Objective
The primary objective of this project is to determine how to maximize the service life of select assets while also considering technologies, systems, or methodologies that may impact the entire substation. This research focuses on equipment and technologies that enhance the reliability, safety, and longevity of substations, especially those that may not have another EPRI project set in which to reside. Examples include battery monitoring systems, surge arresters and surge arrester failure monitors, station ampacity ratings methodologies, and robotics for substation inspection applications.
The insights gained from this research will help utilities implement best practices and adopt innovative technologies that enhance the overall performance and reliability of their substations. The collaborative nature of EPRI’s research ensures that the findings are shared across the industry.
Research Value
- Provide guidance regarding asset lifecycles, including monitoring of surge arresters and battery systems
- De-risk novel robotics technologies associated with asset inspection, monitoring, and assessment
- Support utilities in making informed decisions about substation ratings, including improved thermal models to optimize power output and guidance for applying this information in overall transmission system ratings
Approach
Continue development of surge arrester sensor to monitor pending arrester failure: This multi-year task evaluates long-term durability of EPRI’s surge arrester failure sensor. The approach involves monitoring of new, aged, and failing arresters in the controlled, 138-kV research substation environment to expand the sensor’s data set for future analysis. This allows for examining of the impacts of a substation environment on the sensor performance while enabling easy access to the sensors if issues may arise.
Assess performance of battery monitoring systems: This task involves assessing battery monitoring systems from various manufacturers. Bench testing and battery emulators will be used to create repeatable test plans allowing for comparisons between systems that may require different battery chemistries or configurations.
De-risk robotic applications for substation inspections: This research explores the feasibility of autonomous mobile robots for substation inspections. It investigates their potential to complement human inspectors, be shared across substations, operate with minimal supervision, and be portable. The goal is to determine if these robots can currently complement or supplement human inspectors for improved efficiency, safety, and reliability in substation inspections. This task expands upon the work of previous years by continuing to deploy robotics for different applications or in various substation environments and summarizing lessons learned in a deployment guide for members.
Update EPRI’s Increased Power Flow Guidebook and Calculator for 2026: This effort advises utilities in how to calculate and apply ampacity ratings to substation equipment in accordance with NERC requirements and FERC order 881. This order shifts the industry from ambient adjusted ratings that vary with air temperature to dynamic line ratings (DLR) that vary with wind speed. In addition to applying DLRs to bus ratings, the new designations may result in the most limiting series element designation applying to station equipment, instead of the transmission line, for many circuits. This project supports the creation and enhancement of a web-based calculator to aid utilities in implementing the equations and methodologies of the Increased Power Flow Guidebook for their assets.
Anticipated Deliverables
| Deliverable | Date |
|---|---|
| Insights and Considerationsfrom Substation Battery Monitoring System Evaluation and Testing (TechnicalUpdate) | 12/31/2026 |
| Best Practices on SubstationRobotics Deployment (Guide) | 12/31/2026 |
| EPRI Increased Power FlowGuidebook – 2026: Increasing Power Flow in Lines, Cables, and Substations(Technical Update) | 12/31/2026 |
| The Platinum Book Calculator(Software) | 12/31/2026 |
Past EPRI Work on Topic
| Product ID | Title | Description | Published Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3002030041 | Battery Monitoring SystemsProcurement Guide for Substation Applications | This is a quick referenceguide describing considerations when selecting and procuring a batterymonitoring system for an existing battery bank installation to preventunexpected project delays. | June 2024 |
| 3002027110 | Insights and Considerations from Substation Battery Monitoring SystemEvaluation and Testing | This report describes multi-year efforts by EPRI to evaluate variousbattery monitoring systems through 2023. | December 2023 |
| 3002030040 | Robotics Assisting ElectricalSubstation Inspectors | This report documents theresults of a quadruped robotics deployment performed in EPRI’s 138-kVresearch substation. Various tests evaluated the capabilities and limitationsof the robot in a substation environment for navigation, data collection, andreporting, under varied environmental conditions. | November 2024 |
| 3002030267 | EPRI Increased Power FlowGuidebook – 2024: Increasing Power Flow in Lines, Cables, and Substations |
This guidebook is a best practice reference on increasing power flowcapabilities of overhead transmission lines, underground cables, powertransformers, and substation equipment. | December 2024 |
| 3002031149 | EPRI Facilitating Adoption ofFERC Order 881 for Substation Equipment – 2024 Update | This document explores theintricacies of Advanced Line Ratings and their application at transmissionutilities including Ambient Air Adjusted ratings of substation assets such asswitches, breakers, and bus materials. | December 2024 |