Multiphysics Simulation Drives Smart City Technology

Contemporary power boxes (or feeder pillars, as they are known outside of the U.S.) are mounted in the street and control the electrical supply to dwellings within a neighborhood. As residents increasingly prioritize the aesthetic and continue to place a high value on urban living, there is a need for less conspicuous power boxes.

But as it turns out, there is a valid reason behind the bulky size of the power boxes. The size of the traditional design holds the hardware necessary to reduce the high power of the long-distance power line to a power suitable for distribution to homes and businesses. The worthy goal of reducing the size of the power boxes comes with the additional challenge of routing power with considerably less area while considering resistance and Lorentz forces, a not insignificant undertaking.

Ishant Jain, Principal Researcher in R&D at Raychem RPG, applied his years of simulation experience to the challenge of creating a smart city-ready and space-conscious power box. He along with his team at Raychem enlisted multiphysics simulation to tackle the engineering challenges that accompanied the creation of this radical new design...

Read the article here: www.techbriefs.com/component/content/article/tb/pub/features/articles/48244