THERMAL POWERLINE RATING AND CLEARANCE ANALYSIS USING LOCAL THERMAL SENSOR

• US 20120022822A1
• Filed: 08/18/2011
• Published: 01/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hudson Power Technologies LLC
• Original Assignee: Utility RISK Management Corporation
• Inventors: Rousselle, Adam Robert
• Granted Patent: US 8,275,570 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/130
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/89 for mapping or imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2119/08 Thermal analysis or thermal optimisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/15 Vehicle, aircraft or watercraft design
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/20 Design optimisation, verification or simulation optimisation, verification or simulation of circuit designs G06F30/30
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 1/02 for overhead lines or cables
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 7/00 Overhead installations of electric lines or cables installations of bus-bars H02G5/00

Abstract

A method for modeling of an overhead electrical conductor, includes: collecting 3-dimensional location data of the conductor; substantially simultaneous with said collecting, acquiring a thermal measurement of the conductor with a local thermal sensor; and generating a CAD model of the conductor using the collected 3-dimensional location data of the conductor and the thermal measurement of the conductor. The CAD model facilitates thermal line analysis of the conductor, thermal rating of a power line that includes the conductor, clearance analysis relative to the conductor, and vegetation management relative to the conductor. Apparatus for determining temperature of the overhead electrical conductor, includes: a local thermal sensor that acquires thermal measurements of the conductor; and a data processor that extracts thermal readings from the thermal measurement, and processes the thermal readings and remotely collected 3-dimensional location data of the conductor to determine the temperature of the conductor.

Claims

1. A method for thermal line analysis of an overhead electrical conductor, comprising:

collecting 3-dimensional location data of the conductor;

substantially simultaneous with said collecting, acquiring a thermal measurement of the conductor with a local thermal sensor;

generating a CAD model of the conductor using the collected 3-dimensional location data of the conductor and the thermal measurement of the conductor, and

employing the CAD model for thermal line analysis of the conductor.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the thermal measurement is acquired with a thermal sensor attached to, embedded in, integral with, adjacent to, locally directed at, or otherwise associated with and in proximity to the conductor.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the thermal measurement is acquired with a thermal sensor powered by the conductor.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising geographically associating the thermal measurement with a geographic location of the local thermal sensor and time referencing the thermal measurement with a thermal measurement acquisition time.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising correlating the thermal measurement with the collected 3-dimensional location data of the conductor.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising extracting a thermal reading from the thermal measurement, and determining temperature of the conductor from the thermal reading.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein acquiring the thermal measurement of the conductor substantially simultaneous with said collecting comprises acquiring the thermal measurement at the same time that the 3-dimensional location data is collected or within a time period that temperature of the conductor is unlikely to vary.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

performing a thermal analysis of the thermal measurement to determine temperature of the conductor at the time of collecting the 3-dimensional location data;

wherein said CAD model of the conductor is generated using the temperature of the conductor determined by the thermal analysis; and

further comprising;

employing the CAD model of the conductor to analyze clearance between the conductor and surroundings of the conductor.

9. The method of claim 10, wherein employing the CAD model to analyze clearance comprises conducting at least one of a sway analysis and a sag analysis to determine conductor location in different weather and/or line loading conditions.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

performing a thermal analysis of the thermal measurement to determine temperature of the conductor at the time of collecting the 3-dimensional location data;

wherein said CAD model of the conductor is generated using the temperature of the conductor determined by the thermal analysis; and

further comprising;

employing the CAD model of the conductor to determine a thermal rating of a target line that includes the conductor.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the 3-dimensional location data comprises data collected by a sensor remote from the conductor.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the 3-dimensional location data comprises LiDAR data collected from an airborne vehicle.

13. A method for determining temperature of an overhead electrical conductor, comprising:

remotely collecting 3-dimensional location data of the conductor;

substantially simultaneous with said collecting, acquiring a thermal measurement of the conductor with a local thermal sensor; and

performing a thermal analysis of the thermal measurement to determine temperature of the conductor at the time of collecting the 3-dimensional location data.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising generating a CAD model of the conductor using the remotely collected 3-dimensional location data of the conductor and the determined temperature of the conductor.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising employing the CAD model for at least one of:

thermal line analysis of the conductor, thermal rating of a power line that includes the conductor, clearance analysis relative to the conductor, and vegetation growth management relative to the conductor.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the thermal analysis includes correlating the thermal measurement of the conductor acquired by the local thermal sensor with the remotely collected 3-dimensional location data of the conductor.

17. Apparatus for determining temperature of an overhead electrical conductor, comprising:

a remote location sensor collecting 3-dimensional location data of the conductor;

a local thermal sensor acquiring a thermal measurement of the conductor substantially simultaneous with said collecting; and

a data processor correlating the collected 3-dimensional location data of the conductor and the thermal measurement of the conductor to determine the temperature of the conductor at time of collection of the 3-dimensional location data of the conductor.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the remote location sensor comprises a LiDAR sensor, and the local thermal sensor comprises a thermometer or other thermal sensing, monitoring or measuring device associated with and in proximity to the conductor.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the data processor generates a CAD model of the conductor using the 3-dimensional location data of the conductor collected by the remote location sensor, and the thermal measurement of the conductor acquired by the local thermal sensor.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the data processor also performs at least one of:

thermal modeling of the conductor, determining thermal rating of a line containing the conductor, thermal line analysis of the conductor, and analyzing clearance between the conductor and surroundings of the conductor, based on the determined temperature.