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Introducing PLEAS™ - TSO’s Power Line Early Alert System

PLEAS™ Power Line Early Alert System - goes into action in California November 2018The Security Oracle is now working with utilities to use enhanced approaches to the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of electric systems to proactively and aggressively address and reduce wildfire risk. TSO is delivering solutions that are driving innovation toward complete wildfire detection and wildfire mitigation technology solutions.

Driving Innovation and Improving Resilience of Transmission Assets

The ruggedized high-resolution Day/Starlight Thermal camera with pan-tilt-zoom capability and a tandem remote controlled searchlight that produces a light beam capable of reaching beyond 5,000 feet are integrated via TSO’s artificial intelligence to create a security appliance that offers high voltage lines and constraint areas the following capabilities for advanced transmission network controls and improve grid resiliency:

  • Time-lapsed imaging of transmission and/or distribution right-of-way to improve vegetation management in high-risk zones
  • Delivering a robotic safety appliance proven to be highly effective in detecting and mitigating wildfires
  • Thermal imaging of conductor within the range of the camera for loading and conductor hot spots
  • Thermal fire detection for 360-degree coverage within the 3 kilometers (1.86 miles) distance range of the camera; the searchlight will enhance smoke detection in the dark
  • Detection of human or vehicle activity (while the video analytic engine will ignore nearly all animal movement) within the range of the camera, enhanced by the spotlight in the dark
  • Triggered exception reporting to remote Operation Centers via secure wireless video communications
  • PLEAS™ is an early alert system that detects a wildfire at its very early stages protecting lives and valuable assets

PLEAS™ Power Line Early Alert System - goes into action in California November 2018Asset Resilience is a Step up beyond Compliance

  • Identify conductor sagging to sustain adequate conductor clearances consistent with utilities’ transmission or distribution facility ratings
  • Facilitate utility alarm troubleshooting by pinpointing potential problem areas
  • Built-in Trusted Platform Module to keep video data secure for forensic evidence to comply with NERC CIP Standards
  • Predictive artificial intelligence (AI) to detect asset degradation by analyzing real-time operational data and comparing the data to utilities’ asset management database of healthy similar devices, identifying any developing changes from normality that could become failures.
  • To comply with utilities’ Renewable Energy Initiatives, TSO offers a solar photovoltaic powered option as an alternate to nominal power with UPS redundancy.
  • A typical Right of Way (ROW) PLEAS configuration consists of a pair of PTZ Thermal Cameras mounted back to back, a communication server with a ruggedized modem and antenna for each camera, a HID remote-controlled search with pan-tilt capabilities, a solar system with multiple solar panels on a ground mounted rack, batteries, and a pole-mounted cabinet.
  • The cameras and searchlights can be mounted on fire-retardant poles that have been protected by a coating which has been tested on steel, reinforced concrete, and laminated timber.
  • Depicted above is a mobile platform which could be quickly deployed to the High Fire Risk Areas (HFRA) for continuous monitoring of natural gas and power line problems.
  • TSO’s artificial intelligence is an excellent complement to utilities’ next generation of grid management for greater resiliency.

A Risk Aware Path to Resilience and Maturity

  • Every second counts when there is a potential asset overload or degradation, or man-made threat. TSO’s AI appliance can help utilities accurately identify real threat or degradation within seconds across transverse ranges.
  • TSO’s artificial intelligence security appliance fits the DHS SAFETY Act Electricity Sector Applications, September 2017 of a 3-pronged application approach, as a risk aware path to resilience and maturity.
  • PLEAS™ and TSO’s artificial intelligence (Intelligent Coordinator™) will be perfect for natural gas and power line reliability projects to improve asset resilience by detecting overloads, constraints, and early failure patterns and preventing breakdowns and sabotages before they happen.