Modern society relies on electricity. The vast network of generators, transformers, switches, masts and cables are infrastructure that is vital for ensuring our prosperity. There are far-reaching changes taking place that directly affect this infrastructure: home power generation, solar and wind energy, and an ever-increasing demand for electricity.
We are straining the power grid more than was ever anticipated. Our power demands will clearly affect the life span of the various components in the network. Maintenance and replacement are expensive, since the networks are so large and primarily located either underground or in tall masts.
We must give serious thought to the consequences of our current and future power consumption for maintaining this infrastructure, and to how we can use the power grid more flexibly and effectively. PhD student Qikai Zhuang is conducting research into precisely these questions under the supervision of Prof. Johan Smit.
Power companies have a great need for condition-based management practices. This allows for flexible planning by correcting the theoretical life expectancy of a component based on actual operating conditions, meaning the ideal replacement time can be determined, for example.
One of the aims of the research project is to develop just such a methodology. Many pieces of the puzzle are still missing: not all components have a known life expectancy or aging model, and current load can often not be measured because the necessary sensors do not yet exist or are too expensive.
It is in any event unlikely that existing networks will be upgraded due to prohibitive costs. These expensive sensors will only be installed in new, vital network extensions. With regard to the old networks, we will need to learn as we go.
Many people speak of intelligent networks, but these have not been developed yet; it will take many scientists from a variety of disciplines many years of work before we finally have a truly intelligent network! This is why this project fits in so well with Next Generation Infrastructures, in which a question or problem is consistently approached from the angle of the complex relationship of multiple perspectives.
