Wirescan: advanced diagnostics for reliable power cable performance
Quick information
- Available
- Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania
At a glance
- Accurate diagnostics and real‑time monitoring help to prevent early‑stage failures
- Lower operational and capital costs through targeted, timely maintenance
- Reduced environmental impact by avoiding unnecessary excavations and extending asset life
Wirescan delivers highly precise, non‑destructive monitoring of power cables across energy networks. Its patented Line Impedance Resonance Analysis (LIRA®) technology provides early insight into cable condition, preventing failures before they occur.
CHALLENGE
Preventing cable failures
Subsea and underground cables are critical energy links, yet failures still occur, often without warning. Undetected ageing, joint defects and hidden degradation can cause expensive outages, construction delays and safety risks. Proactive monitoring and integrity management therefore are essential.
SOLUTION
LIRA technology diagnoses cable health before problems arise
Wirescan’s Line Impedance Resonance Analysis (LIRA®) technology measures cable impedance across a wide frequency range. It is a highly accurate, cost-efficient and non‑destructive diagnostic method to detect early‑stage degradation, jointing issues, ageing and hidden defects that traditional tools often miss.
LIRA offers consistent measurements throughout the cable lifecycle, so it is suitable for monitoring de-energised and energised cables alike:
- LIRA One provides portable diagnostics for de‑energised cables up to 300 km, enabling accurate condition assessments during commissioning and scheduled inspections.
- LIRA Live delivers continuous, real‑time monitoring of energised cables up to 10 km, allowing operators to track changes and localise faults as they develop.
All LIRA systems integrate with Wirescan’s cloud platform, enabling operators to automatically store cable test data, analyse performance trends and visualise asset health across multiple sites.
BENEFITS
Optimising cable performance, uptime and costs
Wirescan gives operators a much clearer understanding of cable condition by detecting early-stage degradation and jointing issues, preventing failures long before they interrupt operations.
With the ability to identify problems without costly or intrusive interventions, asset owners can avoid unnecessary excavations and rework, reducing disruption as well as environmental impact.
Greater visibility into cable performance helps to maximise uptime by reducing the likelihood of unexpected outages, while extending the cable lifetime lowers capital expenditure. More accurate and targeted maintenance planning reduces operating costs, ensuring repairs are carried out only when needed.
Reliable, data‑driven documentation also strengthens warranty and insurance claims, providing increased confidence in long‑term asset performance.
MARKET POTENTIAL
Meeting soaring global demand for cable integrity
The largest market for LIRA® technology is the global DSO/TSO cable maintenance segment, representing a total addressable market of USD 5–8 billion. Offshore wind is the fastest‑growing segment, where some 75–83 per cent of insurance claim costs are attributed to subsea cable failures. This market represents a further USD 0.1–0.4 billion and is set to expand rapidly as offshore wind development accelerates worldwide.
