Cable Routing Research Articles

From Two-Dimensional to Three-Dimensional: Diversified Bending Modality of a Cable-Driven Actuator and Its Grasping Characteristics.

Cable-driven actuators are widely studied and utilized in soft robotics, and cable-driven is a traditional, advanced, and practical driving method. While limited by the uniaxial force transfer of the driving cable in previous researches, the cable-driven actuator can only bend in a two-dimensional (2D) plane. To further expand their scope of utilization, a new design scheme of an actuator is proposed to realize the transition from 2D bending to three-dimensional motion. A zigzag cable routing (ZCR) mode is presented to improve the helical motion. Compared with the straight cable routing mode, the ZCR actuator has better smooth movement characteristics and expanded functionality. Furthermore, we experimentally investigated the contact force and holding ability. The results show that the contact force is evenly acting on the cylinder target, and the grab weight is greater than 1950 g.

Ispitivanje specifične toplotne otpornosti i vlažnosti kablovske posteljice u laboratorijskim uslovima

This paper at first hand briefly presents examples of the maximum permitted current changes for one cable depending on the specific thermal resistance soil value rz. It is emphasized that the permanently permissible current load of the cable should be calculated using a constant value rz in design - Then, for two cases from field, two samples were examined. The first sample is undisturbed soil from the cable route and the second sample is specially prepared cable bed. The corresponding rz values were obtained using the needle probe method in the laboratory. The difference is pointed out between the measured values of specific thermal resistivity and moisture of the samples. Some samples were being dried in thermal chambers and the others were being dried on ambient temperature. For drying in thermal chambers, based on experience for cross-linked polyethylene cables, the temperatures of 60°C to 90°C were selected for the first case while in the second case the temperature of 20°C over a long period of time was applied. The results obtained were analyzed and shown in appropriate tables and graphs. At the end of this paper the moisture of the soil was calculated for sampled cable bed that corresponds to the value of rz of 1(Km/W). The composition of the cable bed that allows the designed value of the rated power of the cable to be achieved is proposed.

Contemporary geophysical surveys for marine sub-bottom sediments -Marine geophysical surveys for cable routes planning-

通信および送電のための海底ケーブルを敷設する前には，最適ルートを探索するために机上調査および原位置調査が実施される。原位置調査では，設計ルート周辺の地形・地質・障害物分布などを詳細に把握し，即時にルートを最適化する。特に，陸揚げ地点から最大水深1,500 m程度までの沿岸海域では，漁業活動や投錨などによるケーブル損傷を防ぐために，海底下1.0～2.0 m程度の深さでケーブルを埋設できるかどうかを評価する。このような調査では，音響を使った物理探査手法が主に採られ，また，磁気探査や電気探査も部分的に用いられる。

Experiment for validation of numerical models of coupled heat and mass transfer around energy cables

AbstractThe increasing decentralization of electrical energy production as well as an increasing number of fluctuating regenerative energy sources require significant investments in grid expansion. Among other assessments, an exact prediction of the thermal behavior of the cable environment is necessary to be able to design cable routes both technically and economically sufficient. To investigate the coupled thermal and hydraulic processes around a cable‐like heat source with high temporal and spatial resolution under controlled boundary conditions, a cylindrical laboratory test was designed and experiments with two soils conducted. The data collected can be used to validate models of coupled heat and mass transfer around power cables. Within this study, the experimental data was compared with a modified model approach that is based on experimentally determined input data for the thermal and hydraulic properties of the examined soils. Although overall good agreement in the temperature field around the central heat source was observed, differences in the spatial distribution of the dry‐out zone near the heat source led to some shift between the measured and simulated temperatures.

