The electric utility industry is evolving. Aging equipment, extreme weather, labor shortages, and the growth of renewable energy sources are straining transmission and distribution infrastructure that was not designed to withstand current conditions.
At the same time, rapid advances in Energy 4.0 technologies such as the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), cloud computing, data analytics, and artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) are enabling new capabilities that have the potential to transform how infrastructure is managed, maintained, and modernized.
Combined, these trends are driving utilities to optimize operations, reduce maintenance costs, and mitigate the risk of catastrophic equipment failures. Rather than rely solely on physical inspections and scheduled maintenance, utilities can implement Touchless™ Monitoring solutions that enable a Condition-Based Maintenance strategy.
The Limitations of Time-Based Physical Inspections
Physical inspections are commonly used to detect and diagnose faults. Equipped with handheld sensors and other specialized tools, skilled technicians must travel to the facility, inspect a significant volume of components, and manually record data for future analysis.
While these physical inspections will always be necessary, they are costly, time-consuming, and limited in effectiveness. Their periodic nature increases the likelihood of a fault going undetected between visits, and the lack of continuous coverage makes it difficult for utilities to spot transient, intermittent, or unpredictable issues.
A component, for example, may operate within normal limits at certain loads but exceed them during periods of high demand. These types of faults are unlikely to be detected because they require the technician to be on-site at the exact moment the issue occurs.
Further, reducing wind-shield time for travel to site has both a productivity and safety impact on field workers.
A Better Solution - The IM500 Industrial IoT Module
The IM500 Industrial IoT Module from Systems With Intelligence leverages visual and thermal sensors to provide continuous, Touchless™ Monitoring of high-value and critical utility assets. The fixed sensors can be installed on a permanent or temporary basis across a wide range of deployment scenarios and used for both indoor and outdoor applications.
Thermal sensors take regular snapshots of critical assets, such as transformers or connection points, and immediately detect sudden or prolonged changes in temperature that could indicate a fault. The system then sends an automatic alert to operators via email or by connection to the utility Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) or Asset Performance Management (APM) system.
High-resolution visual sensors also provide operators with greater situational awareness, enabling them to view equipment, read gauges, and diagnose issues before dispatching a crew.
The cloud-based dashboard allows operators to monitor multiple sites simultaneously and control the sensor module from a single remote location. Utilities can connect external sensing devices such as flood warning and other safety, environmental, and quality monitoring sensors via the built-in I/O connections, providing a unified view of every sensor in the network.
Leveraging the IM500 Industrial IoT Module Across Applications
The IM500 is easy to deploy and can be mounted to existing infrastructure without the need for any additional construction. The simple, cost-effective, and easy-to-use sensors have been designed to withstand the harsh conditions found in a wide range of electric power environments.
Temporary sensors can be quickly deployed to conduct troubleshooting and detect transient issues at known problem sites before being packed up and redeployed at another location. Alternatively, fixed sensors can be permanently deployed for long-term monitoring of high-value assets, such as transformers, cooling systems, bushings, load tap changers, or other critical equipment.
The embedded cell modem connects directly to the IoT cloud to transmit the thermal and visual data, further reducing the time to deployment. In cases where cellular coverage is limited, or if the utility prefers to use an internal network, the IM500 provides Wi-Fi or Power over Ethernet (PoE) options to connect to the SWI cloud. This enables applications such as underground vault monitoring, allowing technicians to view and assess conditions before entering the vault.
The IM500 can also be deployed to monitor transmission line assets. Fixed visual sensors make it possible for operators to verify the position of switches remotely, drastically reducing the cost and time required for switch verification at remote sites.
The Benefits of Touchless™ Monitoring with the IM500 Industrial IoT Module
The IM500 allows utilities to continuously monitor high-value and critical assets without the need for physical inspections. Once deployed, Touchless™ Monitoring solutions enable utilities to transition away from time-based inspections and toward a Condition-Based Maintenance strategy.
By taking a proactive approach based on the actual health and performance of the asset, the Operations & Maintenance team can optimize operations, reduce maintenance costs, improve reliability, and mitigate the risk of catastrophic failures that result in outages.
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