Medium Voltage Sensored Cable Accessories from 3M Electrical

Published 24 Jun 2022

3M Sensored Cable Accessories for Medium Voltage Grid Automation

Seeing the Whole Picture

Situational awareness is critical in the underground medium voltage distribution grid, as faults in this segment can potentially impact large numbers of customers downstream. This can be compounded by the wide-scale integration of renewables, which places additional demands on aging equipment and compromises network efficiency. Although distribution automation and control solutions have evolved to tackle these issues, acquiring key grid parameter data with high accuracy – and in real time – continues to be a major challenge, especially for underground medium voltage systems.

Now, 3M brings you advanced Sensored Cable Accessories that provide highly accurate voltage and current data, and can be deployed throughout your underground medium voltage system with low capital investment. When coupled with your existing communication infrastructure, 3M™ Sensored Cable Accessories enable real-time monitoring, giving you better visibility throughout your underground MV distribution system.

Accurate information about the state of your MV grid can help protect your customers – and your reputation – against the steep costs of outages, cable repair work and lost productivity. Better information drives better decisions: rapid fault diagnosis, fast and accurate response, and precise load control all depend on grid visibility.

3M™ Sensored Cable Accessories

for MV Grid Automation

3M Sensored Cable Accessories consist of passive sensors that provide highly accurate analog voltage and current waveforms. Your existing power equipment can be retrofitted with these accessories, which are both easy and economical to install.

Installation of the 3M SCA

• A fast, economical solution – Ability to retrofit power equipment allows installation at your chosen locations
• Underground system data – Enables real-time monitoring of your underground system when integrated with your communication infrastructure
• Highly-accurate readouts – Provides voltage accuracy of ±0.5%* and current accuracy of ±1%*, giving you real-time data that can be used in advanced automation and control applications
• No external power source required – Enables a simpler, faster, more economical installation
• No field calibration – Factory-calibrated sensors provide reliable, accurate data, without need for calibration in the field.
• Constructed with 3M Cold Shrink technology – For a safe, reliable seal that requires no special tools, sealants, adhesives, torches or other heat sources to install

* Refer to the 3M Sensored Termination Datasheet for detailed accuracy information.

A technology breakthrough, designed to give you more

Flexibility – Upgrade your key locations

Depending on geographic location, load profile, regulatory requirements and legacy equipment, your key locations may be different from those of other utilities. 3M Sensored Cable Accessories and interfaces are engineered to give you the flexibility to monitor key parameters at critical points in your network. This retrofit solution can be installed in your existing power equipment with minimal effort, and integrated into your existing communication infrastructure.

Reliability – Consistent performance

3M Sensored Cable Accessories incorporate passive sensors, which do not require an external power source. These sensors are also factory calibrated – with no field recalibration necessary. And 3M’s advanced Cold Shrink technology provides a reliable, long-lasting compressive seal, even in challenging environments. These features help reduce installation time and chance of craft error, while also providing the data needed to manage your grid assets proactively.

Accuracy – Analog waveforms for advanced analytics

Automatic distribution and control systems require highly accurate, real-time information about key grid parameters, such as voltage and current, in order to perform to their full potential. 3M Sensored Cable Accessories provide voltage data accurate to ±0.5%*, and current data accurate to within ±1%*. The bi-directional power flow and intermittent nature of renewable resources makes this data critical to utilities’ efforts to manage efficiency, quickly locate and correct faults, and keep end customers online.

Visibility – Real-time measurements

Currently available distributed intelligence solutions are generally too expensive to meet return on investment requirements if deployed systemwide. As a result, they are concentrated at just a few nodes – giving only a partial picture of the distribution grid. Since medium voltage cable accessories are typically located close to power equipment, 3M Sensored Cable Accessories can be deployed at strategic locations on the feeder, substations and consumption points throughout the grid – allowing wide-scale deployment and coverage.

Smart grid applications for 3M Sensored Cable Accessories

• Volt/VAR Optimization (VVO), including Conservation Voltage Reduction (CVR)
• Fault detection, isolation and restoration (FDIR)
• Asset management
• Load balancing

Voltage and Current Measurement Made Easy

The 3M Sensored Cable Accessory QX-Generation 2.0 enables you to measure critical parameters (voltage, current, phase angle) in an underground medium voltage electrical network. This solution incorporates highly accurate voltage and current measurement integrated into one product which means you get precise measurements without modification of the installed equipment. Additionally, the sensors are passive components thereby not requiring an external power source for sensing.

3M Sensors and Cold Shrink technology ensures easy and fast installation for a wide range of cable cross sections.

Your Trusted Connection

3M, together with Thorne & Derrick, understand the greatest of challenges. Every minute of downtime damages your brand, and power outages can be costly. 3M technology can be trusted to adapt facilities for changing business needs, working with your team to add value to existing infrastructure, reduce operating costs and give a competitive edge.