CASE STUDY: CableGuardian Weather-Dependent Fault-Finding in Network Rail Wales & Western Region
August 9, 2024
Network Rail’s Western Region had an issue with a Signalling Power System (SPS), which would indicate low Network Insulation Resistance (IR) but only under wet weather conditions. The SPS comprised four feeders with a total length of over 44km. Under the incumbent Tier 3 IMD monitoring device, identifying which feeder had the issue would have required manual intervention to isolate each feeder, combined with a certain amount of luck that this intervention took place during wet weather conditions. Read the full case study here
Using CableGuardian for Low Insulation Resistance Monitoring
As a result, Network Rail decided to install a CableGuardian Tier 2 monitoring system at the SPS. When the next spell of wet weather arrived, resulting in a drop in Network IR, it was instantly visible within the CableGuardian portal. The portal indicated that one feeder had the lowest Downstream IR and was most likely to have an issue. The feeder in question was over 14.5km in length.
Viper Innovations pre-programed the online portal with all cables and location cases on every feeder as part of the system engineering activity, which means Network Rail can easily add Tier 1 units temporarily or permanently to suit their requirements.
By deploying the ‘roaming’ CableGuardian units at locations along the suspect feeder and waiting for wet weather to see the results in the portal, the rail team enabled a combination of follow-up actions at specific locations
In this case study, we share how CableGuardian quickly identified the weather-dependent fault leading to a planned repair by Network Rail.
Click on the button below to read the full case study.
Faulty Cable Joint Schematic,
Network Rail, Wales and Western
