429 research outputs found

    Importance and applications of robotic and autonomous systems (RAS) in railway maintenance sector: a review

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    Maintenance, which is critical for safe, reliable, quality, and cost-effective service, plays a dominant role in the railway industry. Therefore, this paper examines the importance and applications of Robotic and Autonomous Systems (RAS) in railway maintenance. More than 70 research publications, which are either in practice or under investigation describing RAS developments in the railway maintenance, are analysed. It has been found that the majority of RAS developed are for rolling-stock maintenance, followed by railway track maintenance. Further, it has been found that there is growing interest and demand for robotics and autonomous systems in the railway maintenance sector, which is largely due to the increased competition, rapid expansion and ever-increasing expense

    Principle of functioning of smart solution to clean high power lines in cold climate.

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    Dependency of human activities on electricity supply goes from emergency services to comfort aspects. Reliability of electricity distribution systems is a complex problem to tackle, especially when the systems are located at cold climate regions, dealing with ice accretion on the elements of the electrical systems and its consequences become a priority to be included in maintenance maneuvers in order to guaranty the energy distribution. De-icing methods must demonstrate their effectiveness in removing ice accreted on ground wires and conductors under severe environment conditions. Therefore, these methods are restricted by specific mechanical, electrical and thermal constrains related with the power line operation. Mechanical stresses imposed on the lines by stretching and torsion caused by the ice accreted on the system elements, the weight and action of the de-icing mechanism or wind effects on the structure determine the dynamics restrictions must be considered during installation as well as operation of new deicing mechanisms. Measures to insulate the de-icing mechanisms from electrical and electromagnetic perturbations are needed in order to overcome the electrical restrictions. Risk of damage or affected performance of de-icing mechanisms due to thermal shock during releasing of the high current pulse of lightning through the surface of the conductors, towers or other elements also imposes new set of constrains on the de-icing mechanism. Expansion of electrical system on remote location, with severe winter conditions along with the changes introduced by the climate changes, put extra interests on the technology development of mechanisms to prevent or remove ice from long lines with single or bundled conductors. Research has been carried out including large-scale technologies testing to address this problem. Mechanisms based on thermal effects, shock waves, cutting, or others have been already proposed. In this paper a comprehensive discussion of the existing methods and the comparison with a new proposed mechanism is presented. So, a new functioning principle of percussion will be presented, analyzed and discussed leading to new scenarios of technology development. This method represents a valid alternative that require less energy than the energy is used to melt the ice on the power lines. The implementation of this mechanism is also possible actually a design of the principle of functioning produced with support of external sources

    Icing Effects on Power Lines and Anti-icing and De-icing Methods

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    Icing on power lines may lead to compromise safety and reliability of electric supply network. Prolong icing can lead to power breakdown and collapse of towers. Since power transmission lines are mostly overhead and could face the direct impact of icing, and it is one of the main challenges faced by power distribution companies in cold regions. When the ice accretion crosses the safety limit then deicing action can be carried out. We can find number of deicing methods that are used in different parts of the world. However, all of these deicing techniques have their own advantages and disadvantages on implementation. It is one of the most difficult as well as dangerous process to perform deicing on power lines. If a fault is detected and that has been occurred due to icing or during routine maintenance, extra care must be taken in order to ensure safety of the personals when performing de-icing of lines. However, as technology evolved, new ways and techniques are adopted with the help of sensors that give quick feedback to control room in the national grid via wireless communication network for real time action. In the thesis we have discussed atmospheric icing impacts on power lines in the cold regions across the world. A literature review has been done for anti-icing and deicing methods that are currently adopted in the power distribution network. Methods that are used against ice buildups have also been analyzed. This work also shows the impacts of icing and deicing techniques presently adopted, and also throws light on their pros and cons during maintenance operations. It provides an overview of the evolving technology trends that are practiced to ensure the availability of existing power transmission system in cold climate regions

    A study towards the potentials of robotic technologies to decrease risk to personnel’s safety in Statnett

