Sentinel prepares ground for enhanced fault detection

The origins of LineSIGHT are in Sentinel, an innovation launched in ED1 and researched as part of Ofgem’s Network Innovation Allowance, in which Electricity Northwest (ENWL) and Kelvatek developed a solution to locate faults quickly on overhead line networks. These faults included broken overhead line conductors which could be low-hanging or in direct contact with the ground.

The research platform was initially designed to provide a fault location within 500m of the actual position. Sentinel was intended to inform engineering policy for the application of high-voltage distance-to-fault systems on distribution networks for the whole of the UK and led directly to the development of LineSIGHT.

Under the Sentinel projects, which started in 2015, different types of equipment were initially deployed on the line for research purposes. Roll on nine years to ED2, and ENWL is deploying 3,200 LineSIGHT units to cover 80% of the overhead network. A typical circuit might feature five to eight monitoring units covering about 25km.

Network protection typically relies on overcurrent or earth current to detect that something has failed. In the case of the line detaching and just hanging, there is nothing in the normal set-up to detect it. Kelvatek wanted to develop a technology that could use other detection means in addition to current. Because LineSIGHT measures capacitance and impedance, it’s able to observe and report the changes when a line sags low.

LineSIGHT offers improved resilience to storms but also, crucially, safety benefits. There are hazards where overhead lines have come down from or been loosened from pylons or poles for lots of reasons, including storms or hazards which are often difficult to detect unless spotted and reported by a member of the public.

The risks are huge. Hazards include people, vehicles (or farm animals in rural areas) encountering the downed line when it is still live. The line could be on the street or crossing, a playground. Or a low-hanging wire has the potential to electrify a post with a person walking by.

For more information, contact Kelvatek:

Email: support@kelvatek.com

Phone: +44 (0)28 9262 6989

www.kelvatek.com