Wearing new backpacks and carrying wands, Surrey power engineers are on the hunt to find and fix the source of power cuts – sometimes before they even happen.
The new Fault Sniffer 2 device from Megger – which was put to the test by distribution network operator UK Power Networks in Croydon, Guildford, and Kingston – was found to be a success.
As a result, there are now more than 60 devices in use across London, the South East, and the East of England.
The equipment sucks in and detects even the smallest traces of imperceptible gas which escapes when a cable develops a fault. It can also tell the difference between that and natural or bio gases.
Dylin da Silva, Lead Field Engineer, explains, “It’s a backpack with pipes running to the handle which sucks up the gas from hidden cable faults below ground, which cause power cuts.
“This is another potential tool in our extensive arsenal to maintain safe and reliable electricity supplies for local homes and businesses.
“The trial explored how the ‘sniffer’ could help us find and fix faults fast, [as well as] reduce noise and disruption from roadworks and be cost-efficient.”
Traditional techniques to find underground cable faults include using a hammer-drill to make small holes in the pavement at regular intervals, then inserting a sniffer probe to find gas released by a fault.
It is claimed the equipment can give accurate fault locations from readings as low as 10 parts per million for the type of gas released by a cable fault.
UK Power Networks, which distributes power supplies across the South East, London, and the East of England, operates more than 144,000km of underground cables.
The company says it is always exploring new and innovative ways to ensure safe and reliable power supplies for the 20 million people it serves.
The equipment is used proactively to try to intercept power cuts before they occur, as well as quickly tracking down faults which have caused power cuts.
Kerry Burdett, Megger’s UK Territory Manager for Cable Fault Location, Testing, and Diagnostics, says, “This innovative product has proved to be very successful finding underground cable faults quickly and accurately.
“Not having to drill into the ground means some of these faults can even be found during the night without disturbing residents. The product has been a huge success across Europe in helping to get the power back on efficiently.”
The trial was funded by Surrey Lane Rental Fund.
Matt Furniss, Cabinet Member for Highways, Transport, and Economic Growth at Surrey County Council, comments, “Surrey is one of only four highway authorities in England to operate a Lane Rental Scheme.
“Since its inception in April 2021, the Surrey Lane Rental Scheme has proven to be a valuable asset in managing roadworks and minimising disruption across the county’s busiest roads, with £5.481 million generated from the scheme to fund a range of local road improvements.
“We were pleased to support UK Power Networks with the development of Fault Sniffer 2 which will minimise disruption to residents in Surrey and elsewhere in the country.”
For more from UK Power Networks, click here.