Elia’s robot HVDC substation inspection
Elia Group deployed a smart sensor autonomous robot for the inspection of a Belgium substation following re-energisation, first of its kind in Europe.
Source: Elia Group
Belgium, Lixhe: Elia Group deployed a smart sensor autonomous robot for the inspection of a Belgium substation following re-energisation, first of its kind in Europe.
The Belgian TSO last week installed the robot in Elia’s main HVDC (High Voltage Direct Current) converter hall in Lixhe, Belgium, during the hall’s yearly outage period of one week.
The hall has since been re-energised, meaning that no humans can safely enter it, and the robot is currently inspecting the hall on a 24/7 basis.
The ALEGrO robot – used to inspect the Belgian end of ALEGrO, a Belgian-German interconnector – is the first robot in Europe to undertake frequent automated inspections of an HVDC hall.
According to Elia, the installation and deployment of the robot in the hall is the culmination of a two-year collaboration that Elia Group launched with Siemens Energy, Ross Robotics and Nemo Link.
Within the substation, the robot can move around independently, but can also be controlled from a distance, meaning that the electricity supply in the HVDC hall does not need to be interrupted.
The robot carries smart sensors, which help to detect potential issues in the hall, reducing the risk of unexpected outages and minimising its downtime for ad hoc repair work. This maximises the operation time of the converter hall and supports the continuous flow of green electricity across Elia Group’s grid.
Source: Smart Energy
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