As China's economy and society march toward the high-quality development goal of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality, electric power is playing an increasingly prominent fundamental role in serving national strategies and supporting economic development. China has built the world's largest power system. Ultra-high voltage (UHV) transformers are hailed as the "heart" of the power grid, and their operational safety and stability are directly linked to the operational quality of the entire power grid.

Dissolved Gas Analysis (DGA) in transformer oil is the core method for assessing the health status of key power equipment such as large oil-immersed transformers. However, transformer oil sampling and testing at substations have long been high-risk operations. Both traditional manual oil sampling and testing and existing online oil and gas monitoring equipment suffer from drawbacks such as low efficiency, high operational risks, susceptibility to environmental factors, and high maintenance requirements for the testing equipment themselves.

A revolutionary change is now taking place in the field of online oil and gas monitoring. According to information released by Hubei Infotech System Technology Co., Ltd., the company has successfully independently developed China's first all-weather composite robot for Dissolved Gas Analysis (DGA) in transformer insulating oil, achieving a major leap in the detection of dissolved gases in transformer insulating oil from manual operation to unmanned intelligent operation.

Integrating a mobile chassis, collaborative robotic arm, machine vision, flexible end effector, spectral detection technology and a remote dispatching platform, this composite robot is a fully automatic, high-precision and high-efficiency special testing robot. It is capable of autonomous navigation, precise positioning, automatic oil sampling and real-time analysis of gases in oil in the complex environment of substations, truly realizing "unmanned inspection, real-time data and standardized operation".

At present, the composite robot has completed demonstration operation tests at a UHV substation and is being rapidly promoted for large-scale on-site application in the power equipment operation and maintenance industry, marking the official entry of China's transformer operation and maintenance into the era of unmanned operation.

Composite Robot: An Expert in Intelligent Oil and Gas Detection for Oil-Immersed Power Equipment!

All-Weather Transformer Oil Sampling and Analysis Composite Robot

System Working Process

1. Task Issuance: Users set up testing plans via the remote dispatching platform.
2. Autonomous Navigation: The robot moves precisely to the oil sampling point based on laser radar SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) technology.
3. Vision Guidance: The CCD camera identifies the marking points of the oil sampling port and guides the robotic arm to complete docking.
4. Automatic Oil Sampling: The flexible end effector is inserted into the oil sampling port to automatically complete the entire process of valve opening, oil sampling and valve closing.
5. Real-Time Analysis: The oil sample is sent to the on-board detection unit, and the data is uploaded to the management platform in real time.
6. Task Archiving: The robot retracts the robotic arm and returns to charging or executes the next task.

Application Value of the Solution

In the process of technological research and development, the robot has developed a series of core basic capabilities in detection and analysis, core hardware, software systems and new products, strongly supporting the construction of an intelligent operation and maintenance system for power grid equipment and boasting significant market application value:

• Improved Safety Level: Replacing manual work in high-voltage areas, it significantly reduces safety risks.
• Enhanced Work Efficiency: Supporting parallel testing of multiple transformers, it greatly shortens the testing cycle.
• Guaranteed Data Consistency: Standardized processes effectively avoid human operation errors.
• Enabling Remote Management: The dispatching platform can realize task configuration, progress monitoring and fault diagnosis, promoting the implementation of the unattended operation and maintenance mode.
• Composite Robot: More Than an Upgrade of DGA Technology, but a Revolution in Operation and Maintenance Mode!

Real-Time Display of Detection Data on the Remote System

High Integration and Intelligent Collaboration

The robot integrates laser radar, CCD vision system, multi-axis robotic arm, flexible end effector and other modules to realize the full-process automation from navigation and positioning to oil sampling operation. Aiming at different types of valves, rack-and-pinion and worm and gear valve switching mechanisms are designed, and matched with a specially developed end effector, ensuring the reliability rate of oil sampling actions exceeds 99% without any manual intervention throughout the process.

Accurate Detection and Reliable Data

The detection system meets the Class A1 requirements of standards such as Q/GDW10536-2021 and can accurately analyze key fault characteristic gases such as H₂, C₂H₂, CH₄ and CO. The newly added nitrogen and oxygen detection function features a nitrogen-oxygen ratio measurement accuracy of ±5% relative deviation (RD), which can conduct a more comprehensive assessment of the transformer's operating status and provide more complete data support for equipment diagnosis.

All-Weather Strong Adaptability and Stable Operation

The whole robot has an IP54 protection rating and can adapt to various harsh outdoor weather conditions; it has passed the high-voltage power environment test verification and has excellent anti-electromagnetic interference capability, enabling stable operation in strong electromagnetic fields; it has a maximum battery life of more than 8 hours, supports automatic recharging, and the success rate of automatic inspection and oil-gas sampling and analysis is as high as over 96%.