Search Results (268)

To enable intelligent inspection of underground cable systems, this study presents a gecko-inspired quadruped robot that integrates multi-degree-of-freedom motion with a deep learning-based visual detection system. Inspired by the gecko’s flexible spine and leg structure, the robot exhibits strong adaptability to confined and uneven tunnel environments. The motion system is modeled using the standard Denavit–Hartenberg (D–H) method, with both forward and inverse kinematics derived analytically. A zero-impact foot trajectory is employed to achieve stable gait planning. For defect detection, the robot incorporates a binocular vision module and an enhanced YOLOv8 framework. The key improvements include a lightweight feature fusion structure (SlimNeck), a multidimensional coordinate attention (MCA) mechanism, and a refined MPDIoU loss function, which collectively improve the detection accuracy of subtle defects such as insulation aging, micro-cracks, and surface contamination. A variety of data augmentation techniques—such as brightness adjustment, Gaussian noise, and occlusion simulation—are applied to enhance robustness under complex lighting and environmental conditions. The experimental results validate the effectiveness of the proposed system in both kinematic control and vision-based defect recognition. This work demonstrates the potential of integrating bio-inspired mechanical design with intelligent visual perception to support practical, efficient cable inspection in confined underground environments. Full article

This study presents the design, fabrication, and clinical validation of a lightweight, body-powered prosthetic index finger actuated via metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint motion. The proposed system incorporates an underactuated, cable-driven mechanism combining rigid and compliant elements to achieve passive adaptability and embodied intelligence, supporting intuitive user interaction. Results indicate that the prosthesis successfully mimics natural finger flexion and adapts effectively to a variety of grasping tasks with minimal effort. This study was conducted in accordance with ethical standards and approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB), Project No. 670161, titled “Biologically-Inspired Synthetic Finger: Design, Fabrication, and Application.” The findings suggest that the device offers a viable and practical solution for individuals with partial hand loss, particularly in settings where electrically powered systems are unsuitable or inaccessible. Full article

This research presents the development and management principles of mobile resonant electrical systems designed for high-voltage generation, intended for non-destructive diagnostics of insulation in high-power electrical equipment. The core of the system is a series inductive–capacitive (LC) circuit characterized by a high quality (Q) factor and operating at high frequencies, typically in the range of 40–50 kHz or higher. Practical implementations of the LC circuit with Q-factors exceeding 200 have been achieved using advanced materials and configurations. Specifically, ceramic capacitors with a capacitance of approximately 3.5 nF and Q-factors over 1000, in conjunction with custom-made coils possessing Q-factors above 280, have been employed. These coils are constructed using multi-core, insulated, and twisted copper wires of the Litzendraht type to minimize losses at high frequencies. Voltage amplification within the system is effectively controlled by adjusting the current frequency, thereby maximizing voltage across the load without increasing the system’s size or complexity. This frequency-tuning mechanism enables significant reductions in the weight and dimensional characteristics of the electrical system, facilitating the development of compact, mobile installations. These systems are particularly suitable for on-site testing and diagnostics of high-voltage insulation in power cables, large rotating machines such as turbogenerators, and other critical infrastructure components. Beyond insulation diagnostics, the proposed system architecture offers potential for broader applications, including the charging of capacitive energy storage units used in high-voltage pulse systems. Such applications extend to the synthesis of micro- and nanopowders with tailored properties and the electrohydropulse processing of materials and fluids. Overall, this research demonstrates a versatile, efficient, and portable solution for advanced electrical diagnostics and energy applications in the high-voltage domain. Full article

Power transmission infrastructure requires continuous inspection to prevent failures and ensure grid stability. UAV-based systems, enhanced with deep learning, have emerged as an efficient alternative to traditional, labor-intensive inspection methods. However, most existing approaches rely on separate models for cable segmentation and anomaly detection, leading to increased computational overhead and reduced reliability in real-time applications. To address these limitations, we propose PowerLine-MTYOLO, a lightweight, one-stage, multitask model designed for simultaneous power cable segmentation and broken strand detection from UAV imagery. Built upon the A-YOLOM architecture, and leveraging the YOLOv8 foundation, our model introduces four novel specialized modules—SDPM, HAD, EFR, and the Shape-Aware Wise IoU loss—that improve geometric understanding, structural consistency, and bounding-box precision. We also present the Merged Public Power Cable Dataset (MPCD), a diverse, open-source dataset tailored for multitask training and evaluation. The experimental results show that our model achieves up to +10.68% mAP@50 and +1.7% IoU compared to A-YOLOM, while also outperforming recent YOLO-based detectors in both accuracy and efficiency. These gains are achieved with a smaller model memory footprint and a similar inference speed compared to A-YOLOM. By unifying detection and segmentation into a single framework, PowerLine-MTYOLO offers a promising solution for autonomous aerial inspection and lays the groundwork for future advances in fine-structure monitoring tasks. Full article

