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Case Study- Partial Discharge Monitoring System

Digitalizing Sub-Sea and Underground Cable Circuits

Overview

A prominent Asia utility operating a 90km sub-sea and underground transmission corridor was facing continuous reliability challenges. As this cable system served as the sole power link connecting both industrial and commercial loads and a remote island, any disruption to operations cost the utility millions in losses. Additionally, extended downtime, logistical complexities, and an absence of an alternative power routing raised significant reliability concerns.

Thus, the utility sought to transition from reactive maintenance to predictive intelligence for the most crucial parameter, partial discharge. By partnering with Rugged Monitoring, the utility implemented a fully digitalized partial discharge monitoring ecosystem, enabling early fault detection and reliable power delivery.

The Challenge

Prior to the implementation of Rugged Monitoring’s partial discharge monitoring ecosystem, the utility faced several challenges, including:

  • Absence of Real-Time PD Visibility

    Due to the harsh environments of sub-sea and underground systems, manual inspections were very far apart, exposing the cable network to evolving failures that often went undetected.

  • No Power Availability at Remote Joint Boxes

    Traditional monitoring systems in place required on-site power sources, making continuous monitoring at remote joint boxes impractical.

  • Monitoring in High-Risk Environments

    Marine exposure, tidal pressure, and aging infrastructure further accelerated the process of insulation degradation, which traditional systems could not capture.

The Rugged Monitoring Solution

Rugged Monitoring deployed an end-to-end partial discharge monitoring system for long-distance hybrid cable circuits. Our solution included:

  • High-Frequency Current Transformer (HFCT) Sensor

    A centralized visibility for operators from both regional & national command centres to monitor all 4 power transformers in real-time.

  • Passive Cable Energy Harvester (PCEH)

    Our self-powered monitoring solution ensured zero-power remote operation in the most high-risk environment.

  • RM EYE, Enterprise APM Suite

    A centralized AI-enabled platform to unify all electrical asset monitoring needs of the utility.

The Outcome

Our complete PD monitoring ecosystem for sub-sea and underground cable corridor delivered measurable outcomes for the utility, including:

  • Real-Time Visibility across the entire length of the cable network: This eliminated any blind spots and ensured the monitoring of real-time PD fluctuations.
  • Zero–Power Remote Monitoring with PCEH: Our solution empowered the utility with 100% autonomous operation, minimizing O&M costs.
  • Increased Reliability of Island Power Supply: Our complete PD monitoring ecosystem, maximized availability and ROI of the hybrid cable infrastructure.

Thus, Rugged Monitoring empowered the utility with intelligent predictive strategies and enabled their shift towards electrical asset digitalization.

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