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Projects: Projects for Investigator
Reference Number	NPG_NIA_036
Title	Polesight
Status	Completed
Energy Categories	Other Power and Storage Technologies(Electricity transmission and distribution) 100%;
Research Types	Applied Research and Development 100%
Science and Technology Fields	ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (Electrical and Electronic Engineering) 100%
UKERC Cross Cutting Characterisation	Not Cross-cutting 100%
Principal Investigator	Project Contact No email address given Northern Powergrid
Award Type	Network Innovation Allowance
Funding Source	Ofgem
Start Date	01 March 2021
End Date	01 March 2023
Duration	ENA months
Total Grant Value	£350,000
Industrial Sectors	Power
Region	Yorkshire & Humberside
Programme
Investigators	Principal Investigator	Project Contact , Northern Powergrid (100.000%)
	Industrial Collaborator	Project Contact , Northern Powergrid (0.000%)
Web Site	https://smarter.energynetworks.org/projects/NPG_NIA_036
Objectives	Building on the learning from the Foresight project, Polesight will develop and test a low-cost sensing/monitoring system which enables DNOs to monitor LV pole-mounted networks, identify developing faults then to locate the position of defects which will develop into LV faults before supply interruptions occur. The program of work includes a relatively small-scale filed trial with the aim of verifying the efficacy of the system, identifying any practical issues associated with wider deployment of the system and to identify associated costs and the economics of that deployment.. The output of the project will be a functional specification which can be used by any GB DNO for such a solution. To inform the specification, a piece of hardware, likely to be a hybrid combination of EA Technologys VisNet Hub and Guard, the latter developed on the Foresight project, will be adapted to suit the pole-mounted environment (weather conditions, customer numbers and price point). The resulting low-cost system will be deployed on pole mounted substations with a mixture of overhead and underground circuits.The key project stagesare as follows:* Deploy a mixture of Guard and VisNet Hub LV equipment to monitor selected Pole mounted substation LV circuitsIdentify and categorise pre-fault signature waveforms for LV overhead Lines/cables and pole top furniture (insulators)* Deploy prototype low-cost sensor devices which incorporate pre-fault recognition algorithms based on the pre-fault signatures which are to be identified in this project. (These sensors will be developed by EA Technology in parallel to this project)* Produce draft equipment specifications and network operating procedure documents to enable transfer into business as usual the management of pole mounted substation circuit faults by intervening before supplies are interrupted by faults or at the very least, identify where the fault is located in a more expedient manner.* Draw conclusions for pole top LV fault and pre fault management approaches that are applicable to all DNOs.* Assess the issues and economics associated with broader deployment of the developed technology. This project is to improve our understanding of indicative pre-fault behaviour relating to pole mounted substations, their outgoing circuits and the development of management options for LV Overhead Line networks. Scope includes operational issues and economics/business case assessment.Northern Powergrid has a large population of such LV networks and the learning from the Foresight Project will provide additional insight into the expected failure types and how these could be applied to pole mounted substations. Primary project objectives of the project are:* Detection and location of developing faults from pole mounted equipment, enabling remedial works to be carried out as part of a planned program of work before faults develop into loss of supply events.* Demonstration of the use of a network of low-cost sensing devices installed on pole mounted substations and associated communications.* Development of a strategy and protocol for detection and location of incipient faults on the LV pole mounted substations.Knowledge relating to the evolution of pole mounted substation and circuit defects into supply interrupting faults using a method which minimises the impact on customers.* Development and testing of novel techniques to potentially deliver a significant decrease in DNO CMLs and CIs originating from pole mounted substation circuit faults.* Demonstration that low-cost sensing devices help to identify issues early in order to support network performance improvements.* Deliver and report conclusions, technical, operational and economic, that relate to the implementation and management of pole mounted substations that are applicable to all GB LV networks* Develop a functional specification for a Pole Mounted Substation monitor with the added functionality of pre-fault detection.
Abstract	Building on the Foresight project, Polesight seeks to extend the technological and operational approach of anticipatory fault detection and management to the edge-case of overhead lines and pole mounted transformers for LV.
Publications	(none)
Final Report	(none)
Added to Database	19/10/22