Hexagon Helps Electric Utilities Cut Fault Location Time from Hours to Minutes
5 February 2019
HUNTSVILLE, Ala., February 05, 2019
Hexagon’s Safety & Infrastructure division has released a new software application that aids electric utilities in determining the location of faults more quickly and accurately. Launched at DistribuTECH 2019, Hexagon’s HxGN InService Fault Location helps utilities improve outage restoration by cutting fault location time from hours to minutes.
Repairing outages is among the biggest cost for utilities. Up to half the time spent repairing an outage can involve finding the fault. Sending crews to patrol circuits can be time-consuming and expensive. InService Fault Location automates this process to improve outage restoration. The application calculates the location and characteristics of faults, allowing utilities to address problems sooner.
“Utilities are under pressure to reduce the duration of outages,” said Anna Throneberry, vice president and general manager for U.S. utilities and communications, Hexagon’s Safety & Infrastructure division. “By automating key processes, InService Fault Location helps utilities overcome this challenge and make drastic improvements in outage restoration.”
With InService Fault Location, utilities can determine and display the location of faults by type and magnitude. It cuts time spent in rural areas searching for faults and enables utilities in urban areas to make faster switching decisions. The application works for both sustained and momentary outages.
InService Fault Location is part of Hexagon’s HxGN InService suite and available for version 9.4. InService provides the core capabilities for an advanced distribution management system (ADMS) to monitor and operate the distribution system. Integrating with third-party systems (such as SCADA, AMI and CIS), InService delivers operational intelligence to the enterprise by providing grid analysis and optimization, tracking outages, restoring service and managing field crews.
Hexagon’s Safety & Infrastructure division has pioneered the development and application of location-based systems for electric, communications, water and gas companies for decades. The company supports hundreds of utilities and communications customers around the world with solutions for network engineering, network operations and other business functions.
About Hexagon
Hexagon is a global leader in digital solutions that create Autonomous Connected Ecosystems (ACE), states where data is connected seamlessly through the convergence of the physical worldwith the digital, and intelligence is built in to all processes.
Hexagon’s industry-specific solutions leverage domain expertise in sensor technologies, software and data orchestration to create Smart Digital Realities™ that improve productivity and quality across manufacturing, infrastructure, safety and mobility applications.
Hexagon’s Safety & Infrastructure division provides software for smart and safe cities, improving the performance, efficiency, and resilience of vital services.
Hexagon (Nasdaq Stockholm: HEXA B) has approximately 24,500 employees in 50 countries and net sales of approximately 5.4bn EUR. Learn more at hexagon.com and follow us @HexagonAB.
