Drone Based EHV Transmission Corridor Monitoring – Odisha Power Transmission Corporation Limited
Drone Technology in Transmission Line Maintenance
Problem
- Ensuring regular maintenance for a healthy electricity transmission system.
- Workers need to climb tall towers and get near high-voltage lines.
- Traditional inspections are time-consuming and less frequent.
- Regular inspection crews can’t capture as much detailed data, including hidden hotspots.
- Difficult terrain makes some areas hard to inspect regularly and manual inspections are expensive.
Solutions
- Implementing drones to eliminate the need for workers to climb towers near high-voltage lines.
- Recording and addressing abnormalities through a geo-fenced Android app, updated with geo-tagged photographs.
- Linking with the Plant Maintenance module to centrally manage maintenance orders and abnormalities.
- Utilizing drones to capture RGB and thermal images and videos, processed through software to detect discrepancies accurately.
- Generating analytical reports to help identify critical towers, theft areas, and frequently occurring abnormalities.
Outcomes
- Drones covered 80 km with 230 towers in 30 days, improving survey efficiency.
- Gathered tower-wise images, videos, and thermal data for detailed analysis.
- Identified defects for proactive maintenance planning and system reliability.
- Extended drone surveys to critical 400KV, 220KV, and 132KV lines based on successful results.
- Used analytical reports to identify critical areas and guide proactive maintenance strategies.
Outcomes
- Initial image quality did not meet standards.
- Management intervention improved image and video quality for final deliverables.
- Calculating sag requires expensive LiDAR surveys, planned for the next phase.
- Lines passing through reserve forests require additional care.
- Lines going through Reserve Forest need extra care.
- Handling a large database for AI-based image processing, MIS, and defect segregation poses a significant challenge.
SKOCH Award Nominee
Category: State Government – Energy
Sub-Category: State Government – Energy
Project: Drone Based EHV Transmission Corridor Monitoring
Start Date: 6-06-2023
Organisation: Odisha Power Transmission Corporation Limited
Respondent: Sanjay Kumar Mishra
https://www.optcl.co.in
Level: Premium Plus
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Case Study
Drone Technology in Transmission Line Maintenance
Summary
The project utilised drone inspections to enhance power line monitoring at OPTCL, achieving safety improvements, cost savings, and enhanced data accuracy. Future plans include expanding coverage to critical lines and demonstrating a commitment to leveraging technology for efficient infrastructure management.
Problems
Before drones were utilized, inspecting power lines involved hazardous manual processes such as climbing tall towers and approaching high-voltage lines. These methods were slow, costly, and often provided less accurate data compared to drones equipped with advanced sensors. Additionally, inaccessible terrain in areas like Odisha posed further challenges for regular inspections, impacting safety and monitoring efforts.
Solutions
The project uses drones to capture detailed RGB and thermal images of towers and power lines, facilitating thorough analysis. Abnormalities identified during drone surveys are managed through a geo-fenced Android app, allowing immediate corrective actions. Integration with SAP S4/HANA ensures efficient maintenance scheduling, while centralized data management supports informed decision-making through analytical reports on infrastructure issues.
Outcomes
Survey teams conducted a comprehensive walkover and drone survey covering 80 kilometres and 230 towers in 30 days. They delivered tower-specific images, videos, and thermal scans processed through image software, aiding in preventive maintenance and system strengthening. Following this successful evaluation, management planned drone inspections for 11 400KV, 28 220KV, and 9 132KV critical lines, extending the survey’s benefits to crucial infrastructure.
Challenges
The project faced challenges with image and video quality, sag calculation requiring costly LiDAR surveys, managing power lines through forests, and processing a large image database using AI for defect management. Despite these, proactive management and strategic planning are critical for success.
Innovation
The project innovatively identifies critical 400 KV and 220 KV lines for focused monitoring, capturing RGB/Thermal images at strategic points to assess asset health. It delivers comprehensive RGB/Thermal images for each tower and thermal videos of lines, utilizing AI software to analyze vulnerabilities and prioritize maintenance effectively.
Opportunities
Based on the outcomes of the project, management is now poised to expand drone inspection initiatives across OPTCL, particularly focusing on critical and inaccessible lines such as 11 400KV, 28 220KV, and 9 132KV lines. A tendering process is underway for this expansion, with an estimated cost of 3.68 crore rupees allocated for implementation. This expansion presents an opportunity to enhance monitoring and maintenance capabilities significantly across these crucial power lines.
For more information, please contact:
Sanjay Kumar Mishra at cmd@optcl.co.in
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