Catches the incipient fault before it becomes a failure
GRIDSCAN5000 hydrogen sensor
25 to 5,000 ppm · no calibration, no consumables
GRIDSCAN 5000
Dissolved hydrogen in transformer oil, measured continuously
The GRIDSCAN 5000 continuously measures the hydrogen dissolved in transformer oil, the first gas to appear when an internal fault begins. It screws directly onto a tank valve, has no moving parts and runs unattended for its whole service life.
Solid-state sensor, no consumables
The sensing element is solid state: no membranes, no calibration gases, no pumps and no chromatography columns. There is nothing to replace or check between transformer inspections.
Patented self-calibration
The sensor calibrates itself and corrects drift, so the reading stays valid without periodic calibration or removal. Three-year warranty on the unit and ten-year warranty on the hydrogen sensing element.
Built for outdoor service
- IP68 ingress protection: 7.62 m of water for 14 days.
- C5M corrosion class, equivalent to a marine environment with salt-water condensation.
- Ambient temperature from −40 to 70 °C; oil from −40 to 105 °C.
- Vibration tested and rated for 30 g shock to IEC 60068.
Commissioned in hours
It is installed with a wrench and a four-wire cable. Once powered, the unit runs its self-test and start-up sequence and begins delivering valid readings the same day.
Installation and applications
Where it goes
- Power and distribution transformers, new or in service.
- Wind and solar farm transformers, with high harmonic content.
- Network transformers in underground vaults.
- Offshore platforms and substations in salt-laden air.
- Railway traction and industrial transformers.
Mounting
The oil-calibrated version mounts horizontally with the air-bleed assembly; the gas-calibrated version accepts horizontal or vertical mounting in the head space. Both need a 3/4" ball or gate valve (≥ DN20) and thread sealant; galvanised fittings must not be used.
Wiring
A single shielded four-conductor 18 AWG cable, with a female M12 connector and IP67/IP68 rating, carries power and communications between sensor and control cabinet over typical runs of 5 to 30 m. From the cabinet, the RS-485 bus reaches up to 1,000 m.
What it changes
It replaces periodic gas analysis with permanent surveillance: hydrogen is seen rising the moment it appears, leaving time to schedule the intervention instead of suffering the outage.
Communications and software
Straight into SCADA
The sensor speaks Modbus RTU or DNP3 over two-wire half-duplex RS-485 and fits both stand-alone installations and third-party multi-gas monitors. Factory settings: Modbus address 1, DNP3 source address 4 and destination address 3, 19,200 baud, 8 data bits, no parity. With the matching analogue output module it also provides a 4-20 mA signal for legacy equipment.
Configuration software
The Windows configuration utility connects to the sensor over RS-485 or through an Ethernet-to-RS485 bridge and gathers everything commissioning needs into four tabs:
- Real-time data: hydrogen in ppm, moisture and sensor status, with live capture to a CSV file.
- Configuration: protocol and address, baud rate, clock synchronisation and owner, substation and transformer identification.
- Insulating liquid type: mineral, silicone, natural ester or synthetic ester, the latter with its own Ostwald slope and offset.
- Read and write of the complete configuration file, to replicate settings across the fleet or restore them after a replacement.
- Demo mode, to prepare the installation with no unit connected.
Onboard logging
The sensor itself keeps one year of history, so a communications outage leaves no gap in the data.
MODEL RANGE
Every version measures from 25 to 5,000 ppm and is available oil-calibrated or gas-calibrated.
| GRIDSCAN 5000 | Accuracy of ±20 % of reading or ±25 ppm, whichever is greater. The reference version for fleet-wide monitoring. |
|---|---|
| GRIDSCAN 5000-HP | Accuracy of ±10 % of reading or ±15 ppm, whichever is greater, with a 25 ppm lower detection limit. For critical assets that need earlier warning. |
| GRIDSCAN 5010 | Continuous self-calibration: the sensor calibrates without interrupting the measurement, so the record has no gaps. |
An extended-range version is also available, from 250 to 50,000 ppm, for nitrogen blankets with high hydrogen concentrations such as network transformers or renewable sites with strong harmonic content. Ask for availability.
Repeatability, for consecutive measurements at the same concentration: ±10 % of reading or ±15 ppm.
| TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS | |
|---|---|
| Measuring range | 25 to 5,000 ppm in oil; 25 to 5,000 ppm in-oil equivalent for the gas-phase version |
| Accuracy | ±20 % of reading or ±25 ppm (±10 % or ±15 ppm on the high-performance version) |
| Repeatability | ±10 % of reading or ±15 ppm, whichever is greater |
| Response time | Under 60 minutes |
| Cross-sensitivity | Below 2 % to H2O, CO2, C2H2, C2H4 and CO |
| Data logging | 1 year of history held in the unit |
| Insulating liquids | Mineral oil, silicone, natural ester and synthetic ester |
| Ambient temperature | −40 to 70 °C in service; −40 to 85 °C in storage |
| Medium temperature | −40 to 105 °C in oil; −40 to 80 °C in gas phase |
| Communications | Two-wire RS-485, Modbus RTU and DNP3; 19,200 baud, 8N1 as shipped |
| Power supply | 12 to 48 VDC; 10 W maximum consumption |
| Mechanical connection | 3/4"-14 NPT thread; 4-wire M12 electrical connector |
| Dimensions | 151 × 39.6 × 39.6 mm |
| Ingress protection | IP68 to IEC 60529: 7.62 m of water for 14 days |
| Corrosion and humidity | C5M marine equivalent class, salt-water condensing (IEC 60068-2-11 and DIN EN ISO 12944) |
| Vibration and shock | Three-axis sinusoidal and random vibration, class 4M6 (IEC 60068-2-6 and 60068-2-64); 30 g shock for 18 ms (IEC 60068-2-27) |
| Wetted materials | 316 stainless steel, 40 % mineral-filled nylon, polyimide, viton and hermetic glass-to-metal feed-through |
| Housing | Hard-anodised 6061 aluminium, 40 % mineral-filled nylon, viton and nickel-plated zinc on the connector |
| Certifications | CE marking, FM 6520:2022 in liquid phase, RoHS 2011/65/EU, IEC 61010-1, IEC 61326, IEC 61000-4-2 to 4-4, 4-6 and 4-8, IEC 60068-2-30 |
| Warranty | 3 years on the unit and 10 years on the hydrogen sensing element |
Specifications subject to change without notice.