Silixa Recognised for Lighting the Way in Fibre-Powered Data Solutions

Silixa Ltd., a driving force in fibre-powered data solutions, has won the Queen’s Award for Enterprise: Innovation 2021 for the commercialisation of its ground-breaking Carina Sensing System. The system takes the high-density coverage of distributed sensors beyond that which can be achieved by point sensors, redefining the possibility for such systems across the energy, infrastructure, mining, and environmental sectors. This allows actionable insight for the refinement of existing processes and the development of new applications to improve sustainability, reduce costs, and enhance operational safety.

The Queen’s Award for Enterprise recognises innovation coupled with commercial success. In 2018-20, Silixa reported record compound annual growth of over 40% giving sales of £22.42m in 2020.

Glynn Williams, CEO, Silixa, said, “With the launch of the Carina Sensing System in 2019, we doubled down on our diversification strategy, entering underserved sectors that required accurate monitoring solutions. The remarkable growth resulting from this strategy reflects the benefits that the technology delivers in applications such as carbon capture & underground storage, enhanced geothermal systems and dam integrity monitoring, in addition to sub-sea oil & gas wells”.

The Carina Sensing System, Silixa’s distributed fibre optic acoustic sensor (DAS) utilising the family of engineered Constellation fibres, provides sensitivity 100 times greater than that of standard fibres. The higher sensitivity addresses rapidly emerging critical measurement challenges and paves the way for affordable continuous monitoring in Silixa’s markets.

Mahmoud Farhadiroushan, Founder and Executive Director Silixa, added, “This is an exciting time for our company, and we are delighted to have received this internationally recognised prestigious award which is a reflection of a great Silixa team effort across all our international operating centres. The Carina Sensing System was developed with support from our investors Chevron Technology Ventures, Lime Rock Partners and Equinor Ventures and has been used by many of the major oil companies. Going forward we believe that the system’s passive monitoring capabilities will create huge potential across a multitude of emerging energy transition sectors.”

The Carina Sensing System is enabling the development of new digital solutions that were previously impossible, helping resolve some of the world’s most significant technical and environmental challenges.