A synchronization methodology for 3D offshore wind farm layout optimization with multi-type wind turbines and obstacle-avoiding cable network

Offshore wind farms are increasingly becoming the focus of clean sources market because of the huge energy potential and fast-maturing technology. The existing researches normally optimize the wind turbine layout and two-dimensional cable routing independently. This work focuses on the synchronization optimization of site selection of the offshore wind farm, three-dimensional wind turbine layout and three-dimensional cable network routing based on meta-heuristic algorithms and geographic information systems. Several practical issues, i.e., restricted areas, power generation, cable network and energy loss, are taken into consideration. A two-layer model is proposed. The outer layer model is for the site selection and the wind turbine layout optimization. The inner layer model is for the obstacle-avoiding cable routing optimization. In this stage, the seabed terrain is considered for the first time. The proposed integrated model is complex and non-convex. Thus, a hybrid method including an improved ant colony optimization combined with genetic algorithm, dual-simplex method and Kruskal algorithm is proposed to search the solution more efficiently. The initialization stage of the hybrid method is improved from random assignment to directional assignment. The directional solution is obtained by the widely used genetic algorithm. A case study based on a real offshore wind farm is established to prove the effectiveness of the proposed methodology. The results show an over one million dollars increase in annual benefit compared with conventional methods.

Method for prediction of EMI Emissions from Automotive Ethernet to Vehicle Antennas

Abstract. In automotive application new point-to-point (P2P) wideband communication systems e.g. Automotive Ethernet 100BASE-T1 imply an increasing effort in safeguarding its electromagnetic compatibility (EMC). The state-of-the-art EMC safeguarding process proposes a pre-compliant system level test before the vehicle level test, which may have significant variation in test results due to the different electromagnetic environment. This work presents an approach to calculate the emission signal at the vehicle antenna from the ECU output signal given by the power spectral density (PSD) of the Automotive Ethernet ECUs. The determination is performed via a transfer function which describes the coupling between the Ethernet wire harness and the antenna. This approach considers the modelling of the complex vehicle environment by the transfer function which promises the determination of an accurate emission signal before performing the vehicle level test. Further, the transfer function for a specifically EMC critical cable harness routing along the cockpit area is analyzed in more detail with a 3D simulation, which validates the chosen measurement technique of the transfer function.

The Excavation, Recovery and Analysis of an Early 19th-Century Shipwreck from the Solent, Hampshire

The remains of a 19th-century barge were found in the Solent whilst undertaking pre-construction geophysical survey works as part of the Interconnexion France-Angleterre 2 cable route (IFA2) project. Investigations culminated in the excavation, recording and recovery of the remains of the wreck. Although no documentation or records of its loss have been found at the time of writing, the remains highlight the importance of vernacular shipbuilding techniques that were applied by independent shipbuilders scattered along this stretch of coastline.

Design and Analysis of a Fully Actuated Cable-Driven Joint for Hyper-Redundant Robots With Optimal Cable Routing

Abstract Cable-driven hyper-redundant robots have been adopted in many fields for accessing harsh and confined environments that may be inaccessible or dangerous for humans. The cable actuation strategy makes the robot hardware safer and increases the robot payload reducing its weight. In this paper, a novel design of a fully actuated cable-driven hyper-redundant robot has been proposed. This solution is a pulleyless design that decreases the mechanical complexity, allowing to have a compact arm diameter and avoid tension losses on the cables during the motion. Three different joint designs have been taken into account and experiments have been carried to study their performances.The kinematics for the n-joint robot has been formulated, and two cable routing optimization methods, based on a genetic algorithm, have been proposed and applied to a five-joint robot.

Valuing the cyber-attacks budget in high voltage power substations to increase cyber-security; providing a method based on Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process

The level of protection of high voltage power substations depends on the considerations of the electricity company, the level of threats and the value of their assets. On the other hand, the level of countermeasures or defenses for an acceptable level of risk depends on the number of defense equipment at the substation level. Therefore, the number of these countermeasures should be estimated according to the status of each substation and the rate of investment and its importance. In addition, appropriate defense methods depending on their type and condition, as well as how the design and position of the substation can identify system security vulnerabilities. The aim of this paper is to investigate and determine the importance of protecting high voltage power substations against cyber-attacks. For this purpose, power substations are examined in four different groups: geostrategic, industrial strategy, automation and control systems, and vulnerable. According to the decision-making method of Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process (FAHP), the defense cost function is presented in each substation, which includes hardware and software equipment and optimal routing of data transmission cables and cable shield. In addition, decisions are made simultaneously between the defender and the attacker. It was found that, from the proposed defense methods, the optimal path for communication cables and hardware equipment used in the power substations was more important than other cases. In addition, by shifting the weights of the criteria of substations 2 and 4, the strategy 3 ranks first in the need for defense budgets among other strategies, accounting for about 49.5% of the total defense budget, and it needs 11.2% more defense budget than the strategy S4. Furthermore, sensitivity analysis is provided to examine the impact of various factors as well as to confirm the accuracy of the results.

