To meet rising energy demands and ensure supply you need to understand the condition of your network at every point. Our Digital Monitoring solutions for Dynamic Cable Rating will give you continuous and complete certainty.
Monitoring Underground Power Cables
Existing thermal modelling and rating solutions are based on static models and cannot predict, detect and prevent hot spots caused by changes in the surrounding thermal environment. With Sensornet’s Dynamic Cable Rating solutions you can predict hotspots caused by changes in the surrounding thermal environment to optimise the level of power in cables – without exceeding rating limits or reducing network lifetime.
Underground Dynamic Cable Rating
The dynamic rating system is based on Sensornet’s leading Distributed Temperature Sensing (DTS) technology. It is an extremely versatile system and can be configured to work in many different environments and for differing cable geometries and configurations (e.g. Trefoil, Flat lay….). Some of the applications that can be protected include:
– Buried Power Cable
– Power Cable Ducts
– Ventilation control of Tunnels
– Linear Heat Detection (Power Cable Monitoring in Tunnels, Trays, Ducts…)
Monitoring subsea Power Cables
Difficult to access and expensive to repair, subsea cables are vital assets that you cannot afford to ignore. Sensornet’s Digital Strain Profiling and Dynamic Cable Rating solutions provide integrity during the critical cable installation stage and enable better lifetime prediction.
Power cable links can be critical assets in project commercial viabilities. In the Oil and Gas pipeline monitoring market power links are used to energise offshore installations. Outages have tangible commercial implications and it is therefore critical that project risks are managed more effectively through better asset life management (extensive condition monitoring means more effective maintenance).
Typical Subsea Cable Issues
Most longer length high voltage subsea power cable installations are challenging and as a result there are risks that have to be mitigated.
Routine testing equivalent to land-based power cables cannot be carried out due to cable length
HV XLPE subsea power cables are normally dry core designs with lead sheaths – susceptible to fatigue
Commissioning tests are even more limited than routine tests therefore any defects introduced as a result of transport or installation are likely to be undetected
Quantitative installation data is limited especially if a two pass operation is required (laying and then trenching), mainly visual records are available (ROV surveys)
Post commissioning cables are still at risk due to external damage as well as environmental effects such as scour and sediment migration. Exposed cables can vibrate in strong currents and thus susceptible to fatigue failure.
Power cables buried to much greater depth than expected can overheat and fail due to thermal runaway.
Dynamic cable sections may be exposed to conditions outside of their design criteria (large oscillations, greater bending movement)
With Distributed Temperature and Strain Sensing, use is made of the Fiber Optic sensor cable usually embedded in the cable construction for telecom purposes. The fiber is used as a continuous sensor and can supply thermal as well as stress/strain dynamic information to a monitoring station.