In view of the limitations of traditional offline detection and external excitation online detection of 10 kV cables, this paper proposes a method to evaluate the insulation aging condition of power cables by online measuring of the phase angle of the cable’s ground current, and explores the impact of load fluctuations on cable insulation. By setting the relative permittivity of the cable to characterize the phase variation of the ground current under different aging degrees, and analyzing the phase variation of the cable’s ground current under different load changes at the same aging degree, a load correction-based dynamic dielectric loss evaluation method for cables is proposed. Through the construction of cable simulation models and the processing of field data, the following conclusions have been reached: Under a 1 MW load, the phase angle of the sheath grounding current in the aged phase increases as the dielectric constant of the insulation increases. At the same aging degree, with an increase in load, the phase differences of the aging phase sheath ground current and the steel armor ground current both show a decreasing trend. To eliminate the impact of load, a dynamic dielectric loss load correction method is proposed, and combined with field data analysis, the dynamic dielectric loss of cables under different loads is corrected to a 1 MW load. Specifically: Under 0.3 MW, the correction coefficients k for the sheath and steel armor are 0.609 and 0.778, respectively. Under 3.5 MW, the correction coefficients k for the sheath and steel armor are 1.435 and 1.089, respectively. This study provides a theoretical basis and experimental verification for online cable monitoring methods. Full article

The insulation layer of flame-retardant cables plays a critical role in mitigating fire hazards by influencing toxic gas emissions and the accuracy of fire modeling. This study systematically explores the pyrolysis kinetics and volatile gas evolution of flame-retardant polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polyethylene (PE) insulation materials using advanced TG-FTIR-GC/MS techniques. Distinct pyrolysis stages were identified through thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) at heating rates of 10–40 K/min, while the KAS model-free method and Málek fitting function quantified activation energies and reaction mechanisms. Results revealed that flame-retardant PVC undergoes two major stages: (1) dehydrochlorination, characterized by the rapid release of HCl and low activation energy, and (2) main-chain scission, producing aromatic compounds that contribute to fire toxicity. In contrast, flame-retardant PE demonstrates a more stable pyrolysis process dominated by random chain scission and the formation of a dense char layer, significantly enhancing its flame-retardant performance. FTIR and GC/MS analyses further highlighted distinct gas evolution behaviors: PVC primarily generates HCl and aromatic hydrocarbons, whereas PE releases olefins and alkanes with significantly lower toxicity. Additionally, the application of a classification and regression tree (CART) model accurately predicted mass loss behavior under various heating rates, achieving exceptional fitting accuracy (R² > 0.98). This study provides critical insights into the pyrolysis mechanisms of flame-retardant cable insulation and offers a robust data framework for optimizing fire modeling and improving material design. Full article

Cable fires pose significant risks to electrical infrastructures, and cable spacing plays a crucial role in influencing fire propagation behaviors. In this study, the combustion characteristics of two parallel thermoplastic cables under varying spacing conditions were systematically investigated through controlled experiments. Key parameters, including flame merging behavior, flame morphology, mass loss rate, flame spread rate, flame temperature, and radiant heat flux, were analyzed. The results revealed that cable spacing critically affects flame interaction, with three distinct flame merging modes—continuous merging, intermittent merging, and non-merging—identified as spacing increases. A critical spacing of 2.5 mm was found, at which the flame spread rate and mass loss rate reached their maximum, approximately 1.7 times higher than that of a single cable. At intermediate spacings (2.5–12.5 mm), enhanced flame interaction and radiative feedback significantly intensified combustion, leading to higher flame temperatures and radiant heat peaks. Conversely, insufficient oxygen supply at zero spacing and reduced flame interaction at large spacings (15 mm) resulted in diminished combustion efficiency. These findings highlight the importance of cable spacing as a key design parameter for mitigating fire hazards in electrical installations, providing valuable insights for fire safety engineering and risk assessment. Full article

Cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) cables will gradually experience aging under various stresses during long-term operation, which may lead to faults and seriously affect the safe and stable operation of the power system. This article prepares aged cable samples by accelerating the thermal aging of XLPE cables, and combines frequency-domain dielectric spectroscopy (FDS) and the polarization–depolarization current method (PDC) for detection and analysis. By measuring the dielectric loss of aged cables using frequency-domain dielectric spectroscopy, it was found that the dielectric loss value in the low-frequency region significantly increases with aging time, indicating that aging leads to an increase in polarity groups and polarization loss. The high-frequency dielectric loss also significantly increases with the strengthening of dipole polarization. At the same time, using the polarization–depolarization current method to measure the polarization current and depolarization current of cables, it was found that the stable value of polarization current increases with aging time, further verifying the changes in the conductivity and polarization characteristics of insulation materials. Combining the broadband dielectric response characteristics of FDS (0.001 Hz–1 kHz) with the time-domain charge transfer analysis of PDC, the molecular structure degradation (dipole polarization enhancement) and interface defect accumulation (space charge effect) of cable aging are revealed from both frequency- and time-domain perspectives. The experimental results show that the integral value of the low-frequency region of the frequency-domain dielectric spectrum and the stable value of the polarization depolarization current are positively correlated with the aging time, and can make use of effective indicators to evaluate the aging state of XLPE cables. Full article

The growing complexity of electrical infrastructure has elevated partial discharge (PD) detection to a crucial methodology for ensuring power system safety. Current PD pattern recognition approaches encounter persistent challenges in low-data scenarios, particularly regarding classification accuracy and model generalizability. This study develops a Firefly Algorithm with a Black Hole Mechanism-ResNet18 (FBH-ResNet18) framework that synergistically integrates the Firefly Algorithm with the Black Hole Mechanism (FBH algorithm) optimization with residual neural networks for PD signal classification using phase-resolved partial discharge (PRPD) mappings. A dedicated experimental platform first acquires PD signals through UHF sensors, which are subsequently converted into two-dimensional PRPD representations. The FBH algorithm systematically optimizes four key hyperparameters within the ResNet18 architecture during network training. The Black Hole Mechanism and improved population dynamics enhance optimization efficiency, resulting in more accurate hyperparameter tuning and improved model performance. Comparative evaluations demonstrate the enhanced performance of this parameter-optimized model against alternative configurations. Experimental results indicate that the improved ResNet18 achieves fast convergence and strong generalization on small-sample datasets, significantly enhancing recognition accuracy. During the first 80 generations of training, the classification accuracy reaches 89.11%, and in the final iteration, the model’s recognition accuracy increases to 92.55%, outperforming other models with accuracies generally below 90%. Additionally, the model shows excellent performance on the test set, with a loss function value of 0.250785, significantly lower than that of other models, indicating superior performance on small sample datasets. This research provides an effective solution for power cable fault diagnosis, offering high practical value. Full article

Offshore wind power has a broad development prospect, but with the development of offshore wind farms to the deep sea, the traditional high-voltage AC transmission has been difficult to adapt to the offshore wind power transmission distance and transmission capacity needs. A flexible DC transmission system applying modular multilevel converter is a common scheme for offshore wind power, which has been put into use in actual projects, but it is still facing the problems of high cost of offshore converter station platforms and high loss of collector systems. In order to improve the economy and reliability of the medium- and long-distance offshore wind power delivery systems, this paper proposes a diode rectifier-based medium-frequency AC pooling soft-direct low-cost delivery system for medium- and long-distance offshore wind power. Firstly, the mid-frequency equivalent model of the diode converter is established, and the influence of topology and frequency enhancement on the parameters of the main circuit equipment is analysed; then, the distribution parameters and transmission capacity of the mid-frequency cable are calculated based on the finite element modelling of the marine cable, and the transmission losses of the mid-frequency AC pooling system are then calculated, including the collector losses, converter valve losses, and transformer losses, etc. Finally, an economic analysis is carried out based on a specific example, comparing with the Jiangsu Rudong offshore wind power transmission project, in order to verify the economy of the medium-frequency AC flexible and direct transmission system of the medium- and long-distance offshore wind power using diode rectifier technology. Full article

This paper investigates the performance of a five-phase silicon carbide (SiC)-based current-source converter (CSC) integrated with a Doubly Fed Induction Generator (DFIG) for wind energy applications. The study explores both healthy and faulty operation, focusing on system behavior under transient conditions and various load scenarios in stand-alone mode. A novel five-phase space vector PWM strategy in dual coordinate planes is introduced, which enables stable control during normal and open-phase fault conditions. Experimental results demonstrate improved stator voltage and current quality, particularly in terms of reduced Total Harmonic Distortion (THD), compared to traditional voltage-source converter-based systems. Furthermore, the system maintains operational stability under a single-phase open fault, despite increased oscillations in stator quantities. The results highlight the potential of five-phase CSC-DFIG systems as a robust and efficient alternative for wind power plants, particularly in configurations involving long cable connections and requiring low generator losses. Future work will focus on enhancing fault-tolerant capabilities and expanding control strategies for improved performance under different operating conditions. Full article

