Maintenance Of Power Transmission Lines Research Articles

Recognition and Extraction of Power Transmission Lines Based on Infrared Image Processing for Line-following Robots

To further improve the real-time performance and accuracy of power transmission line maintenance, this paper primarily focuses on the preliminary line recognition and extraction method based on thermal image processing of infrared images collected by line-following robots for thermal fault detection. Firstly, filtering and noise reduction techniques along with enhanced image processing are applied to preprocess the collected infrared images. This effectively addresses the noise and interference from background objects, which can affect the extraction of overheated areas on the lines, while also reducing the computational memory required for subsequent image processing. Subsequently, an improved Canny edge detection algorithm is employed to extract the edges of foreground objects in the images. Additionally, a region-growing algorithm combined with the geometric features of the lines is employed to filter out unwanted thermal sources, enabling the accurate segmentation and extraction of power transmission lines. This forms a solid foundation for subsequent detection and identification of abnormal hotspots on the extracted lines, and holds significance for the inspection and maintenance of existing thermal faults and potential hotspots in power transmission lines.

Kinodynamic planning with reachability prediction for PTL maintenance robot

This article presents a novel method—Dynamic Environment Rapid Search Tree—for power transmission line maintenance robot, which is based on the learned field function of reachability and the genetic best-first policy. Dynamic Environment Rapid Search Tree uses a priori information to optimize the node selection strategy in the rigid–flexible coupling environment with slight perturbation and generates the joint path in the configuration space. While the search tree rapidly extends toward the goal configuration, it effectively avoids the obstacles and greatly reduces the expansion of the irrelevant region. Finally, the joint trajectory considering the dynamic constraints and cost function is given, which provides the reference positions and torques for the robot controller. Traditional planning algorithms are compared with our proposed method under two different operation modes, and the planner is demonstrated on the robot under real settings. The experiment results verify the feasibility and adaptiveness of the proposed algorithm and planner, even in slightly and continuously varying environment.

A mobility compensation method for drones in SG-eIoT

In order to achieve the specific goal of a smart grid, the concept of electricity Internet of Things (eIoT) has been proposed to assist the monitoring and inspection of power transmission line state and optimize the asset utilization. The long power transmission line and the complex field operation environment urge the introduction of drones into the eIoT for fast power transmission line inspection, data collection from sensors for further big data analysis, adaptive control of power line voltage, etc. Additionally, drones can also act as a central communication control or relay point to serve the data exchange among sensors, drones and power transmission line maintenance personnel in the scenario where the conventional mobile communication service is not available. However, the fast mobility of drones may affect the signal transmission and position estimation performance, which may further deteriorate the networking performance. In order to solve this problem, a mobility compensation method is proposed, which includes the steps of frequency offset estimation and relative velocity calculation. Through the Monte Carlo simulations, the proposed algorithm shows favorable gains compared with the conventional ones.

Research on Wind Field Characteristics along Power Transmission Lines Based on Full-scale Measured Data in High-altitude and Strong Wind Regions

High-altitude regions are featured by complicated geographical environment, in which strong wind events occurs frequently. At present, the engineering meteorological data of relevant projects are limited. Moreover, the rationality of determination methods of design wind loads for power transmission lines in the high-altitude regions is still unclear, which severely threatens the safety of power transmission lines. Therefore, this paper focuses on actual full-scale measurements of wind fields along power transmission lines in the high-altitude strong wind regions. The average wind speed and turbulence intensity characteristics under the typical high-altitude terrains terrain are analysed. Through the profile fitting of power law profile and the analysis on probability of actually measured data, the value scopes of parameters, such as profile index, are obtained. Through comparing with existing Chinese codes, some theoretical reference and basis for the wind-resisting design and maintenance of power transmission lines in relevant regions are suggested.

Development and Application of Foreign objects Removal Device for High Voltage Transmission Line

This paper presents a device for removing foreign objects on high-voltage transmission lines in the power system.The device aims to solve current difficulties including high labor density and low success rate.Firstly, the main functional components of the foreign object removal device are analyzed, then the design innovation points and the key technology of the device are proposed. Besides, the device has been applied to the actual work site of power transmission line maintenance for the field test and data analysis. Experimental result demonstrates that it has lower labor intensity, remarkable social benefit and economic effect.

Gibbon-inspired Robust Asymmetric Brachiation along an Upward Slope

This paper investigates the robust control of an underactuated brachiating robot. The control schemes are motivated by the applications that require robots to move through lattice structures, such as the inspection and maintenance of power transmission lines and towers. Inspired by the pendulum-like movements that enable gibbons' arboreal locomotion, the controllers are designed to synchronize the brachiator with a virtual oscillator. Two controllers are proposed: a model-dependent feedback linearization scheme and a sliding-mode scheme that is independent of the system model. These controllers are tasked to drive a robotic brachiator in two cases with different geometries: symmetric geometry, where its links have equal lengths, and asymmetric geometry, where its links have different lengths. The numerical results illustrate that the proposed schemes are robust to the arbitrary initial conditions of the brachiator, the motor torque limitation at the elbow joint, as well as the geometry of the brachiator. Furthermore, they are able to perform successful fast swing-up and dynamic brachiating along a structural member with an upward slope in a unified control framework for both symmetric and asymmetric geometries.

