Ross Robotics’ Post

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We’re excited to introduce the first autonomous robot of its kind in Scotland to our Blackhillock HVDC #substation, thanks to the innovative minds at Ross Robotics as part of our Network Innovation Allowance project! 🤖 ⚡️ The #robot, known as EXTRM MK4.1, is set to transform how we monitor and maintain high-voltage direct current (#HVDC) #infrastructure and is designed to access areas that are out of bounds for #engineers once energised, providing round-the-clock monitoring of our equipment for early detection of potential issues and maintenance planning, ensuring the reliability and safety of our operations. 👷♀️ EXTRM MK4.1 is capable of withstanding the extreme conditions within high-voltage #electricity systems. It's equipped with advanced cameras and sensors, including visual, thermal, and acoustic imaging technologies, to detect abnormalities. The data collected helps our asset operators in making decisions for future maintenance. 👨🔧👩🔧 ➡️ Read all about the innovative robot and how its helping our teams work safely: https://lnkd.in/ehsazFXC ⬇️ Watch the video below to see the robot in action! #autonomousrobots #innovation

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Transcript

Today we are in North Head DC switching station, the first VSC multi terminal system in Europe and today we're in North Head for trialling stage one of a robotic innovation project for us to gain a better understanding on what it's innovation for making informed condition based monitoring of our BDC assets, the in high project which is called through the network innovation Elevens, we are working with our project partner Rose Robotics. They are the supplier of the robot and her sisters with the deployment at North Head here today. We're a small robotics company that specialize on producing autonomous inspection robots for high voltage environments. We're at a brand new HVDC switching station that is an SSN facility and we've deployed one of our robots here to perform inspections to make sure that it stays up and running. It's a ground robots, so it's got wheels. It's deployed with a number of different cameras, so we have sort of normal RGB or visual cameras that take very high definition photographs of the equipment. But also thermal imaging as well. So it'll spot equipment that is potentially sort of not functioning properly, that's getting hot and that might be dangerous. It also has environmental sensors on it as well, so it'll measure things like sound, temperature, humidity. So it's helping SEM to build up a complete picture of what's happening within these sorts of critical assets. Having the robot in place means that we can inspect areas of the hall that we otherwise wouldn't be able to inspect HVDC systems. When an operation or inaccessible to humans that so we've taken this opportunity to use the robotics in our environment where we can get hands on experience with the robot before we take the next stage of installing it into our VSC HVDC halls. In normal situations the robot is permanently installed in the in the facility, It lives there for periods of a year to two years. It'll charge itself up and it'll perform a number of inspections each day. If it comes across any readings that are out of the ordinary or anything on the floor that shouldn't be there as an example, it will immediately send an alert to the control centre so that you know, people are informed that there's a potential issue there and they can then take action. The innovation team used these projects to ensure that the network is more reliable. It's a safer network and also we're transitioning to Net Zero. I hope the legacy of this project will be further deployment of robotics and we hope that this robot project will be stage one and helping enhance our understanding and our implementation down the line for future projects.

Ross Robotics

5mo

We’re thrilled to be part of this exciting project! Great working and collaborating with the team at SSEN and hopefully lots of potential for our robots!

5 Reactions

Jonathan Nichols

UK/EMEA Marketing Manager at BPD Zenith

5mo

Brilliant video! We hear so much about innovation and possibilities, it’s fantastic to actually see it in action - congratulations to SSEN Transmission for paving the way and showing us the art of the possible! #pioneers

1 Reaction

Alan Stewart

Resource Controller @ SSEN Transmission

5mo

Did I see an Xbox controller their Kevin MacDonald BSc (Hons) MSc ? I can work one of them 😉

2 Reactions

Willie Lawson

Retired

5mo

Great idea and continual monitoring

1 Reaction

Gary Bartlett

Head of Region at Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks

5mo

Really interesting Kevin MacDonald BSc (Hons) MSc 👍

1 Reaction

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Great to be involved with this fantastic promotion of UK innovation!

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Ross Robotics

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2 of 2 this week…
Dominic Cusk
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Our latest deployment this week is with 50Hertz Transmission GmbH at the Kontek HVDC Interconnector, linking Germany with Energinet in Denmark. Thank you to the team at 50Hertz Transmission GmbH for you support and hospitality this week, especially Georg Frubing and Joerg Schuster! We hope to be back next year to deploy your next robot at the CGS Interconnector! #hvdc #autonomousinspection #tso #renewable #high_voltage #energy #electricity #transmission #interconnection #robot #inspection #automation #energytransition #digitisation #maintenance #robotics #gridtechnology #renewableenergy #renewables #predictivemaintenance
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Ross Robotics

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As we complete our final testing at Elia Group's ALEGrO HVDC converter station, before leaving the robot in the energised HVDC valve hall for another year of operations, it makes me wonder how long before all transmission system operators will be incorporating robotic dynamic remote condition monitoring as a matter of normal practice into their HVDC operating environments... Like so many other industries in this 'Industry 4.0' world, forward thinking TSOs, like Elia Group, 50Hertz Transmission GmbH, Nemo Link Limited, and Réseau de Transport d'Électricité (RTE) are starting to reap the benefits of increasing digitisation in their operations. The use of fixed sensors is given in these environments, but augmenting those with robot-mounted dynamic sensors that can autonomously monitor large areas filled with dense with complex systems and difficult to see components, with AI-driven analytics that alerts human operators to potential anomalies, is extremely powerful. Greater coverage and more detailed, comprehensive, and repeatable data collection powers ever-better AI analysis as these systems learn, and this all adds up to a better understanding of the structural health, condition, and operational status of these critical infrastructure assets, enhancing reliability, maintenance planning, and uptime. What's not to love about all that.
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Ross Robotics

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Final few test inspection runs with 50Hertz Transmission GmbH prior to live operation when the Kontek HVDC Interconnector is energised…… #hvdc #autonomousinspection #tso #renewable #high_voltage #energy #electricity #transmission #interconnection #robot #inspection #automation #energytransition #digitisation #maintenance #robotics #gridtechnology #renewableenergy #renewables #predictivemaintenance

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Ross Robotics

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Our second of two deployments this week in Europe is with Elia Group at the ALEGrO HVDC converter station near Lixhe in Belgium (and we have a second team out this week at the Kontek HVDC Converter Station near Bentwisch in Germany, operated by 50 Hertz). This time, we revisit one of our first deployments for its annual checkup and service. Our systems are deployed in HVDC Converter Halls and DC Halls to provide real-time autonomous condition monitoring in the harsh environment of the Valve Halls and DC Halls. Unlike many other Hv facilities, such as substations and switchyards, humans cannot enter the HVDC Valve Hall during operations, so the deployment of autonomous robots, equipped with a suite of smart sensors, allows operators to gain greater visibility into the condition of critical components and connectors, without the need for costly, time-consuming, and disruptive interruptions. The system helps to detect potential issues in the hall, so reducing the risk of unexpected outages and minimising its downtime for ad hoc repair work to be carried out, and this helps maximise the operation time of the converter hall and supports the continuous flow of green electricity across the grid. A big thank you to our customer-partner Elia Group, and for all personnel involved in the planning and on the ground support. For those wanting to read more, here is the Elia press release from last years deployment: https://lnkd.in/epjYh6e3 #hvdc #autonomousinspection #tso #renewable #high_voltage #energy #electricity #transmission #interconnection #robot #inspection #automation #energytransition #digitisation #maintenance #robotics #gridtechnology #renewableenergy #renewables #predictivemaintenance
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Ross Robotics’ Post

Robots at work at our Blackhillock HVDC substation!

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