Passive optical sensing for power network protection and monitoring
Synaptec sensors measure current, voltage, temperature, or vibration at transition towers, joint bays, and remote transformers more than 60 km from the substation, with no power, batteries, data network, or time source at the measurement site.1.5 million
sensor-hours of operation and counting. No Synaptec sensor has failed in service
Under 10 ms
for mixed circuit schemes in service to identify the faulted zone and issue the auto-reclose block
More than 60 km
from the substation to the furthest sensor, on standard single-mode fibre
Within 1 μs
synchronisation of all measurements, with no satellite or network time source at any sensor
Protection and cable health monitoring from one sensing platform
Reflex and Greenlight both run on Distributed Electrical Sensing (DES). Everything active sits in the substation. Along the route there are only passive sensors and optical fibre.
Reflex is Synaptec’s range of ultrafast power system protection for complex and remote circuits and assets. It identifies the faulted zone in milliseconds, using passive optical sensors with no power, active electronics, or communications at the measurement sites. The range includes MCP for mixed overhead and cable circuits and RTP for remote transformers.
Greenlight® is Synaptec’s HV cable health monitoring solution for underground and subsea cables. It finds damage and degradation at every joint and termination before they cause an outage, and it does so with nothing powered along the route.
Where Synaptec systems are installed
Synaptec systems are installed or in delivery on power networks across Europe, the Middle East, and India, and at offshore wind farms in the North Sea.
Case study
Greenlight at Adani Electricity Mumbai
On the 12.7 km, 220 kV Aarey to Borivali underground double circuit, Greenlight located a bonding defect from the first data. The joint was re-torqued on one scheduled visit, with no outage.
2 months
payback, from the first defect found
8.1x
estimated return on investment over the circuit’s remaining 20-year operating life
Sectors we support
Power grids
Protection and HV cable health monitoring for transmission and distribution operators.
Offshore wind
HV cable health monitoring for offshore wind operators, including Dogger Bank, Hywind Scotland, and Aberdeen Bay.
Applications
Learn more about how Distributed Electrical Sensing can support a range of applications across the power grids and offshore wind sectors.
Mixed circuit protection
Greenlight® for power grids
Digitalising substations
Distributed power quality monitoring for offshore wind
Line differential protection for complex feeders
Synchronised waveform monitoring
Learn more about Distributed Electrical Sensing
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Discuss a circuit with our engineers
Synaptec designs each system, supplies the sensors, Interrogators, and software, and commissions and supports it. Our management system is certified to ISO 9001:2015 by Lloyd’s Register for design and manufacturing.