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Projects: Projects for Investigator
Reference Number GR/T27235/01
Title Cable Pipes: Cost Effective, Environmentally Friendly Electricity Transmission Using Trenchless Burial Methods
Status Completed
Energy Categories Other Power and Storage Technologies(Electricity transmission and distribution) 100%;
Research Types Basic and strategic applied research 100%
Science and Technology Fields ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (Electrical and Electronic Engineering) 50%;
ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (Mechanical, Aeronautical and Manufacturing Engineering) 50%;
UKERC Cross Cutting Characterisation Not Cross-cutting 100%
Principal Investigator Professor CDF Rogers
No email address given
Infra. Engineering & Management
University of Birmingham
Award Type Standard
Funding Source EPSRC
Start Date 01 April 2005
End Date 30 September 2006
Duration 18 months
Total Grant Value £106,784
Industrial Sectors Energy
Region West Midlands
Programme Process Environment and Sustainability
 
Investigators Principal Investigator Professor CDF Rogers , Infra. Engineering & Management, University of Birmingham (99.999%)
  Other Investigator Dr D Chapman , Civil Engineering, University of Birmingham (0.001%)
  Industrial Collaborator Project Contact , Advanced Specialist Moulders Ltd (0.000%)
Project Contact , Charador Pipeline Services Ltd (0.000%)
Project Contact , Plasticpipes (0.000%)
Web Site
Objectives
Abstract Off shore wind farms, sensitive urban areas and environmental pressures create problems for power transmission pylons. The alternative is cable burial. However, open cut trenching is both disruptive and expensive, and in many situations provides an unacceptable alternative. This project (which is to be carried out jointly with Newcastle University) aims to determine the feasibility of current technology to install high voltage cables in relatively large (0.8 - 2.0 m) diameter pipelines constructed without trenches in long (at least 2 km) runs and, if necessary, define further research and development that would facilitate such construction. The technologies that have the potential to make high power underground electrical transmission viable are trenchless cable installation, high power solid-state electronic switching and advance polymeric materials. These are the areas of expertise in the Birmingham and Newcastle groups.Although each aspect of the proposed work is novel in itself,it is the combination of elevated temperatures on soil, liner and pipeline performance, trenchless cable installation well beyond current limitations (a novel form of liner creation in situ is inevitable), electrical supply systems well beyond current capabilities, adequate cooling systems operating over large distances, and novel polymeric materials and structures to support the cables given the necessary range of operating conditions that makes the proposed research uniquely novel. The Birmingham element of the research programme will investigate the physical installation processes in terms of the capabilities of current and future trenchless technologies, produce a specification for the proposed trenchless methods, carry out design and analysis of the proposed methods and, with Newcastle, design up to three representative installations
Publications (none)
Final Report (none)
Added to Database 01/01/07