The benefits of deploying electric distribution circuits and equipment underground (aesthetics, improved storm hardening) is what contributes to its potentially shorter life span (moisture, corrosion, heat buildup, flooding) and is what makes deploying smart sensors to monitor these assets challenging. Many subsurface locations are filled with water, subjected to harsh chemicals (road salt, oils and grease, general runoff) and are below metal manhole covers. Access to these locations may require shutdown of roads, traffic control and police support, pumping and treatment of water, and other accommodations making access times lengthy and expensive.

The ability to detect electrical faults on underground cables can significantly help utilities reduce the time to isolate and repair outages. Historically utilities have used a thumper to pulse a cable and listen for the “thump” to help isolate a potential fault. This process requires a utility to access, pump down and thump multiple locations which can significantly affect time to isolate and overall costs.

While there has been substantial innovation in overhead fault detection due to easy access and the benefits of detection over long distribution circuits and remote/high fire areas, the same innovations have not extended into the underground environment. CNIguard has integrated sensors from OEM and partner companies to: 1) combine fault location with other environmental data (flood, gas, infrared hot spot), 2) provide wide area secure communication of sensor data to operations personnel, and 3) automate the visualization, alarm notification and workflow of fault and electrical transient events. All data can be integrated with a utility’s enterprise back office environment to combine fault and environmental information with other distribution automation (protection, control) data to significantly improve reliability and associated metrics (SAIDI/CAIDI).

The sensors are proven. The combined solution is proven. Deployment is underway at a major investor-owned utility and is in initial pilot at two additional investor-owned utilities.