HOUSTON — The U.S. Department of Energy launched an ARPA-E Program called GOPHURRS, which stands for Grid Overhaul with Proactive, High-speed Undergrounding for Reliability, Resilience, and Security and allocated $34 million for 12 projects across 11 states.
The funds will be used to “strengthen and modernize America’s aging power grid by spurring the development of cost-effective, high-speed and safe undergrounding technologies,” according to a news release from the University of Houston’s Cullen College of Engineering.
One of the projects selected, awarded $3.3 million in funding, is the “Artificial Intelligence and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Real-Time Advanced Look-Ahead Subsurface Sensor,” which brings together the technological expertise of Hawaii-based Oceanit with the Tier-One research capabilities of UH.
Jiefu Chen — associate professor of electrical and computer engineering — focuses on designing electromagnetic antennas installed on UAV and HDD drilling string, as well as optimization of the subsurface imaging system; Yueqin Huang, assistant professor of information science technology, leads the geophysical signal processing needed to construct precise subsurface images ahead of the drill bit; and Xuqing Wu, associate professor of computer information systems, integrates machine learning for faster modeling and real-time image generation.
“The team is working to develop a subsurface sensing system to guide safe and efficient underground power line installation. The aim is to create a real-time, high-resolution look-ahead sensing system using unmanned aerial vehicles, electromagnetic resistivity well logging, and machine learning,” the release stated. “This technology will detect underground obstacles in front of a drill bit, minimizing damage to existing infrastructures and enabling a smoother installation process.”
“Advanced subsurface sensing and characterization technologies are essential for the undergrounding of power lines,” said Jiefu Chen, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at UH who is a key collaborator on the project. “This initiative can enhance the grid’s resilience against natural hazards such as wildfires and hurricanes.”
The end goal of the project is to produce a prototype capable of generating near real-time, high-resolution underground images during horizontal directional drilling or HDD.
“Modernizing our nation’s power grid is essential to building a clean energy future that lowers energy costs for working Americans and strengthens our national security,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm in a DOE press release.
Source: University of Houston
