Hauppauge-based ULC Technologies has collaborated with Con Edison Company of New York to develop and field test a cable splicing machine, bringing automation into underground electric utility operation. The goal with this machine is to enhance grid reliability and efficiency while also improving worker safety.
The field-demonstrable prototype machine is designed to automate the termination of medium voltage cables to enable more reliable and resilient connections within the power grid, the company said in a news release. With the machine, utility workers can improve the repeatability and consistency of critical connections within the electric grid by automating cable-end preparation while minimizing their exposure to high voltages, according to ULC Technologies.
“At Con Edison worker safety is paramount. The technology used in this tool will enable our workers to splice high voltage cables, efficiently, uniformly, and most importantly more safely,” Patrick McHugh, senior vice president of Con Edison Electric Operations, said in a news release.
“When you reduce the risk of performing thousands of splices each year, improve their accuracy and efficiency, it benefits workers, grid reliability, cost effectiveness and value,” McHugh added. “That’s a win, win, win for Con Edison, its workers, customers and the industry.”
The effort comes at a time when the call for energy efficiency is growing around the world. In June, the International Energy Agency called for greater investment in energy efficiency for factories, cars and appliances to meet international climate goals.
ULC Technologies says it has created an automated cable-end preparation system that can perform complex operations on medium voltage feeder cables in underground vaults. In addition to improving worker safety, the company aimed to shorten the overall feeder outage duration to reduce the stress on the grid and improve network resiliency. This way the company is preventing underground outages that can happen amid adverse weather conditions, including heat waves and storms, which place significant stress on the electric grid.
The machine consists of several independent subsystems that are controlled through a centralized processing computer and user interface.
The machine “can be secured onto the middle of an uncut cable in the field and uses electrical actuators to provide precise coordinated motion along the axial and circumferential directions, including continuous 360-degree operation,” Ali Asmari, director of infrastructure Operations at ULC Technologies, said in a written statement.
“The machine’s tool plate consists of numerous tools capable of stripping back each layer of the cable to a desired dimension using precision tool depth controls,” Asmari added.
With the equipment’s technology, combined with live camera feeds, an operator can monitor and verify operations from beginning to end from outside the manhole with no physical human intervention.
ULC Technologies and Con Edison began field trials of the cable splicing machine this year.
The technology will be presented and demonstrated at the upcoming Distributech Conference which takes place Feb. 26 to March 1 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando Florida.
Adina Genn
Source link
