The operation and management of critical infrastructure assets such as pylons, power lines, optical fiber for data transmission, etc. is one of the fundamental tasks of Red Eléctrica, a Redeia company that ensures the proper functioning of the electricity system.
All these assets are constantly growing, upgraded y monitored to ensure they are properly maintained. Otherwise, there would be no secure supply of electricity and connectivity services, critical for today's society.
Red Eléctrica manages over 45,000 kilometres of high voltage lines and more than 6,000 substation positions an electrical superstructure such as this, which has a significant economic impact, requires a proper planning and management of resources for its operation, which implies the execution of a large amount of work. Hence the need to constantly analyse the assets of our infrastructures in search of efficiencies.
For this reason, Red Eléctrica and Elewit, as Redeia's technological platform, in collaboration with Robotnik, BCB and Orange, jointly developed the pilot project for Visual Inspections in Installations (IVI), within the framework of the National 5G Plan.
What did this project consist of?
The IVI project aimed to achieve efficiencies in visual inspection processes based for substations regardless of the fraction of the electromagnetic spectrum in which partial discharges are located (ultraviolet spectrum), visual inspections of assets to determine degrees of wear and other potential defects and the detection of SF6 and hot spots (infrared spectrum).
The exploration of these potential efficiencies in the field of asset maintenance was carried out through a suitable sensor system accompanied by a communication protocol that could support the flow of the information generated. So that, once the information was collected through a quasi-automatic process, it could be evaluated by technicians aided by artificial intelligence-based algorithms.
This way, the Morvedre electricity substation (Valencia) was equipped with sensors for SF6 leak detection, as well as cameras sensitive to the entire electromagnetic spectrum (visible, infrared and ultraviolet) installed both on fixed poles and on an AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle) programmed to move freely around the substation, with the aim of collecting information in a controlled manner.
All the obtained data is then collected for analysis using 5G technology, which was identified at the time as a suitable experimental communication protocol due to the low latency and high bandwidth it provides.
Project conclusions
Some of the main conclusions from IVI's early feasibility studies were:
- Cameras combined with a mobile AGV in electrical substations allow the automation of inspection processes in substations and generate efficiencies without compromising operation and safety.
- While 5G provided a suitable communications environment, it was determined that the proper functioning of the technologies that make up the project can also be provided through 4G. Therefore, this protocol has been adapted at the substation for these inspections which guarantees the efficiency of the project.
The project’s next steps
As a natural evolution towards process automation of the IVI project, the ASUMO project has been launched in 2023, driven by Elewit and Red Eléctrica together with other collaborators and partners. ASUMO combines other additional technologies with more ambitious objectives thanks to the lessons learned throughout the IVI Inspections pilot project.