Dynamic Wire Free Strain Gauge Monitoring System (DSGS)

as used in Solar Power High Tension Transmission Lines

In September 08 the developers of the Dynamic Wire Free Strain Gauge Monitoring System were approached by a senior VP Litigation Attorney for one of the large Insurance firms in the US, regarding a law suit for a staggering 1.5 billion (USD). The law suit resulted from fires that were caused by the combination of excessive fatigue in the electric Utility Transmission lines and Santa Ana winds that resulted in overstretched transmission lines clashing and creating sparks that ignited the surrounding vegetation.

The general discussion became focused on the Dynamic Wire Free Strain Gauge Monitoring System being placed on high tension transmission lines, to monitor stress and strain, with the potential to becoming a standard for the industry.

The key issue identified was the maintenance on the transmission lines. From discussions it was revealed that a standard formula is applied to calculate sag in power lines, but this is based on averages, and the problem is that some lines sag more than others. Associated to this is the fact that there is no monitoring system/approach available that can appropriately differentiate between those lines that need additional maintenance and those lines that need little maintenance.

With access to 5 top level engineers, the next 2 weeks was spent analyzing the clashing Transmission wires problem and devising a solution using the Dynamic Wire Free Strain Gauge Monitoring System. The solution was presented to the Attorney and several US Power Companies, who accepted that it would have provided the Electric Utility in question with the means to avoid the fires and therefore avoid the $1.5b (USD) litigation.

The solution is based on monitoring the transmission lines to allow the Utility to decide which lines need additional maintenance and equally important to have data to pin point potential problem areas. Since those first meetings, further R & D has been devoted to identify better ways to power the units, including the use of Leakage from the power lines to power the units, coupled with Battery backup. 

Further analysis, and field based testing, is required to identify the optimum number of sensors needed on the lines between each tower, and where they should be positioned,. To this end it is believed the Utility Maintenance Engineers, with their wealth of knowledge and experience in the industry, could provide significant input into the correct placement of the sensors.

The other area of concern raised at the time was the maintenance of the Transmission Towers themselves. The resultant discussion identified that fatigue analysis on towers is easily solved using the Dynamic Wire Free Strain Gauge Monitoring System as well.

With all this in mind it is believed that the best approach, moving forward, is a Utility based project to enable field based testing of the alternative positioning options to identify the optimum placement of sensors to meet specific Utility requirements.