Submersible Transformer Inspection Vehicle for 3D Oil-Filled Mapping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for inspecting the interior of large power transformers are limited, requiring costly and time-consuming manual processes, and pose safety and environmental risks due to the need for draining and refilling transformer oil, while indirect techniques often fail to detect defects effectively.
Innovation Solution
A submersible remotely operable vehicle equipped with cameras and motors for wireless navigation and three-dimensional mapping within liquid-filled housings, allowing for internal inspection and monitoring of transformer components without draining the oil, using a system that includes multiple cameras for a quasi-spherical field of view and real-time dense-map fusion for autonomous navigation and mapping.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If manual inspection methods are used to inspect the interior of large power transformers, then inspection capability is achieved, but the process becomes costly and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The inspection system performs self-navigation and self-inspection autonomously within the transformer tank. The ROV equipped with cameras and sensors independently explores the interior space, captures images and video, and transmits data without requiring continuous manual control or intervention, thereby reducing both time and cost while maintaining inspection quality
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical inspection methods with an automated robotic system. The ROV uses electronic propulsion and wireless communication to navigate and transmit data, substituting the need for human operators to physically access and inspect transformer interiors, thus eliminating time losses associated with manual setup and operation
2Ease of operation
If manual inspection is performed by draining transformer oil, then access to interior components is achieved, but safety and environmental risks increase
Solution Approach 1:
The ROV acts as an intermediary device that enables interior inspection without direct human contact with transformer oil. The vehicle navigates through the oil-filled tank, capturing visual and sensor data while keeping operators at a safe distance, thus eliminating safety and environmental hazards associated with draining and handling transformer oil
Solution Approach 2:
The inspection system extracts the inspection function from the transformer oil environment itself. Rather than removing the oil to enable inspection, the ROV is designed to operate within the oil, using waterproof cameras and sensors that capture images through the oil medium, thereby maintaining the oil in place and eliminating all associated safety and environmental risks
3Measurement precision
If borescopes are used for visual inspection, then some internal areas can be viewed, but cable length and control limitations restrict inspection coverage
Solution Approach 1:
The ROV provides dynamic inspection coverage by actively navigating to different positions and orientations within the transformer tank. Unlike fixed borescopes, the vehicle can move freely to access hard-to-reach areas, adjust its camera angles, and provide real-time visual feedback from multiple locations, thereby dramatically expanding inspection coverage while maintaining high-quality visual capability
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from one-dimensional linear borescope insertion to three-dimensional free-space navigation. The ROV moves in multiple directions (up, down, left, right, forward, backward) and adjusts its orientation, enabling comprehensive coverage of the entire transformer interior from various angles and depths, thus overcoming the linear access limitations of traditional borescopes
4Ease of operation
If indirect techniques are used to detect transformer defects, then inspection can be performed without entering the tank, but defect detection accuracy decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces indirect detection methods (thermal imaging, gas analysis, noise monitoring) with direct visual inspection using waterproof cameras and lighting. The ROV captures high-resolution images and video of transformer components, allowing operators to directly observe defects, wear, and abnormalities, thereby achieving both ease of operation and high defect detection accuracy simultaneously
Data Source
AI summary
A submersible remotely operable vehicle used for inspection of liquid cooled electrical transformers can include a number of separate cameras and sensors for mapping and navigating the internal structure of the transformer with liquid coolant remaining in the transformer. The remotely operable vehicle can be wirelessly controlled to perform various inspection functions while the number of cameras provide video streams for processing to produce a three dimensional field of view based on an observation position of the remotely operable vehicle.