wiredInUSA June 2019

Beautification project

Color recognition

Rosendahl’s color recognition sensor system

Nexans will supply high voltage underground cables for the Dorset Visual Impact Provision (VIP) project. The contract was awarded by Morgan Sindall Infrastructure, the main contractor, as part of its underground onshore electricity cable framework agreement for National Grid. The project will focus on reducing the visual impact of an existing 8.8km section of 400kV overhead line, replacing it with underground cabling and removing 22 pylons. It also includes the construction of two new sealing end compounds, required to connect the new underground cables to the remaining overhead line. Nexans will supply over 100kmof specialized copper-core HV cable with XLPE insulation. The cables will be used to create two three- phase circuits, each with two cables per phase. Construction work on the project is expected to take up to three years to complete, including the removal of the existing line and pylons. The cables will be manufactured by Nexans’ Benelux plant in Charleroi, Belgium, with the accessories delivered by Nexans’ Switzerland plant in Cortaillod.

Rosendahl has developed a sensor system, the SK-400-C, to monitor color in insulation lines. The main component is a PC-based evaluation unit with 360° camera surveillance. The precise sensor unit of the system has four cameras and is protected by a stainless steel housing. The interior is sealed against light leakage from outside. The evaluation algorithm is based on the LABcolor space, used incolormeasurement worldwide because it is very similar to human color perception. The main and stripe colors, as well as the stripe width, are measured according to pre-set references, and any color deviations are detected immediately. Using the color recognition system is expected to reduce scrap and waste, both at the start of production and during a color change. Additional production steps, such as printing, are easy to integrate because the sensor is completely insensitive to water and rotation. The SK-400-C is suitable for high speed applications up to 2,500m per minute, and can be integrated into new or existing lines as a stand-alone unit.

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wiredInUSA - June 2019