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    Background of the project Health, safety and the environment (HSE) is Statnett´s nr.1 priority and Statnett has a zero vision towards accidents. Unfortunately, Statnett and their entrepreneurs experience accidents each year. With an increasing activity level towards 2020, it is natural to estimate that the number of accidents will increase in line with the activity. It can therefore be interesting to study new technologies with high potential to reduce risk, if it is rapidly implemented. Goals There were three goals with this thesis. The first was to identify robotic technologies, available now or within a five-year period with potential for use in Statnett. The second goal was to identify dangerous operations performed by Statnett or Statnett´s entrepreneurs. The third goal was to provide a recommendation of which robotic technologies that can both execute the identified operations and reduce the risks of the operations. General information about the thesis This report was made as a master thesis at the end of a five-year study towards a Master's Degree in science at Norwegian University of Life Science(NMBU). The study was performed between January and May 2016, and represent 30 ECTS. The thesis is written under collaboration between Statnett and NMBU. Method This thesis is based on literature study, interviews, observations and data analysis. Results The main outcome was the following: • There are many types of robotic technologies with different abilities and potential for implementation in Statnett and Statnett´s entrepreneurs, all with a high level of technology readiness(TRL) or already in use. There are however limitations with every type of robotic technologies, e.g. many of the line suspended robotic devices have problems crossing suspension towers and there is actually only one that is supposedly able to cross dead-end towers. • There is no doubt that Statnett and their entrepreneurs perform dangerous operations. Many high risk operations are identified, but there are still reasons to believe that even more could be found. All of the identified operations contain different factors of risk. Some of the risk factors have led to tragic accidents ending with death or severe illness. The biggest identified risk factors are working with helicopter and working at height. • There are several robotic technologies with the possibility to both perform and reduce the risk of some of the dangerous operations identified in this thesis. Recommendation for further work Based on the robotic technology with the highest potential to both execute operations and reduce the operations risks, eleven technologies are recommended for further research and development towards permanent implementation in specific operations.Bakgrunn for prosjektet Helse, miljø og sikkerhet (HMS) er Statnetts topp prioritet. Statnett har en visjon om null ulykker, men opplever ulykker hvert år sammen med sine entreprenører. Frem mot 2020 er det planlagt økt aktivitet og det er derfor naturlig å anta at antall ulykker vil øke i takt med aktiviteten. Det kan derfor være interessant å se på ny teknologis mulighet til å redusere risiko, hvis det kan implementeres raskt. Mål: Oppgaven har tre mål. Det første er å identifisere robotteknologi tilgjengelig i dag eller innen en femårs periode med potensial for bruk i Statnett. Mål nummer to er å identifisere farlige operasjoner utført av Statnett eller deres entreprenører. Det siste målet er å gi en anbefaling av hvilken robotteknologi som har størst mulighet til å både utføre operasjonene samtidig som den kan redusere operasjonens risiko. Generell informasjon om oppgaven Oppgaven er skrevet som en masteroppgave i siste semester av et femårig masterstudie på Norges miljø- og biovitenskapelige universitet (NMBU). Oppgaven representerer 30 studiepoeng og er skrevet som et samarbeid mellom Statnett og NMBU. Metode Oppgaven er basert på litteratur, intervjuer, observasjoner og analyse av innsamlet data. Resultat Hovedresultatene var som følger: • Det er identifisert mange typer robotteknologi med forskjellige anvendelser og potensial for implementering hos Statnett og Statnetts entreprenører. Alle teknologiene var langt i utviklingen, høy ”technology readiness level” (TRL), eller var allerede i bruk. Det var like vell utfordringer med alle teknologiene, som f.eks. at få ”line suspended robotic devices” kan krysse bæremaster og at det faktisk bare er en som skal klare å krysse ankermaster. • Det er ingen tvil om at Statnett og deres entreprenører utfører farlige operasjoner. Det er identifisert mange høy risiko operasjoner, men det er fortsatt grunn til å tro at enda flere kan identifiseres ved et grundigere studium. Alle operasjonene inneholder forskjellige risikofaktorer og noen av risikofaktorene har ført til tragiske ulykker som har endt med død eller alvorlige skader. De største risikofaktorene er identifisert som bruk av helikopter og arbeid i høyden. • Det er identifisert flere robotteknologier med potensial for å både kunne utføre og redusere risikoen til noen av de identifiserte operasjonene. Anbefaling for videre arbeid Basert på den robotteknologien med høyest potensial for å bade utføre og redusere risikoen til noen av de identifiserte operasjonene er elleve teknologier anbefalt for videre arbeid.M-M

    A Review of Robots for Inspection and Maintenance of Metallic Towers of Electricity Transmission

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    Transmission towers that support electric power fines are usually inspected manually by workers that climb them and visually inspect to find oxidation points. If oxidation is seen it must be repaired to ensure the integrity of the structure. This process is slow and dangerous for the workers. Due to the possibility of electrical shocks as well as falling from the structures that are around 50 meters high. In recent years the need to substitute human workers in hostile environments by equipments and robots that bring more safety in the realization of these tasks has arisen. In this paper, a bibliographic review of papers that presented conceptions of robots that can climb transmission towers and execute its inspection, search for oxi¬dation points and even do small maintenances is done. Through the use of a patent search methodology a preliminary and a detailed search were done, with a diversity of keywords about the subject as well as its combinations [1]. The preliminary search resulted in 2901 patents, which lead to the detailed search and finally culminated in the analysis of 164 patents, from which four showed technological potential to be analysed in this review

    A Power Line Inspector Device

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    The goal of this project is to create a functional power line inspection device which could replace the old inspection method of using helicopters. This microchip based robotic device is able to ride along a conductor and send video feed, encoder readouts, and temperature measurements to the user. The user operating system consists of an LCD screen, two potentiometers for motor control, and a screen to display video feed. Achieved specifications include a battery lifetime of 1 hour and 45 minutes, distance measurements within 1 inch, and temperature accuracy within 2 °C. This thesis includes a brief discussion on previous methods and robots, theory of operation, design summaries, and a compilation of the final results

