Sensored insulation plug

Sensored insulation plug for being inserted into a rear cavity of a medium voltage or high-voltage separable connector in a power distribution network of a national grid, and operable to insulate a connection element of the separable connector on an elevated voltage and to sense the elevated voltage,

• the sensored insulation plug comprising
• a) a plug body formed by a solidified insulating material and rotationally symmetric about a plug axis defining axial directions and radial directions orthogonal to the axial directions,
• b) an electrically conductive contact piece, mechanically and conductively connectable with the connection element on elevated voltage;
• c) a discrete coupling capacitor operable to
• i) harvest energy from the elevated voltage of the contact piece, and/or
• ii) superimpose a communication voltage signal, such as a power line communication voltage signal, over the elevated voltage of the contact piece, and/or
• iii) extract a communication voltage signal, such as a power line communication voltage signal, from the elevated voltage of the contact piece, and/or
• iv) superimpose a time domain reflectometry signal over the elevated voltage of the contact piece, and extract a time domain reflectometry signal from the elevated voltage of the contact piece, and/or
• v) superimpose a frequency domain reflectometry signal over the elevated voltage of the contact piece, and extract a frequency domain reflectometry signal from the elevated voltage of the contact piece, and/or
• vi) detect a partial discharge signal in the elevated voltage of the contact piece, and/or
• vii) detect the presence or absence of an elevated voltage on the contact piece, and/or
• viii) superimpose a node synchronization signal over the elevated voltage of the contact piece, and/or
• ix) extract a node synchronization signal from the elevated voltage of the contact piece, and/or
• x) sense the elevated voltage at a low accuracy of between 5% and 100% of the true elevated voltage, and/or
• xi) detect a zero crossing of the elevated voltage,
• wherein the coupling capacitor is embedded in the insulating material and comprises a coupling electrode electrically connected to the contact piece and an opposed counter electrode,
• d) an integrated sensing capacitor operable as a high-voltage capacitor in a sensing voltage divider for sensing the elevated voltage, the sensing capacitor comprising
• i) a high-voltage electrode wherein the high-voltage electrode comprises the coupling electrode and the contact piece;
• ii) a tubular sensing electrode embedded in the insulating material and arranged around an axial section of the high-voltage electrode,
• iii) a dielectric comprising a portion of the insulating material arranged between the sensing electrode and the coupling capacitor.