A Surveillance System of Fiber-Optic Cables With Multi-Channel DAS and CNN

We propose a surveillance system of fiber optic cables with multi-channel distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) interrogator equipped with optical rotary switch. By switching the optical connection between the interrogator and multiple optical fiber-under-test, we take samples of the sensed vibration signal from the fibers with single pulse generator and optical receiver. To identify the source of detected vibration signal, we separated the monitoring process as 2-phases. In the phase-1, we monitor the fibers periodically in a 3 second period, and simply classify the vibration signal as threat or non-threat to the fiber-optic cable route using 1-dimensional convolutional neural network. When the result is threat, the optical switch is fixed to the port and we intentionally monitor the fiber for 10 second to acquire more vibration signal. We adopted 2-D convolutional neural network to classify the source of vibration signal. We trained the two classification models with vibration signal from the deployed fiber-optic cables and the results show the accuracy of 94.5 % for 1-D classification and 98.2 % for 2-D classification.

CT Assessment of Intraorbital Cable Movement of Electronic Subretinal Prosthesis in Three Different Surgical Approaches.

PurposeElectronic retinal implants restore some visual perception in patients blind from retinitis pigmentosa. Eye movements cause mechanical stress in intraorbital power supply cables leading to cable breaks. By using computer tomography (CT) scans at the extreme positions of the four cardinal gaze directions, this study determined in vivo, which of three surgical routing techniques results in minimal bending radius variation and favors durability.MethodsNine patients received the first-generation subretinal implant Alpha IMS (Retina Implant AG, Reutlingen, Germany) in one eye. Three techniques for intraorbital cable routing were used (straight cable route (A), parabulbar loop (B), and encircling band (C)), each in three patients. All patients underwent computer tomography of the orbital region. The bending radius of the intraorbital cable was measured with the DICOM viewer Osirix v4.1.2 (Pixmeo SARL, Bernex, Switzerland) and served as indicator for mechanical stress.ResultsAverage bending radius variation was 87% for method A, 11% for method B, and 16% for method C. Methods A and B (P = 0.005) and methods A and C (P = 0.007) differed significantly, while method B and C showed no statistical difference (P = 0.07).ConclusionsCompared to straight routes, arcuated cable routes significantly reduce cable movement and bending. Due to an easier surgical procedure, a parabulbar loop is the preferred method to minimize bending radius variation and prolong survival time of electronic subretinal implants.Translational RelevanceCT analysis of cable bending of implanted medical devices allows to determine which surgical routing technique favors durability in vivo.

Integrated reliability centered distribution system planning — Cable routing and switch placement

Distribution utilities aim to operate and plan their network in a secure and economical way. The prime focus of this work is to assist utilities by developing a new integrated approach which considers the impacts of system reliability in distribution system planning (DSP). This approach merges different problems together and solves them in a two-stage process, as follows: 1. cable routing and optimal location and number of switching devices (circuit breakers and reclosers); 2. optimal location and number of tie switches. Moreover, the possibility of installing different cable options, with different prices and capacities, is included. The optimization algorithm is designed using mixed-integer programming (MIP). The developed algorithm analytically evaluates relationships between different components in the system and dynamically updates reliability indices, failure rate and restoration time, of every node in the system. This approach has been tested on two distribution systems. Despite the complexity and the exhaustiveness of the problem, MIP converges and provides the optimal solution for every studied scenario. The results show that an integrated approach enables utilities to obtain more comprehensive solutions. Moreover, by understanding the impact of parameter variation enables utilities to categorize their priorities in the decision making process and optimally invest in distribution network with respect to reliability.

