The platform combines data from various sensors and technologies, such as vessel location, acoustic sensing around the cable, depth of burial of the cable under the seabed, and conductor temperature. By integrating and analyzing this data together, the platform can identify suspicious activities, such as vessels passing slowly, fishing equipment or anchors being pulled near the cable, and other risks that could lead to cable damage. When one or more parameters exceed predefined thresholds, the platform triggers an alert that helps those monitoring the cable take potential remediation actions and strengthens the grid’s resilience.
“Our new cable monitoring platform represents a significant advancement in ensuring the reliability and safety of power cables. By integrating multiple sensors into a single platform, we can provide situational awareness and proactive monitoring, which is crucial for maintaining up-time and preventing damage,” said Stefan Persson, Director of cable Monitoring Solutions, Service & Installation at NKT.
Root Cause Analysis Support
If a failure of critical infrastructure occurs, knowledge about the cause of the incident can be of great importance for the power cable owner as well as public authorities.
“By gathering alarm data, including vessel movements and acoustic data, the system can support the root cause analysis of the damage. In the short run, it can pinpoint potential responsible parties, and in the long run, it can help improve situational awareness around the cable,” said Stefan Persson.
Preparedness is Key
The platform includes features that provide cable owners with detailed information about how the cable is performing as well as documentation, information from marine survey inspections, current stockpiling status of spare parts, and notifications for replacing parts nearing expiry. This proactive approach helps identify focus areas to ensure the cable remains operational and improves the overall level of preparedness and the ability to take preventive measures.
“Our solution enhances the ability to monitor and safeguard power cables but also helps cable owners prepare for and mitigate potential failures. Reducing outage times for a cable includes readiness in case a critical situation occurs. On a practical level, it can be crucial that the cable owner has access to relevant spare parts if a cable is damaged,” explained Stefan Persson.
About the Cable Monitoring Platform
NKT’s cable monitoring solution is set to modernize the way power cables are managed, offering to safeguard and increase reliability. The system combines and creates alerts based on multiple data points, including:
- Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS)
- Distributed Temperature Sensing (DTS)
- Automatic Identification System (AIS)
- Depth of Burial (DoB)
Designed for both on- and offshore cables with fiber-optics, the platform leverages the fiber-optic cable within the power cable as well as vessel positioning technology to gather and analyze data effectively. This ensures that the monitoring system is robust and capable of providing accurate and timely information.
