Fiber Optic Sensing for Power Cable Monitoring

The fiber optic sensing for power cable monitoring can monitor buried and unburied data cables, wires, and power transmission lines. Monitoring the cable's wear, damage, or corrosion is extremely difficult, and often, power failure or data outage is the first sign of a problem. These cables are typically installed in areas that have multiple uses by various stakeholders and, in the event of a failure, can be logistically challenging and expensive to access for repair.

HAWK's power cable monitoring fiber optic products can be installed near or embedded within the power cable. It can monitor disturbances, identify manual and machine excavation, vehicle movement, ground condition assessment, and detect hotspots. The Praetorian System requires no additional field infrastructure, such as power or communication, and does not require maintenance or calibration after commissioning.

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Overview

Principle of Operation

Using a combination of Rayleigh backscatter, Brillouin backscatter, and time of flight, the Praetorian System determines the presence, location, intensity, and frequency of vibrations and real-time temperature changes along an optical fiber. These fibers can be integral to or laid with high-voltage power transmission cables and operate as a comprehensive Power Cable Monitoring System (PCMS).

Monitoring both the temperature and vibration from the same system makes it possible to detect and locate a wide range of faults detrimental to cable health, including predictive detection capable of alerting operators of threats to a cable before failure.

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