A modelling evaluation of electromagnetic fields emitted by buried subsea power cables and encountered by marine animals: Considerations for marine renewable energy development

The expanding marine renewable energy industry will increase the prevalence of electromagnetic fields (EMFs) from power cables in coastal waters. Assessments of environmental impacts are required within licensing/permitting processes and increased prevalence of cables will increase questions concerning EMF emissions and potential cumulative impacts. It is presumed that protecting a cable by burial, may also mitigate EMF emissions and potential impacts on species. Focussing on a bundled high voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission cable, we use computational and interpretive models to explore the influence of cable properties and burial depth on the DC magnetic field (DC-MF) potentially encountered by receptive species. Greater cable pair separation increased the deviations from the geomagnetic field and while deeper burial reduced the deviations, the DC-MF was present at intensities perceivable by receptive species. An animal moving along a cable route may be exposed to variable EMFs due to varied burial depth and that combined with an animal's position in the water column determines the distance from source and EMF exposure. Modelling contextually realistic scenarios would improve assessments of potential effects. We suggest developers and cable industries make cable properties and energy transmission data available, enabling realistic modelling and environmental assessment supporting future developments.

A mixed-integer programming methodology to design tidal current farms integrating both cost and benefits: A case study in the Chacao Channel, Chile

In a tidal power plant the most important devices are the tidal current turbines that harvest the kinetic energy contained in the tide and convert it into electricity. The number of turbines to install, their spatial configuration, and the connection of submarine cables are critical aspects in the development of marine energy projects. Here, we present a mixed-integer programming methodology to design tidal current farms considering both cost and benefits. We propose a model that solves, concurrently, the turbine’s locations and cable infrastructure by computing the number, locations, submarine connections of tidal turbines, and the tidal current farm’s overall capacity. The proposed model considers location-based costs, including cable routing and loss from wake effect and electrical transmission, to maximize the project’s economic viability. We demonstrate the methodology’s utility by determining the optimal turbines’ configuration in a real-life case study in the Chacao Chanel, Chile. Finally, practitioners can easily implement our methodology using any standard off-the-shelf mixed-integer programming software to evaluate their tidal current farm projects.

Onshore wind farm - Reliability centered cable routing

Designing an onshore wind farm is a complex planning process that requires various stages to be completed. The prime focus of this work is to assist planners and experts in finding the optimal cable layout of the onshore wind farm. The optimization algorithm is designed using mixed integer linear programming (MILP). The MILP algorithm takes into account system reliability, power transfer capacities and power quality issue. The novelty in this optimization algorithm is to simultaneously minimize cable installation cost and the cost of lost energy production and therefore maximize the reliability of the system. Additionally, the algorithm supports the optimal selection among different cable options, with different features, prices and capacities. By calculating voltage increase at the point of connection (POC), power quality issue is considered as well. The designed algorithm provides optimal results for four different wind farm layouts. Every layout is tested for three different case scenarios, where different number and type of cables are considered. The results show that more cable options contribute in lowering the total costs. Moreover, cables with higher capacity can help in improving the power quality issue.

Co‐optimisation of wind farm micro‐siting and cabling layouts

Wind farm layout optimisation (WFLO) is carried out in this study considering the wake effect, and cabling connections and losses. The wind farm micro-siting optimisation problem is formulated with the aid of Jensen's wake model. Cabling between the wind turbines and the point of common coupling is an important aspect of the wind farm design as it affects the capital investment as well as income over the lifetime of the wind farm. The cabling layout must satisfy the connection of the wind turbines to the point of common coupling in such a way that the total cable length is reduced while reliability is maintained. Introducing the cabling layout optimisation to the WFLO, further complicates the optimisation problem. An integrated tool is developed to optimise the wind farm layout and cabling simultaneously. The main contribution of this work is the development of an integrated tool that maximizes the energy production of the wind farm via optimal allocation of wind turbines with optimal cable routing. This tool considers the capital cost of wind turbines and cabling, wind farm power production, and power losses in the cabling over the lifetime of the wind farm. The proposed co-optimisation problem is solved using genetic algorithm. The decision variables are the wind farm layout, cable paths and sizes, and the location of the point of common coupling within the land perimeter. A case study incorporating a multi-speed and multi-direction wind profile is carried out to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed approach. Moreover, the proposed methodology is compared to the separate optimisation method where the WFLO and cabling optimisation are solved sequentially with two separate steps. It is shown that the co-optimisation method is superior in terms of cable power losses, overall wind farm cost, and compactness (land use).

