Designed by Viper Innovations, CableGuardian is the first platform to offer proactive monitoring, detection and location of both cable insulation and conductor faults on live power distribution systems.

Developed in conjunction with Network Rail’s initiative to drive innovation in the supply chain, CableGuardian has set the benchmark for the new Insulation Monitoring and Fault Location standard, NR/L2/SIGELP/27725. As a part of Network Rail’s Digital Railway Strategy, CableGuardian fulfills the increasing need to detect and locate emerging power distribution cable failures quickly. Demonstrations of the technology will take place at Rail Live 2017, on 21 & 22 June at the Quinton Rail Technology Centre in Long Marston, ahead of the Network Rail trials planned later in the year.

Designed by the Queen’s Award winning company Viper Innovations, CableGuardian provides the user with not only the type and severity of the emerging fault but also the location, minimising the time spent on, and the associated risks of track-side fault-finding. What makes CableGuardian truly unique is its ability to identify open, closed and intermittent faults on live power distribution systems, eliminating the need for disruptive fault finding, minimising unplanned downtime and passenger delays.

The advanced analytics displays an easily comprehendible dashboard which gives a forward view on emerging faults. This information enables a move from the current fix-on-fail approach and schedule-based maintenance, to a proactive condition led maintenance regime for critical power supply infrastructure for points, track circuits and signalling, and will ultimately improve the reliability and availability of the railway.

As Viper Innovations’ Managing Director Neil Douglas explains, “This fundamental change will be essential in reducing downtime and is in line with the ambitions of the Rail Technical Strategy Capability Delivery Plan. The cable insulation monitoring technology embodied in CableGuardian has been developed within the challenging environment of the subsea oil and gas industry and has a unique capability to measure degradation and cable insulation parameters directionally, allowing the CableGuardian nodes to monitor the entire power distribution network in a series of discrete cable segments.”

“Response to CableGuardian has already been very positive within the rail industry. We are looking forward to further demonstrating the technology at Rail Live 2017, which is a key event for us as it is not only the largest outdoor rail event in Europe, but it attracts many key decision makers.”

Demonstrations of CableGuardian will take place on stand SZ15 at Rail Live 2017.