Transport - Copper Theft and Railway Monitoring

QinetiQ’s OptaRail provides both cost-effective detection of mechanical theft of copper cable and provides real time measurement of rail activity, including: wagon detachment; sleeper and track instability. OptaRail is attached to the existing dark fibre which runs along side most copper cables, the sensitivity is then selected to detect mechanical tractors most commonly used in the theft of highly valuable copper cable.

OptaRail can be set to trigger on a variety of other events, including opening of cable ducts, loosening of cable ties, etc.

OptaRail, can also detect the detachment of carriages on any track where fibre is laid. By listening to the change in acoustic signal caused by detachment, OptaRail can provide immediate notification to the operator, who is then able to take the appropriate action.

A single Cobalt unit currently covers a 40km stretch of railway. With the launch of OptaRailNet, a single Cobalt unit will be able to interrogate multiple cables, extending protection up to 320km OptaRail can be enhanced with the inclusion of sensor array including accelerometers and microphones to monitor multiple, diverse terrains from a single central processing unit.

OptaRail can be integrated into existing Command and Control systems including CCTV installations to allow operators to zoom into areas of disturbance for visual verification.

OptaRail classifies events and can detect the location of people up to 5 m from a fence or pipe, and vehicles up to 20m away.

Low false alarm rates Certainty of event detection through high performance classification is optimised as a result of the large bandwidth and dynamic range capability of the system.

Sensitivity High acoustic bandwidth ensures that all movements are effectively classified though powerful algorithms. Extensive acoustic libraries ensure that even stealth activity designed to beat the system is rapidly picked up and flagged to the operator.

High reliability, high availability Buried or ducted all-fibre sensor construction offers improved reliability, reduced risk of damage and low time to repair.

Effective target classification Extensive local calibration provides a high target classification capability from up to 40m from the array, with the added ability to detect movement in the sky above and tunnel activity below.

Covert detection Entirely passive sensing from buried all-fibre arrays provides highly effective covert detection.

Counter attack immunity Fibre-optic arrays are totally immune from counter attack techniques employing electromagnetic interference.

Rapid, low-cost deployment Light-weight sensor cable ensures portability and enables rapid deployment.

Excellent positional resolution Powerful multiplexing architectures available ensure that a dense zone resolution can be achieved along tracks many kilometres in length.

Integration of sensors OptaRail can be used with multiple processor units which can be integrated into a single command and control centre where a range of other sensors can also be employed.

Remote Sensing Remote access and control allows the sensors to operate on vulnerable unmanned sites.

Reduced costs OptaRail reduces equipment maintenance costs and manpower through use of state-of-the-art fibre-optic technology.

Implementation Requirements
Cobalt Sensor Unit
The Cobalt sensor unit comprises COTS based components, configured to be either rack mounted [standard 19 inches] or free-standing.

Installation is straightforward requiring three connections to (1) a mains power supply [standard IEC connector], (2) the sense fibre [standard ST, or other fibre connector], and (3) a network connection [standard RJ45 connector].

User Interface
Cobalt’s user interface is independent [with the ability to integrate into a variety of customer specified Command and Control systems] QinetiQ’s supplied user interface is supported by standard PC based platforms. The user interface PC connects either directly to the Cobalt sensor unit, or can be connected via the internet or a
private network. A well-defined communications protocol allows other security products and alarm enunciators to easily interface with cobalt.

Trials
An evaluation unit is available on application.

Our test site is located in Worcestershire. Please contact us for a detailed demonstration of OptaSense capabilities.