Multi-Branch Cable Harness Layout Design Based on Genetic Algorithm with Probabilistic Roadmap Method

Current studies on cable harness layouts have mainly focused on cable harness route planning. However, the topological structure of a cable harness is also extremely complex, and the branch structure of the cable harness can affect the route of the cable harness layout. The topological structure design of the cable harness is a key to such a layout. In this paper, a novel multi-branch cable harness layout design method is presented, which unites the probabilistic roadmap method (PRM) and the genetic algorithm. First, the engineering constraints of the cable harness layout are presented. An obstacle-based PRM used to construct non-interference and near to the surface roadmap is then described. In addition, a new genetic algorithm is proposed, and the algorithm structure of which is redesigned. In addition, the operation probability formula related to fitness is proposed to promote the efficiency of the branch structure design of the cable harness. A prototype system of a cable harness layout design was developed based on the method described in this study, and the method is applied to two scenarios to verify that a quality cable harness layout can be efficiently obtained using the proposed method. In summary, the cable harness layout design method described in this study can be used to quickly design a reasonable topological structure of a cable harness and to search for the corresponding routes of such a harness.

Computer-aided 3D routing of Instrumentation Cables

This paper presents the process of 3D routing of Instrumentation cables for a thermal power plant using the integration capabilities of Instrumentation, Electrical and 3D modules of SmartPlant[1]. Efficient use of integration linkages amongst various modules of SmartPlant is explained. Workflow of preparing cable schedule for Instrumentation cables in an integrated environment is discussed. The processes of routing the Instrumentation cables in an existing 2D CAD software and in 3D software are compared and rules and constraints applied on cable tray network in 3D module for routing the Instrumentation cables are presented. The output of 3D software based routing of Instrumentation cables is compared with the output of 2D software based routing of Instrumentation cables and presented. Finally, the issues faced during the complete process and their resolutions with learning are discussed.

Self-Calibration for the General Cable-Driven Serial Manipulator with Multi-Segment Cables

This paper focuses on the kinematic calibration problem for the general cable-driven serial manipulator (CDSM) with multi-segment cables to improve its motion control accuracy. Firstly, to fully describe the calibration parameters of cables, links, joint positions, and the transmission system, this paper proposes a new cable routing description method named cable-routing configuration struct (CRCS), which provides a complete set of parameters to be calibrated for the proposed self-calibration algorithm. Then, a self-calibration algorithm for CDSM with motor incremental encoders is proposed, which can calibrate the robot at one time only using sufficient measured motor and joint positions. Its premise, the initial cable length, needs to be calibrated. Finally, the parameters of a three-DOF (degree of freedom) six-cable CDSM were described using the CRCS description method, and a comparative experiment was carried out on the same motion controller using the parameters before and after calibration. The experiment results of trajectory tracking error showed that the calibration parameters obtained by the proposed calibration algorithm can significantly improve the motion control accuracy of the three-DOF six-cable CDSM. This verified the correctness and effectiveness of the proposed calibration algorithm.

Mitigation of Magnetic Flux Density of Underground Power Cable and its Conductor Temperature Based on FEM

This article proposes using a metallic plate to be installed above the underground power cable route to mitigate the maximum cable conductor temperature and the ground surface magnetic flux density surrounding the cable route and underground cable derating factor. The article presents a case study containing a single-circuit 145 kV, three-phase individual cables in flat formation. The impacts of the mitigation plate dimensions such as plate width, thickness, the distance between the underground cables and the plate used in the mitigation, and the plate material are investigated. Three kinds of materials are examined in this article, namely aluminum, steel 100, and steel 500. Moreover, the optimal design dimensions of the metallic plate for the case under study were estimated. It is concluded that the shielding factors of the magnetic flux density and cable core temperature with aluminum are greater than steel 100 and steel 500. In addition, the derating factor, which is the ratio of the current capacity of the underground cable with shielding plate and that without shielding plate at the same cable core temperature, is increased to be 1.28 with the use of shielding Aluminum plate, rather than 1.18 and 1.17 in case of using Steel 500 and Steel 100 shielding plates, respectively. Finally, the proposed algorithm was validated by comparing its results with the experimental measurements obtained by the others, indicating good agreements.