LumaSense Technologies has acquired fiber optic sensing technology from Canada-based Opsens Inc. used to help energy companies identify transformer hot spots and perform critical high-voltage equipment temperature monitoring. The deal for Opsens' PowerSens system gives LumaSense a well-rounded fiber optics portfolio designed to help utilities improve power grid reliability involving generation, transmission and distribution assets.

The PowerSens system uses gallium arsenide (GaAs) sensors to measure temperature. LumaSense's portfolio of fiber optics offerings includes the ThermAsset2 and LumaSmart systems based on Fluoroptic phosphor technology. Fluoroptic technology provides a reliable method for temperature measurement in critical, large transformers, while GaAs is a cost-effective alternative for smaller projects that don't require as high a level of proven durability.

"PowerSens customers will enjoy several benefits from this acquisition. They will now have access to LumaSense's larger portfolio of temperature-measurement technology, as well as its global support network of experienced application engineers," said Pierre Carrier, president and CEO of Opsens. "For Opsens, this gives us the perfect opportunity to focus on serving the needs of our customers in our main fields with our fiber optic technology."

In the electrical industry, LumaSense's fiber optic temperature (FOT) measurement technology is considered an industry standard for FOT measurement of transformer winding hot spots. FOT uses rugged probes to directly measure winding temperatures for the most-accurate temperature readings, as opposed to conventional methods that have errors from inferring hot spots by trying to simulate or calculate the temperature versus directly measuring it.