Electrical distribution and transmission
UAV applications for power lines inspection and maintenance.
Transmission and distribution power lines inspection
The distribution and transmission through overhead power lines ensures the continuous flow of electricity.
Maintenance operations must be carried out regularly to avoid damages on the power lines which could lead to power outages and have an impact on the whole community and the economy.
Hercules 2 – The mini UAV for power lines and sources substations inspection.
The Hercules 2 drone offers a safe way to inspect power lines and transmission towers while reducing costs and human risk. The Hercules 2 is equipped with the FLIR duo camera. The RGB and thermal sensors provide a more precise analysis and perform a precise diagnosis of the power lines in order to organize future maintenance and investment plans.
The Hercules 2 sensors can identify potential defects and faults such as broken or chipped insulators, check the condition of the pylon paint, monitor the surrounding vegetation … and thus avoid power outages.
Hercules 10 with Pensar camera – Power lines inspection with artificial intelligence support.
Autonomous and real-time detection of faults and defects with the embedded artificial intelligence Pensar camera.
Detect, track, recognize and annotate problems and faults and improve your inspection efficiency with the Pensar camera.
Benefits
- Efficiency: Maximize service time.
- Safer: easily access dangerous areas.
- Multitasking: detecting various types of problems and faults on power line transmission.
- Avoid power outages
Corona discharge detection
Quickly and safely detect corona effects (corona discharge).
What is the Corona effect?
Corona discharge (also known as the corona effect) is an electrical discharge caused by the ionization of the air surrounding the conductors.
What are the consequences of the corona effect?
The corona discharge produces a purple glow and can cause loss of power, cracking noise, radio interference, and ozone gas production.
Hercules 10 and Corocam 8 for corona discharges detection.
The Hercules 10 equipped with the Corocam 8 – UViRCO camera that can detect and prevent corona discharge on power lines in areas that are difficult to access.
Combined imaging (IR, UV and VIS sensors) allows UV and thermal inspections to be performed simultaneously, saving time and reducing risk and human effort. The co-location of electric shocks and hot spots allows the maintenance operator to better understand the cause of a fault.
Benefits
- Efficiency: Maximize service time.
- Safer: easily access dangerous areas.
- Easy access: Identify and prevent breakdowns caused by vegetation.
- Multitasking: The drone can identify wear, detect corona discharges, electrical malfunctions or even assembly faults.
Power line stringing
Drones help fast and safe stringing of high voltage power lines.
With drones, it is possible to wire high voltage lines from one high voltage tower to another, in a safer, faster and less expensive way than traditional stringing (helicopters, manual stringing). Energy companies can now reduce operational costs and save time by stringing power lines with drones.
How does it work?
The drone loads a very thin, light and ultra-resistant cable guide. This cable will be laid on the transmission tower in order to reach the crew on the ground that will install the final cable.
This method using professional drones reduces human and material risks unlike traditional methods such as helicopters or operators climbing on high voltage towers.
Benefits
- Avoids human risks
- Reduction of operational costs
- Quick installation
Mapping of power line networks
Drone equipped with a lidar or a RGB camera and a RTK system provides high-resolution images at a reduced cost and safely for 3D mapping.
Electrical network mapping by drone allows the inspection of thousands of kilometers of electrical lines in order to optimize the monitoring and the maintenance plan of the network.
A regular mapping allows vegetation monitoring, verification of maintenance works and services performed by operators or external companies as well as checking the general condition of the power lines.
Benefits
- Cost reduction
- Time saving
- No power outage
- