Synaptec launched a real-time data analytics platform that reveals previously hidden indicators about networks, enabling network operators and generators to effectively predict outages and reduce operations and maintenance costs.
The new software platform, called Synthesis, was developed by Synaptec’s Head of Power System Technologies, Steven Blair, in direct response to the pressing need for detailed visibility of electrical networks as they become increasingly complex.
Synthesis is designed to build upon the capabilities of Synaptec’s distributed sensing hardware and is designed specifically to work with continuous point-on-wave (CPOW) data, and cope with the visualization and analytics needs for large-scale monitoring schemes.
To this end it is being trialed with ORE Catapult and Innovate UK through their REACTION project.
The software platform works by accessing multiple high-resolution data streams from Synaptec’s sensor platform, to fully leverage the capabilities of the hardware. It supports any combination of electrical and mechanical sensors, visually summarizes their outputs, shows measurements in a geographical context, and securely archives important data.
Steven said: “Synthesis automatically produces summarized data formats, such as synchrophasor outputs and power quality metrics. It also implements additional processing and analytics to extract everything possible from the detailed data, to minimize the effort required by our customers to deal with this themselves. It means that operators are not overwhelmed with raw data points from CPOW monitoring.
“This is crucial as the availability and processing of detailed data from multiple inputs enables greater possibilities for asset management and a definitive leap forward in the role of data in managing electrical networks and smart grids. We’re able to monitor and visualize the status of power system assets (cables, circuit breakers, wind turbines, and so on) with very detailed measurements – at a high sampling rate.”
Steven adds: “This is a radical upgrade even compared to synchrophasor-based monitoring. With Synthesis we are able to aggregate both electrical and mechanical measurements within the same unified visualization and analysis platform. The result is that, for the first time, the transmission and distribution sector can overcome the major challenges of cost-effective condition monitoring and prognostics.”
