The State Grid Corp of China, the world's largest utility which shoulders a dual task of safeguarding the country's energy security as well as its economic lifeline, has made innovations to help ensure unimpeded power supply.

A local unit of the State Grid has developed and applied an online monitoring device for the internal mechanical status of GIS (gas-insulated metal-enclosed switchgear) disconnectors, realizing their dynamic "visualization" and providing a strong guarantee for the intrinsic safety of the large power grid.

The innovation, done by the State Grid Anhui Electric Power Research Institute after three years of research, has been applied to the network at Anhui UHV (Ultra-high voltage) Huainan Station, said Yang Wei, director of the institute's Power Transmission and Transformation Technology Center.

GIS occupies an increasingly important position in power grid construction due to its advantages of space-saving, easy installation and strong anti-interference, he said, adding, however, that the traditional GIS disconnectors need innovations.

He noted that the mechanical and background indications of traditional GIS disconnectors come from the position of the mechanical connecting rod, which cannot monitor the actual state of the internal conductor, and there is a potential risk of internal and external inconsistencies.

To solve the problem, his institute, together with some universities and enterprises, has finally developed an online monitoring device with independent intellectual property rights after intensive research, Yang said.

He disclosed that the device can collect the motor output power and electromagnetic transient signal of the control mechanism, use the characteristic image acquisition and recognition inversion technology, comprehensively analyze the action waveform, and usher in the "visualization" of the GIS isolation switch status together with the external mechanical indication.