Abstract
Cabled underwater information networks (CUINs) are a focal point and priority in the field of global marine science and technology. Reliability and economic viability are among the primary constraints on the large-scale deployment of such networks. The remote power supply system for grid-like CUINs is the component with the highest technical risk, exerting a significant impact on both network reliability and economic feasibility. This paper designs and constructs a minimal model and a basic model of a constant-current remote power supply system (CCRPSS) for grid-like CUINs. Through simulation modeling and analysis, the system’s capability to handle faults in a single underwater unit or multiple underwater units in different power supply link segments (PSLSs) is validated, and the impact of underwater unit faults on the system’s operational state is analyzed. Based on this, a descriptive method for determining the power supply reliability (PSR) of observation equipment (OE) is proposed, and the variation patterns of this reliability across different power supply links (PSLs) are derived. Building on this foundation, a constrained engineering design method for the grid-like CCRPSS is proposed. This method aims to deploy a larger number of secondary nodes (SNs) at a lower cost. By integrating constraints including the PSR of OE for each PSL, the open-circuit and short-circuit fault rates of underwater units, and the allowable number of SNs per PSLS, it optimizes the system engineering design problem. This approach yields an optimal solution for the number of longitudinally and transversely deployed SNs as well as the reliability requirements for each underwater unit. Case simulation results validate the descriptive method for the PSR of OE and the variation patterns of such reliability, thereby confirming the feasibility of the constrained engineering design approach. The research findings presented in this paper can provide theoretical references for the reliability analysis, scale design, and long-term planning of CUINs and their remote power supply systems.