    A Vision-Based Broken Strand Detection Method for a Power-Line Maintenance Robot

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    A study towards the potentials of robotic technologies to decrease risk to personnel’s safety in Statnett

    Get PDF
    Background of the project Health, safety and the environment (HSE) is Statnett´s nr.1 priority and Statnett has a zero vision towards accidents. Unfortunately, Statnett and their entrepreneurs experience accidents each year. With an increasing activity level towards 2020, it is natural to estimate that the number of accidents will increase in line with the activity. It can therefore be interesting to study new technologies with high potential to reduce risk, if it is rapidly implemented. Goals There were three goals with this thesis. The first was to identify robotic technologies, available now or within a five-year period with potential for use in Statnett. The second goal was to identify dangerous operations performed by Statnett or Statnett´s entrepreneurs. The third goal was to provide a recommendation of which robotic technologies that can both execute the identified operations and reduce the risks of the operations. General information about the thesis This report was made as a master thesis at the end of a five-year study towards a Master's Degree in science at Norwegian University of Life Science(NMBU). The study was performed between January and May 2016, and represent 30 ECTS. The thesis is written under collaboration between Statnett and NMBU. Method This thesis is based on literature study, interviews, observations and data analysis. Results The main outcome was the following: • There are many types of robotic technologies with different abilities and potential for implementation in Statnett and Statnett´s entrepreneurs, all with a high level of technology readiness(TRL) or already in use. There are however limitations with every type of robotic technologies, e.g. many of the line suspended robotic devices have problems crossing suspension towers and there is actually only one that is supposedly able to cross dead-end towers. • There is no doubt that Statnett and their entrepreneurs perform dangerous operations. Many high risk operations are identified, but there are still reasons to believe that even more could be found. All of the identified operations contain different factors of risk. Some of the risk factors have led to tragic accidents ending with death or severe illness. The biggest identified risk factors are working with helicopter and working at height. • There are several robotic technologies with the possibility to both perform and reduce the risk of some of the dangerous operations identified in this thesis. Recommendation for further work Based on the robotic technology with the highest potential to both execute operations and reduce the operations risks, eleven technologies are recommended for further research and development towards permanent implementation in specific operations.Bakgrunn for prosjektet Helse, miljø og sikkerhet (HMS) er Statnetts topp prioritet. Statnett har en visjon om null ulykker, men opplever ulykker hvert år sammen med sine entreprenører. Frem mot 2020 er det planlagt økt aktivitet og det er derfor naturlig å anta at antall ulykker vil øke i takt med aktiviteten. Det kan derfor være interessant å se på ny teknologis mulighet til å redusere risiko, hvis det kan implementeres raskt. Mål: Oppgaven har tre mål. Det første er å identifisere robotteknologi tilgjengelig i dag eller innen en femårs periode med potensial for bruk i Statnett. Mål nummer to er å identifisere farlige operasjoner utført av Statnett eller deres entreprenører. Det siste målet er å gi en anbefaling av hvilken robotteknologi som har størst mulighet til å både utføre operasjonene samtidig som den kan redusere operasjonens risiko. Generell informasjon om oppgaven Oppgaven er skrevet som en masteroppgave i siste semester av et femårig masterstudie på Norges miljø- og biovitenskapelige universitet (NMBU). Oppgaven representerer 30 studiepoeng og er skrevet som et samarbeid mellom Statnett og NMBU. Metode Oppgaven er basert på litteratur, intervjuer, observasjoner og analyse av innsamlet data. Resultat Hovedresultatene var som følger: • Det er identifisert mange typer robotteknologi med forskjellige anvendelser og potensial for implementering hos Statnett og Statnetts entreprenører. Alle teknologiene var langt i utviklingen, høy ”technology readiness level” (TRL), eller var allerede i bruk. Det var like vell utfordringer med alle teknologiene, som f.eks. at få ”line suspended robotic devices” kan krysse bæremaster og at det faktisk bare er en som skal klare å krysse ankermaster. • Det er ingen tvil om at Statnett og deres entreprenører utfører farlige operasjoner. Det er identifisert mange høy risiko operasjoner, men det er fortsatt grunn til å tro at enda flere kan identifiseres ved et grundigere studium. Alle operasjonene inneholder forskjellige risikofaktorer og noen av risikofaktorene har ført til tragiske ulykker som har endt med død eller alvorlige skader. De største risikofaktorene er identifisert som bruk av helikopter og arbeid i høyden. • Det er identifisert flere robotteknologier med potensial for å både kunne utføre og redusere risikoen til noen av de identifiserte operasjonene. Anbefaling for videre arbeid Basert på den robotteknologien med høyest potensial for å bade utføre og redusere risikoen til noen av de identifiserte operasjonene er elleve teknologier anbefalt for videre arbeid.M-M
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