Natural wet-snow shedding from overhead cables

Abstract

The initiation of wet-snow shedding from overhead cables with negligible sag due to natural processes was modeled experimentally and theoretically. The experiments were carried out in a cold chamber where wet-snow sleeves were prepared on a suspended cable, and then exposed to natural processes leading to snow shedding: air temperature above freezing point, wind effect, and heat radiation. The theoretical model is based on heat balance, and simulates water migration in the cross section at the end of the snow sleeve from the top half toward the bottom half. The model calculates the time history of liquid water content and density of snow in the end section, predicts the deflection of the same section and its shedding when it is completely detached from the cable. The theoretical and experimental results provide the time of snow shedding under different ambient conditions, together with time dependence of liquid water content and density of snow during the time interval modeled.