December 21 2023 – JT VonLunen
Drone for Corona Inspection on Powerlines
Corona is a phenomenon associated with transmission lines. It is created under conditions where localized electric field exceeds a certain critical value (4.5kV/cm). Corona occurs on all types of transmission lines, and it becomes more noticeable at higher voltages and higher altitudes. Utilities try to reduce the amount of corona because in addition to audio noise, radio and TV interferences and power loss corona will damage the grid components.
RMUS has created an NDAA compliant solution with OFIL and Real Time Robotics. We have integrated the DayCor® micROM HD on the HERA. Operators can detect Corona in real time as the live video feed is broadcast to the remote control. The system can also be used with the RTR Herasight payload, that features radiometric thermal and an Sony 9500 Block Camera with 30x Enhanced Optical Zoom.
Corona Inspections Benefits for Utilities, Energy and Power Transmission:
- Detect Degradation of Polymer insulators
- Find Contamination – coastal salt; industrial vapors and dusts; cement dust; highway road-salt; tire dust and car emissions; agricultural dusts and fertilizers
- Locate Cracked porcelain insulators
- Find rusted cement and metal caps & pins on porcelain insulators.
- Find RFI, TVI and audio noise sources lead to customer complaints
- Locate wrong design and improper installation, that may lead to mechanical and electrical failure, of: hardware such as corona ring, conductors ADSS etc…
- Find Shorted bells
- Locate loose hardware such as: spacers, slices, clamps etc.