Manhole Monitoring Systems | Sentir Prevents Manhole Incidents

Reducing the risk of manhole incidents

Sentir is our unique manhole monitoring system that comprises ultra-ruggedized hardware and purpose-built software that radically:

Improves network reliability
Enhances grid safety
Optimizes utility inspection

The Problem

Degraded power lines are a major cause of exploding manholes and stray voltage. In New York City alone hundreds of manholes explode each year. In addition, stray voltage electrifies manhole covers and other street furniture – traffic signals, bus shelters, mail boxes – that can cause injury and death.

Other problems include hard-to-locate cable failures, gas and water intrusion, physical failures, corrosion and oil leakage, and damaged structures.

Monitoring Methods

There are a number of methods that can be used to monitor the grid. These methods include:

Visual inspection: This involves physically inspecting the grid for signs of damage, such as cracks, corrosion, and vegetation growth
Remote monitoring: This involves using sensors to collect data on the condition of the grid, such as temperature, vibration, and electrical current.
Analytical modelling: This involves using computer models to predict the condition of the grid over time.

By using a combination of these methods, grid operators can get a comprehensive picture of the condition of the grid and identify any potential problems before they cause outages.

The Sentir Solution

The Sentir product line from CNIguard actively addresses these methods, providing a rugged, utility-grade device that hosts a number of robust sensors to deliver low-latency intelligence directly into the hands of those who need it most.

Visual cameras monitor the location, feeding images directly to our image processing algorithms to detect structural changes.
Thermal cameras monitor the structure for temperature anomalies, calling attention to potential fire and explosion hazards.
Current transformers monitor electrical cables for faults, allowing outage causes to be found and fixed quicker and more accurately.
Additional available sensor arrays detect combustible gases, water depth and salinity, temperature and atmospheric pressure, vibration, stray voltage, and a host of other monitoring options.

The Benefits

Sentir modular sensor arrays all feed data back to CNIguard’s advanced AI engine that integrates data from structures with open-source intelligence such as weather conditions and traffic patterns to determine not only the likelihood of an event, but the potential risk to nearby people and infrastructure. Signals are transmitted securely from the embedded device to our SensorView dashboard on a phone, laptop or other platform. Over-the-Air updates ensure the firmware is current as well as enabling customization of the devices.