Smart Digital Optics · An Arteche Company
In collaboration with TSOs and HVDC developers, Arteche SDO's optical current measurement technology supports the most challenging protection and metering applications in both HVDC and HVAC systems — where innovation meets reliability.
About SDO
Arteche SDO is one of the first companies to incorporate optical fibre current sensors into power monitoring and metering systems. Our Faraday effect technology allows users to measure electric currents — both AC and DC — with unprecedented levels of accuracy, safety and ease.
Unlike conventional instrument transformers, SDO sensors contain no oil, no SF6, no risk of explosive failure, and are fully passive. The only active element in the measurement chain is the IEC 61850 Merging Unit — delivering sampled values directly to modern IEDs from any major protection vendor.
Arteche holds 100% of SDO company's shares, ensuring full continuity of innovation, support and long-term technology development.
Technology
Developed in collaboration with leading TSOs and HVDC programme developers, our optical current measurement technology solves the limitations of conventional current transformers — delivering performance, safety and digital integration that legacy technology simply cannot match.
Virtually unlimited accuracy range — from micro-amperes to 1000 kA DC and AC — with no saturation, phase error or drift over time.
No power supply required at the sensor head. No oil, no SF6, no risk of explosive failure. Inherently safe and environmentally friendly.
Lightweight and compact optical sensors dramatically reduce substation footprint — critical for both new builds and brownfield retrofits.
Full IEC 61850-9-2 sampled values output from the Merging Unit. Compatible with modern IEDs from all leading protection vendors.
Faraday effect technology measures both alternating and direct currents within a single sensor — ideal for HVDC converter stations and electrolysis plants.
Purpose-built support for line differential (87L) and Earth Overcurrent (50G) protection of mixed overhead-underground cable routes.
Our Solutions
Primary Metering
Stand-out accuracy range (virtually unlimited), safety with no risk of explosive failures, zero SF6 emissions, and fully passive operation. The IEC 61850 Merging Unit delivers sampled values to any modern protection relay.
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Line Protection
A reliable, fully passive cable fault detection (CFD) system offering line differential (87L) or Earth Overcurrent (50G) protection to remotely safeguard mixed overhead-underground routes — ideal for HVDC cable fault detection.
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Industrial Measurement
Faraday effect devices for DC and AC current measurement up to 1000 kA. Available in multiple geometries, the SDOWCT series delivers unparalleled performance for smelting, nuclear fusion, and electrolysis applications.
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Field Measurement
Portable Faraday effect devices measuring DC and AC currents up to 1000 kA. The SDOP series offers unparalleled field measurement capability in a rugged, portable enclosure — ready for the most demanding environments.
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Optical sensors are uniquely suited for high-voltage direct current links — measuring large DC currents without saturation, enabling accurate metering and protection at converter stations worldwide.
Native IEC 61850-9-2 sampled values output integrates seamlessly with digital substation architectures, replacing conventional copper wiring with high-speed fibre-optic communication.
SDO's line differential protection solution monitors mixed overhead-underground cable routes, providing fast and reliable fault location with fully passive optical sensors at both ends of the line.
Flexible AC Transmission Systems rely on precise current measurement across a wide dynamic range. SDO's Faraday effect sensors deliver the accuracy required for thyristor-controlled reactors and SVC systems.
The measurement of extremely high pulsed currents in plasma physics and nuclear fusion research demands immunity to electromagnetic interference. Optical sensors are the only technology that qualifies.
Industrial smelting, electrorefining and electrolysis processes operate at very high DC currents. SDOWCT transducers measure these accurately without contact, in harsh thermal and electromagnetic environments.