OVERHEAD POWER TRANSMISSION LINE CONDUCTOR SELECTION

• US 20070271081A1
• Filed: 05/19/2006
• Published: 11/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Original Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Inventors: Johnson, Douglas E., Jachim, Anton F., Collins, Elisa J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,516,051 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 703/18
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2119/06 Power analysis or power optimisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2119/08 Thermal analysis or thermal optimisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/20 Design optimisation, verification or simulation optimisation, verification or simulation of circuit designs G06F30/30
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/20 Information technology specific aspects, e.g. CAD, simulation, modelling, system security

Abstract

In general the invention is directed to systems and methods to identify conductors that may be used as part of a power transmission line system. In one embodiment, the invention is directed to a computer-implemented method of evaluating an electric conductor for an overhead power transmission line, comprising: receiving requirements data defining requirements for an overhead power transmission line; receiving conductor data that define at least two conductors to be evaluated; after receiving conductor data for the plurality of conductors to be evaluated, automatically modeling expected operating performance for at least two conductors using conductor assessment software running on a computer, wherein modeling at least comprises, for at least one of the conductors to be evaluated, calculating the conductor'"'"'s maximum ampacity within the constraints defined by the requirements data; and, based on the modeling, identifying at least one conductor that meets the requirements for the power transmission line.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of evaluating an electric conductor for an overhead power transmission line, comprising:

receiving requirements data defining requirements for an overhead power transmission line comprising at least a span value, a maximum sag value, and a maximum tension value;

receiving conductor data that define at least two conductors to be evaluated;

after receiving conductor data for the plurality of conductors to be evaluated, automatically modeling expected operating performance for at least two conductors using conductor assessment software running on a computer, wherein modeling at least comprises, for at least one of the conductors to be evaluated, calculating the conductor'"'"'s maximum ampacity within the constraints defined by the requirements data; and

,

based on the modeling, identifying at least one conductor that meets the requirements for the power transmission line using the conductor assessment software.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, additionally comprising:

generating, with the conductor assessment software, an electronic report containing at least one conductor that meets the requirements for the power transmission line.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, additionally comprising:

after modeling at least two conductors, sorting the conductors by core area.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein identifying comprises determining the conductor with the smallest core area that meets the requirements.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein modeling expected operating performance comprises automatically iterating through at least one calculation for at least two conductors, the automatic iteration executed by the conductor assessment software.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein identifying at least one conductor that meets the requirements for the power transmission line comprises identifying one or more conductors that do not meet the requirements for the power transmission line.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein maximum tension is horizontal tension at sag, average tension, vertical tension (a tension at the attachments), a tension value expressed as the percentage breaking strength of the conductor, the vertical component of the tension at attachments, or the transverse component of the tension at the attachments.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein span value is an actual span or ruling span.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein operating performance comprises sag/tension or ampacity.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein modeling comprises modeling least one real, non-theoretical conductor.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein receiving requirements data comprises receiving requirements for an overhead electric distribution line.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein requirements data is data that defines an existing overhead power transmission line.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the conductor data includes at least one of the following data elements:

strength of conductor;

weight of conductor;

heat capacity of conductor;

type or family of conductor,

stress strain curve data of conductor;

or

diameter of conductor.

14. A computer-implemented method of evaluating an electric conductor for an overhead power transmission line, comprising:

receiving requirements data defining requirements for an overhead power transmission line comprising at least a span value, minimum ampacity, and a maximum tension value;

receiving conductor data that define at least two conductors to be evaluated;

after receiving conductor data for the plurality of conductors to be evaluated, automatically modeling expected operating performance for at least two conductors using conductor assessment software running on a computer, wherein modeling at least comprises, for at least one of the conductors to be evaluated, calculating the conductor'"'"'s minimum sag within the constraints defined by the requirements data; and

,

based on the modeling, identifying at least one conductor that meets the requirements for the power transmission line using the conductor assessment software.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, additionally comprising:

generating, with the conductor assessment software, an electronic report containing at least one conductor that meets the requirements for the power transmission line.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, additionally comprising:

after modeling at least two conductors, sorting the conductors by core area.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein identifying comprises determining the conductor with the smallest core area that meets the requirements.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein modeling expected operating performance comprises automatically iterating through at least one calculation for at least two conductors, the automatic iteration executed by the conductor assessment software.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein identifying at least one conductor that meets the requirements for the power transmission line comprises identifying one or more conductors that do not meet the requirements for the power transmission line.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein maximum tension is horizontal tension at sag, average tension, vertical tension (a tension at the attachments), a tension value expressed as the percentage breaking strength of the conductor, the vertical component of the tension at attachments, or the transverse component of the tension at the attachments.

21. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein span value is an actual span or ruling span.

22. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein modeling comprises modeling least one real, non-theoretical conductor.

23. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein the conductor data includes at least one of the following data elements:

strength of conductor;

weight of conductor;

heat capacity of conductor;

type or family of conductor,

stress strain curve data of conductor;

or

diameter of conductor.

24. A computer-implemented method of evaluating an electric conductor for an overhead power transmission line, comprising:

receiving power transmission line data that defines an existing power transmission line;

receiving a set of requirements data defining requirements for a replacement conductor from a user, at least one limitation of which is proposed by the conductor assessment software, and based on a limitation of the existing power transmission line;

receiving conductor data that define at least two conductors to be evaluated;

after receiving conductor data for the plurality of conductors to be evaluated, automatically modeling expected operating performance for at least two conductors using conductor assessment software running on a computer; and

,

based on the modeling, identifying at least one conductor that meets the requirements for the power transmission line using the conductor assessment software.

25. The computer-implemented method of claim 24, wherein automatically modeling expected operating performance comprises:

calculating the conductor'"'"'s optimal tension, wherein the optimal tension is a tension value within a tension tolerance percentage value of the highest tension value yielding a sag/tension calculation that does not exceed the maximum tension value, defined as part of the power transmission line requirements or the conductor data; and

calculating the conductor'"'"'s optimal operating temperature, wherein the optimal operating temperature is within a temperature tolerance percentage value of the temperature which yields a sag value greater than a maximum sag value defined as part of the power transmission line requirements.

26. The computer-implemented method of claim 25, wherein automatically modeling expected operating performance of each conductor further comprises:

sorting conductors by a design goal, wherein the design goal is one of the following;

maximize ampacity;

minimize sag;

or

minimize core area.

27. A computer-implemented method of evaluating an electric conductor for an overhead power transmission line, comprising:

receiving requirements data that define at least two requirements for an overhead power transmission line;

receiving conductor data that define at least two conductors to be evaluated;

receiving preference data that defines at least one design goal, wherein the design goal defines both “

a” and

“

b”

as follows;

(a) a design goal variable, which is any variable that is among the requirements data, among the conductor data, among both the requirements data and the conductor data, or is the result of a calculation that involves data that is either among the requirements data or the conductor data,

(b) for the design goal variable, preference data defining whether the variable should be maximized or minimized;

after receiving requirements data, conductor data, and preference data, for the plurality of conductors to be evaluated, automatically modeling expected operating performance for at least two conductors using conductor assessment software running on a computer; and

,

based on the modeling, identifying at least one conductor that meets the requirements for the power transmission line, and either maximizes or minimizes the design goal variable as defined by the preference data using the conductor assessment software.

28. The computer-implemented method of claim 27, wherein the design goal variable is at least one of the following:

ampacity of the power transmission line;

sag of the power transmission line;

or

core area of the conductor.

29. A system for identifying conductors that meet requirements for an overhead power transmission line, comprising:

a database component operative to maintain a database identifying at least two conductors;

a user interface component operative to receive information defining requirements for an overhead power transmission line, the requirements at least comprising a span value, a maximum sag value, and a maximum tension value;

a modeling component operative to computationally evaluate the performance of at least two of the conductors maintained in the database component, wherein computational evaluation comprises calculating a conductor'"'"'s maximum ampacity with the constraints defined by the requirements data; and

a reporting component operative to determine and present, based on the modeling component'"'"'s evaluation, conductors that meet requirements for the overhead power transmission line.

30. A method of selling a conductor an overhead power transmission line comprising:

receiving requirements for an overhead power transmission line;

identifying a set of conductors that could meet the requirements of a power transmission line, at least one of the conductors from a manufacturer distinct from a manufacturer of another of the conductors;

using a computer-implemented method to automatically model performance of at least two of the conductors against requirements of the power transmission line;

generating a list of conductors that meet the requirements; and

selling a conductor from the list of conductors that meet the requirements.