Technology developed by Texas A&M researchers has been successfully tested by several Texas utilities, and is now being tested by California utilities.
Imagine a tool that can discover problems on utility lines before outages, before power failures spark deadly wildfires, or before fears of wildfires prompt massive, pre-emptive power outages such as those suffered recently by millions of Californians.
Well, the tool exists. It is available today. And it works.
Engineers at Texas A&M University have developed the tool, a one-of-a kind diagnostic software called Distribution Fault Anticipation (DFA).
It is a software that interprets variations in electrical current on utility circuits caused by the deteriorating conditions or equipment. It warns utility operators to respond to particular problems before they cause outages and possibly spark fires. Electric power companies have nothing else like it.
DFA has been tested successfully by more than a dozen utilities in Texas and elsewhere over the past six years.
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