Avoid Crossing Electrical Streams

AC current is the preferred current of the U.S. However, DC current is used everywhere else. If AC and DC cross into each other, you get an electrical explosion of magnificent proportions. You want to prevent that at any cost, so the sensors would pick up on these two forms of current about to bump into each other and shut off whichever current stream over which the sensor has control. There would then be no electric boom of seismic proportions, and no one in the plant ends up injured either. 

Avoid Ungrounding

To ground electrical current is to prevent it from finding another channel to the ground (e.g., you). It only takes a little moisture and a distraction before you become a conduit. A sensor can detect when the electricity has become ungrounded. It signals a controller monitoring the control panel that something is wrong, and the controller flips off the power in that area. Ergo, current sensors save lives. 

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