After January Southern California firesThe issue of burial of energy infrastructure to prevent fires in the future Renewed urgency gained In the state. While the exact cause of fire is still under investigation, California facilities spent years of underground power generation lines to relieve fire risk. Pacific Gas & Electric, which has installed more than 1,287 km of underground power lines since 2021, Estimates This method is 98 percent effective in reducing ignition threats. The burial of southern California Edison More than 40 percent From high -risk distribution lines, and 63 percent For the regional distribution system in San Diego Gas and Underground Electricity.
However, the high cost of underground construction leaves a lot of US energy network 8.8 million kilometers of distribution lines and 180 million benefits Tree strikes, flying debris, and other opportunities for spices are exposed to a multi -term fire. In recognition of the need for cost -effective underground solutions, the US Energy Ministry launched Gophurrs in January 2024. The program is poured into three years $ 34 million in 12 projects To develop more efficient underground technologies Reducing surface disorders With medium -voltage power lines support.
One of the recipients, the University of Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, builds a self -alto that mimics the Earth’s worms feature Purple Movement To advance through the soil. The concept of the “gypsy channel” received $ 2 million, and hopes to move more accurately in underground navigation and reduce the risk of unintended damage, such as breaking an existing tube.
Why is underground expensive?
Despite its benefits, it is still underground cost at $ 1.1 to $ 3.7 million per kilometer (1.8 to 6 million dollars per mile) for distribution lines and $ 3.7 to $ 62 million per kilometer for transportation lines, According to estimates One of the three largest tools in California. This is much more than the general infrastructure, which costs $ 394,000 to $ 472,000 per kilometer per distribution lines and 621,000 dollars to 6.83 million dollars per kilometer for transportation lines.
The most popular method of underground power lines, called open trenches, requires wide excavation, canal installation, and stability, which makes them expensive and complex logistical. It is often practical in dense urban areas where underground infrastructure is already obtained with plumbing, optics and other facilities.
Roads without a trench, such as horizontal directional drilling (HDD), provides a less invasive method for obtaining electricity lines under roads and railways by creating a controlled curved cavity path that begins with a shallow entry angle, deepens to pass obstacles, and re -appear at an accurate exit point. But HDD is more expensive than open trenches due to specialized equipment, complex workflow and the risk of current infrastructure.
Due to the sharp costs, facilities often give priority for cheaper fires such as trimming trees and other plants, using isolated conductors, intensifying routine inspections and repairs. Although these measures were not effective, these measures were the option to move to a large extent because the underground construction methods are faster and cheaper not yet.
Ted Curie, Director of Energy Studies at the Public Utilities Research Center at the University of Florida, who It has been widely studied the Underground costs and benefits“It can make underground more practical in urban or dense areas that can lead to open trenches, and their disorders associated with the surrounding infrastructure, to costs that cannot be defended.”
Robots inspired by the ground worm of power lines
In the Case -inspired robot, alternate sections are designed to expand and decline to consolidate and advance the device. This flexible force increases accuracy and reduces the risk of effect and pipe breaking. Traditional methods require a large radius exceeding 300 meters, but the situation 1.5 meters turns a radius circle The device will enable the maneuver flexible around the current infrastructure.
“We use engines to change the length and diameter of each part,” he says Catherine DalorioAssociate Engineering Professor and Co -Director of Robotat inspired by Case. “The short parts and fats are pressed on the walls of the hole, then firmly established until the thin parts can move forward. If they do not touch the two parts of the earth but they change at the same time, your knocking does not slip and move forward.”
Dalorio and her colleagues They studied Robots inspired by the ground worm For a decadeThe technology is originally depicted for surgical applications and the distress space before recognizing the possibility of underground power lines.
The Western Western Reserve Rastern Reserve robot can turn faster than other drilling techniques to avoid obstacles.Catherine Dalurio/College of Engineering
The traditional HDD depends on pushing the drilling head across the soil, which requires more strength with the growth of the lumen. The concept of drilling in Case generates the strength needed for the advice of the bright parts inside the well. As the path progresses longer, the front parts are only digging deeper. “If the robot strikes something, the operators can retreat, change trends, and hack along the way to complete the circle by changing the depth,” says Dalurio.
Another major difference From HDD It is to install the integrated channel. In HDD, exercises pass through the entire length first, then the power channel is pulled. Putting the rough robot in Case is the channel while traveling, which reduces the time of total installation.
Developments in deception of accuracy
“The approach of the brilliant channel is great [and] Certainly it appears to be eating concerns about the vast diversity of underground obstacles. “Cori says the University of Florida. However, it highlights greater concern with underground innovations – not only cases – in a constantly advanced environment interview. Today will look underground, look underground, look different in the conflict, look underground. On how to adapt to this changing structure,” Cori added.
Daltorio notes that current underground practices involve pouring concrete around the lines before filling to protect them from future drilling, a challenge to the existing roads of trenches. But the case project brings major benefits. First, by a better understanding of the well design, engineers have more flexibility in choosing the channel materials to match the standards of certain environments. Also, developments in extreme accuracy can reduce the possibility of future disorders of human activities.
The research team explores different ways to enhance the outer surface of the drilling robot while it is under the ground.Olivia Ghatal
Daltorio is cooperating with many partners, with Oborn University In Alabama, contribute to geodic experience, Stone Brock University In New York it runs modeling, and Texas University in Austin Study deposit reactions.
The project aims to half of the underground costs, although Daltorio warns that it is very early to adhere to a specific cost model. However, the time -saving capabilities seem promising. “Through traditional methods, planning, permits and schedule may take months,” says Dalurio. “By simplifying the process, there may be a few inspections at the end points, a few days after self -penetration with minimal disorder of the traffic above, followed by a few days of cleaning, connecting and inspection.”
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