Katrina SGER: Robotic Assessment of Incipient Faults in Underground Cable Systems

这份建议书是为了响应ECS部门SGER 2005年9月9日的建议书征集而提交的。该项目致力于使用自主机器人和传感器网络来评估电力系统中的早期故障，因此属于类别1)电力系统，早期故障检测，以及4)机器人和传感器网络，自主损害评估。在拟议的项目中，一组研究人员将飞往新奥尔良，并将部署一个为评估地下电缆的健康状态而设计的机器人。机器人既可以在自主模式下操作，也可以在监督模式下操作。该机器人携带了几种类型的传感器，可以检测早期故障。这个项目在许多方面都是原创和创新的。首次使用机器人平台在恶劣环境条件下对电力电缆进行现场损坏评估。此外，沿电缆长度收集的数据将首次用于关联终端测量评估的电缆状况。提出的方法将使巡逻分布式基础设施的多机器人系统的愿景更加现实，确保它们的安全性和可靠性。新奥尔良电力电缆系统的洪灾后状况将很难评估。无论灾后采取何种补救行动，基础设施的重建都会带来许多有关更换部件、新部件的寿命以及抢救已安装基础的问题。拟议的项目将增加用传统方法和高度创新方法进行的损害评估的知识。回答是什么导致电缆故障以及故障的速度对新奥尔良的案件变得尤为重要。该项目不仅将有助于回答这些问题，而且将有助于确定未来电力工业的设计方法。更广泛的影响。PI将利用这个项目作为工具，在本科课程(EE 401，工程创造力和创新)、研究生研讨会(EE 500V，能源研讨会)以及PI与西雅图罗斯福高中共同支持的K-12机器人项目中展示技术挑战和解决方案。该项目的成果将形成一个关于分布式基础设施在恶劣环境条件下的行为的引人入胜的故事，并将成为提高工程专业水平的一个很好的范例。土木工程师、环境工程师、电气工程师和机械工程师的跨学科努力将清楚地展示给技术人员和普通观众。值得注意的是，介绍拟议方法的概念和初步结果的海报在2005年旧金山IEEE大会的国际学生海报大赛中获得第一名。观众的总体反应是，如果拟议的方法前景看好，需要在关键领域进行更多的实地研究。

This proposal is being submitted in response to the ECS Division SGER call for proposals of September 9, 2005. The project is dedicated to estimation of incipient faults in power systems using autonomous robots and sensor networks and therefore falls under the categories 1.a) Electric Power Systems, Incipient Fault Detection, and 4.a) Robotics and Sensor Networks, Autonomous Damage Assessment.In the proposed project, a group of researchers will fly to New Orleans and will deploy a robot designed for assessment of health status of underground power cables. The robot can operate in autonomous as well as in supervised mode. The robot carries several types of sensors, which allow detection of incipient faults.This project is original and innovative in many ways. For the first time, a robotic platform will be used to provide damage assessment of electric power cables in-situ after adverse environmental conditions. Also, for the first time, the data collected along the length of the cable will be used to correlate cable condition assessed from terminal measurements.Intellectual merit. The proposed approach will make more realistic the vision of multi-robot systems that patrol distributed infrastructures, ensuring their safety and reliability. The post-flood status of the electric power cable system in New Orleans will be difficult to evaluate. No matter what remedial actions are taken after the disaster, the rebuilding of infrastructure will pose many questions regarding replacement of components, longevity of new components, and salvaging of already installed base. The proposed project will add knowledge to the mosaic of damage assessment conducted with both traditional and highly innovative methods. Answering the questions of what causes cable failures and at which rate has become particularly important for the New Orleans case. The proposed project will not only help answering these questions, but also will help determining the future design approaches for power industry. Broader impact. The PI will use this project as a vehicle to demonstrate technology challenges and solutions in an undergraduate course (EE 401, Engineering Creativity and Innovation), in the graduate seminar (EE 500V, Energy Seminar), and in a K-12 robotics program that PI is supporting with Roosevelt High School in Seattle. The results of this project will form a fascinating story of the behavior of distributed infrastructure under adverse environmental conditions and will serve as a great example for the enhancement of engineering profession. The interdisciplinary efforts of civil, environmental, electrical, and mechanical engineers will be clearly presented to technical and to general audiences. It is worth noting that poster presenting the concept and preliminary results of the proposed approach took first place in International Student Poster Contest in the IEEE General Meeting 2005, San Francisco. The overall audience reaction was that if the proposed approach is highly promising and requires additional field studies at critical areas.