Cables are critical to the safe and reliable operation of nuclear power plants (NPPs) since they are widely used as a connection medium for various safety-critical equipment. According to research data and operational experience (OPEX), cable materials can degrade with time, resulting in reduced dielectric strength and higher leakage current. Cables may degrade gradually over time under normal service conditions and fail unexpectedly as a result of sudden exposure to harsher environments, such as Secondary Steam Line Breaks (SSLBs), or when required to operate under the severe conditions of a design basis event, such as a Loss-of-Coolant Accident (LOCA). To assess the condition of medium- and low-voltage cables in Canadian nuclear power plants, numerous inspection methods and electrical testing techniques are employed. These techniques include dielectric spectroscopy, polarization/depolarization current analysis, reflectometry, dielectric standby tests, AC partial discharge, and very-low-frequency (VLF) Tan Delta assessments for medium-voltage (MV) cables. While these methods provide precise diagnostic insights, they require cables to be disconnected at both ends and de-energized, posing operational constraints. Consequently, on-line plant cable monitoring has garnered significant interest, particularly for new reactor developments and large-scale NPP refurbishments. This paper provides a comprehensive benchmarking of existing technologies and a state-of-the-art review of modern cable assessment methodologies. It examines commercially available solutions and ongoing research in power testing for low-voltage (LV) and MV cables, with a particular focus on their applicability in nuclear power settings. Full article

The extensive use of polyolefins, such as polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), has led to a substantial accumulation of plastic waste, raising growing concerns about environmental impact and sustainability. In this study, the dielectric, thermal, and chemical properties of recycled materials were investigated, and blending with virgin polyethylene was examined as a sustainable strategy to enhance their electrical performance and promote material reuse. Dielectric analysis demonstrated that blending recycled materials with virgin polyethylene effectively reduced dielectric losses. With the addition of only 15% virgin HDPE, the dielectric loss was significantly lowered by 40% for recycled HDPE (rHDPE) and 30% for the recycled PE-PP blend (r(PE-PP))—compared to their unblended forms. Although the original recycled materials exhibited much higher dielectric losses than virgin HDPE—24 and 28 times greater for rHDPE and r(PE-PP), respectively, at 60 Hz—the blending approach clearly improved their electrical behavior. Overall, the results highlight blending as a practical and sustainable strategy to improve the dielectric performance of recycled polyolefins, enabling their reuse in applications such as electrical cable insulation while contributing to plastic waste reduction. Full article

Electrical heating ice removal pavement represents a promising technology for pavement ice melting. Existing studies primarily focus on optimizing cable-heated asphalt pavement through indoor model tests or finite element results. To obtain more accurate and reasonable temperature rise processes and heat transfer results, we propose a new evaluation metric for heat transfer capability and optimization in electric heating asphalt pavement. Firstly, a three-dimensional heat transfer model considering environmental heat exchange is established, and the accuracy of the model is verified by outdoor measured data. A dual-variable control experiment was carried out between the cable buried depth and insulation layer configuration to specifically analyze their influence on the temperature field of the asphalt layer. We further investigated heat transfer performance metrics (entransy dissipation and entransy dissipation thermal resistance), with results indicating that shallower cable burial depths reduce environmental interference on pavement heat transfer; the thermal insulation layer most significantly enhances pavement surface temperature (35.66% improvement) when cables are embedded in the lower asphalt layer. Placing cables within corresponding pavement layers according to burial depth reduces heat transfer loss capacity and thermal resistance, and positioning cables in the lower asphalt layer with a thermal insulation layer significantly decreases thermal resistance in both concrete and lower asphalt layers while reducing heat transfer capacity loss, demonstrating that installing thermal insulation layers under this structure improves heat transfer efficiency. The combined experimental and simulation verification method and fire dissipation evaluation system proposed in this study provide a new theoretical tool and design criterion for the optimization of electric heating road systems. Full article

A force-finding analysis is crucial for a single-layer cable net glass curtain structure. In engineering applications, the boundary for such a cable net glass curtain structure exhibits limited rigidity, which frequently causes prestress loss and differential changes in the reaction force of the supports at both ends during the construction process. Here, we propose a nonlinear force-finding method based on the inherent symmetry and nonlinear structural stiffness of these large-scale cable net curtain wall structures. Our method utilizes undirected subgraphs to preprocess and analyze the cable net curtain structures. The subgraphs and their graph products are introduced to effectively compute the overall configuration of the cable net structure. According to the preprocessing results and the boundary conditions of the cable net structure, a nonlinear force-finding method based on the stiffness of the overall structure is presented. Finally, the feasibility of the proposed method could be verified by combining it with actual engineering applications. It took approximately 12 min for a large-scale cable net structure with more than 2000 nodes and members. The obtained prestresses agreed well with the target forces, whereas the computation accuracy was less than 5%. This method provides an important reference for further engineering applications of these cable net glass curtain structures. Full article