High precision ultrasonic guided wave technique for inspection of power transmission line

Due to the merits of high inspection speed and long detecting distance, Ultrasonic Guided Wave(UGW) method has been commonly applied to the on-line maintenance of power transmission line. However, the guided wave propagation in this structure is very complicated, leading to the unfavorable defect localization accuracy. Aiming at this situation, a high precision UGW technique for inspection of local surface defect in power transmission line is proposed. The technique is realized by adopting a novel segmental piezoelectric ring transducer and transducer mounting scheme, combining with the comprehensive characterization of wave propagation and circumferential defect positioning with multiple piezoelectric elements. Firstly, the propagation path of guided waves in the multi-wires of transmission line under the proposed technique condition is investigated experimentally. Next, the wave velocities are calculated by dispersion curves and experiment test respectively, and from comparing of the two results, the guided wave mode propagated in transmission line is confirmed to be F(1,1) mode. Finally, the axial and circumferential positioning of local defective wires in transmission line are both achieved, by using multiple piezoelectric elements to surround the stands and send elastic waves into every single wire. The proposed research can play a role of guiding the development of highly effective UGW method and detecting system for multi-wire transmission line.

A State of the Art of Power Transmission Line Maintenance Robots

This paper dealt with a state-of-the-art maintenance robots for power transmission lines (PTL). The paper summarized the PTL maintenance robots that have been developed by eight major research institutions. The main features of the robot navigation were derived and classified through analysis of researches conducted by those institutions. The derived six main features were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively through readiness level assessment. For this, system readiness level (SRL) was used to evaluate the readiness level of overall system. The SRL was obtained using technology readiness level (TRL) and integration readiness level (IRL). In addition, the readiness level for each feature was reviewed through statistical analysis using box and whisker plot. In conclusion, we confirmed the status and direction of research and development on PTL maintenance robots by analyzing conventional robots with respect to six main features.

Electromagnetic sounding of the Earth’s crust in the region of superdeep boreholes of Yamal-Nenets autonomous district using the fields of natural and controlled sources

Electromagnetic soundings with the fields of natural (magnetotelluric (MT), and audio magnetotelluric (AMT)) and high-power controlled sources have been carried out in the region of the SG-6 (Tyumen) and SG-7 (En-Yakhin) superdeep boreholes in the Yamal-Nenets autonomous district (YaNAD). In the controlled-source soundings, the electromagnetic field was generated by the VL Urengoi-Pangody 220-kV industrial power transmission line (PTL), which has a length of 114 km, and ultralow-frequency (ULF) Zevs radiating antenna located at a distance of 2000 km from the signal recording sites. In the soundings with the Urengoi-Pangody PTL, the Energiya-2 generator capable of supplying up to 200 kW of power and Energiya-3 portable generator with a power of 2 kW were used as the sources. These generators were designed and manufactured at the Kola Science Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The soundings with the Energiya-2 generator were conducted in the frequency range from 0.38 to 175 Hz. The external generator was connected to the PTL in upon the agreement with the Yamal-Nenets Enterprise of Main Electric Networks, a branch of OAO FSK ES of Western Siberia. The connection was carried out by the wire-ground scheme during the routine maintenance of PTL in the nighttime. The highest-quality signals were recorded in the region of the SG-7 (En-Yakhin) superdeep borehole, where the industrial noise is lowest. The results of the inversion of the soundings with PTL and Zevs ULF transmitter completely agree with each other and with the data of electric logging. The MT-AMT data provide additional information about the deep structure of the region in the low-frequency range (below 1Hz). It is established that the section of SG-6 and SG-7 boreholes contains conductive layers in the depth intervals from 0.15 to 0.3 km and from 1 to 1.5 km. These layers are associated with the variations in the lithological composition, porosity, and fluid saturation of the rocks. The top of the poorly conductive Permian-Triassic complex is identified at a depth of about 7 km. On the basis of the MT data in the lowest frequency band (hourly and longer periods) with the observations at the Novosibirsk observatory taken into account, the distribution of electric resistivity up to a depth of 800 km is reconstructed. This distribution can be used as additional information when calculating the temperature and rheology of the lithosphere and upper mantle in West Siberia. The results of our studies demonstrate the high potential of the complex electromagnetic soundings with natural and controlled sources in the study of deep structure of the lithosphere and tracing deep oil-and-gas-bearing horizons in the sedimentary cover of the West Siberian Platform within the Yamal-Nenets autonomous district.

Coordination of maintenance of high-voltage transmission lines and outages of NPP units in an expert maintenance scheduling system

It is shown how a computer-aided maintenance scheduling system can be used to coordinate maintenance of high-voltage transmission lines and outages of NPP units. The paper describes the stages of processing requests for maintenance of power transmission lines, coordination of these requests with the outages of NPP units, and final scheduling followed by plotting of Gantt charts.

Automatic reconfiguration of a robotic arm using a multi-agent approach

There are numerous methods for solving the inverse kinematic equations for a robotic arm. This paper proposes a novel, adaptive approach based on multiagent systems (MASs). An MAS employs a distributed, decentralized approach to problem solving that is not commonly employed in conventional robotic arm control. The MAS uses patterns abstracted from various configurations of the robotic arm to provide a means of solving inverse kinematic equations where there is a changing kinematic model. Such an approach is beneficial in applications such as the maintenance of power transmission lines, welding, and providing support to handicapped people. The method is demonstrated using a case study utilizing a six-degree-of-freedom Kawasaki FS02 industrial robotic arm. The results from the case study demonstrate a solution for 95 per cent of all attainable Cartesian coordinates.

Power transmission line maintenance information system for Hokusei line with snow accretion monitoring capability

A maintenance information system for overhead power lines is described. It was developed and put into practical use to assure a stable and reliable supply of electrical power. By using tension sensors, various kinds of meteorological sensors, and TV cameras, this system monitors snow accretion on power lines running through snowy mountainous areas. Sensor data are transmitted through optical fibers within the composite fiber-optic overhead ground wire. The central monitoring equipment performs distributed processing using several personal computers to share the tasks effectively.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>