Grid Analytics System™
Make Data-Driven Decisions With Smart Sensors
Sentient Energy’s Grid Analytics System is a complete line sensing solution. Included are overhead and underground line sensors, as well as software for managing the sensors, visualizing data, and integrating data with other OT systems.
The Grid Analytics System is comprised of the MM3, MM3ai, and ZM1 overhead intelligent sensors, UM3+ and UM1 underground intelligent sensors, and the Ample® Analytics Platform.
The Grid Analytics System provides utilities with increased distribution system visibility including fault detection, load data, and disturbance capture – at more locations. With this data, utility operators can reduce outage durations by directing field crews to more precise fault locations. Planning teams can improve load balancing and asset management, and reliability teams can identify high-disturbance areas to inspect to preempt outages.
Smart Grid Analytics System Features
Complete Solution
The Grid Analytics System includes all the components needed to provide utilities with increased visibility and actionable insights for effective distribution grid management:
- Line-powered overhead sensors for main feeder lines
- Battery-powered overhead sensors for laterals and other lower current line spans
- Undergrounds sensors for 3-12 phase pad mounted enclosures or vaults
- Underground sensors for single-phase transformer cabinets
- Sensor management software
- Data management software
- Analytics
Advanced Sensing Capabilities
All five Sentient Energy Intelligent Line Sensors, MM3, MM3ai, ZM1, UM3+, and UM1, combine with Ample to form the smart grid analytics system. The sensors capture system data with high accuracy and resolution including:
- Permanent faults
- Momentary faults
- Disturbances
- Load current
- Current direction
- Waveforms (at up to 256 samples per cycle)
Proven Deployment Process
Sentient Energy has sensors deployed at over 25 of the largest utilities across North America, with well over 1 billion sensor hours in the field. Numerous implementations at leading utilities across the globe have helped us build an experienced deployment team, fine-tune our methodologies, and leverage most current industry best practices.
Smart Grid Analytics System Applications
Fault Detection & Location
The sensors in the Grid Analytics System use advanced fault detection algorithms to sense system faults on overhead and underground lines in real time, communicating fault information immediately to the utility control center for integration with SCADA, DMS, or OMS systems.
With more precise fault location information, operators can dispatch crews to the correct location, significantly reducing patrol time and outage duration. The MM3/MM3ai and Ample also work together to determine whether a fault is phase-to-phase or phase-to-phase-to-ground.
System Status Monitoring
Sensors continually measure current and temperature for load monitoring purposes. This collected data is processed on the device and critical information such as alerts, daily peaks, and averages are reported to Ample analytics software.
Sensors also determine current direction which is increasingly important with distributed energy resources integration. Additionally, waveform data from the MM3/MM3ai allows Ample to validate sensor phase identification.
SCADA Integration
Ample features an integration gateway, which allows sensors and their data to become visible in SCADA systems, historians, and data lakes. Utilities can connect more sensor data, such as sequence of events, load logger, oscillography, and disturbances, to their own applications, and avoid the hassle of managing the security of each sensor connection via use of the Ample embedded Key Management System.
