These pilot wires run from specific nodes in a distribution system back to a central control room or metering panel. They carry negligible current, serving purely to transmit the exact potential at a distant load center. This allows automatic voltage regulators to compensate for the voltage drop occurring along the main transmission cables.
The regulator is hunting because the pressure wire from the industrial park substation has an intermittent open circuit.
Also heard as
- pilot wire
- sense wire
Related terms
Line drop
The loss of voltage along a transmission or distribution line due to its natural impedance.
Voltage
The difference in electrical potential between two points that drives current through a circuit.
SCADA
Supervisory control and data acquisition: the system that lets a control room watch and switch remote plant.