Smart Inspection Innovations Revolutionize Safety and Efficiency in Power Management

On December 5th, State Grid Kuitun Power Supply Company unveiled a new era of innovative grid management at its 220kV Chongguang Substation, launching a comprehensive “high, medium, and low” three-dimensional full-spectrum inspection system. This cutting-edge system integrates drones, robots, and high-definition video surveillance to provide thorough coverage at multiple levels, encompassing two drones, one robot, and 83 high-definition cameras, covering an impressive 23,628 inspection points across the site. This approach ensures complete, gapless equipment surveillance, significantly enhancing operation and maintenance efficiency and reliability, thereby fortifying a stable power supply.

In recent years, to push the boundaries of traditional inspection models, State Grid Kuitun Power Supply Company has actively embraced cutting-edge technology, developed a new intelligent integrated inspection system, and focused on constructing centralized control stations and optimizing operation and maintenance models.

This advanced system allows for remote, real-time monitoring of equipment status through the extensive network of high-definition cameras, high-precision sensors, infrared thermography, and an intelligent analysis platform within the substation. Monitoring personnel at the centralized control station can access live data streams of the operation of the equipment, and the system’s back-end conducts in-depth analysis of multi-source data, such as collected images and temperature readings, rapidly identifying potential fault signs such as equipment defects and abnormal temperature spikes, and promptly alerting maintenance personnel.

The company’s achievements in substation joint inspection aren’t only reflected in advanced hardware, but also in significant innovation in system platform design. By leveraging existing system infrastructure, State Grid Kuitun has established a joint inspection system seamlessly integrating control signals and video feeds, effectively forming a “neural hub” for coordinated inspections. The 220kV Chongguang Substation pilot program has already successfully linked 28 categories of anomaly signals across 971 inspection points, enabling automated inspections within one minute of a trip signal. “Previously, every inspection required manual export of images to report defect details, and then proceed with the corrective work, a cumbersome, labour-intensive and time-consuming process,” explains Jin Xiaofeng, head of the centralized control station at the State Grid Kuitun Power Supply Company. “Now, the entire process is automated within the system platform, streamlining our workflow and dramatically improving efficiency.”

The system’s effectiveness was demonstrated in March when the intelligent inspection robot detected unusual humidity variations around the bushings of the 220 kV Chongguang Substation’s No. 3 main transformer during a routine check. Upon receiving the alert, the centralized control station initiated a targeted inspection via the remote intelligent inspection system, dispatched maintenance personnel for on-site verification. Following the confirmation and expert assessment from the company’s specialized department, an emergency shutdown was executed, successfully mitigating the risk of bushing rupture and ensuring the safety of personnel and company assets.

The three inspection methods–drones, robots, and remote monitoring–have achieved deep integration and collaborative operation within the intelligent integrated inspection system. The remote system’s robust data analysis and dispatch capabilities coordinate the inspection missions of drones and intelligent robots, optimizing inspection routes, frequency, and key areas based on real-time equipment status and historical data. This collaborative, information-sharing approach ensures a cohesive and highly effective inspection process.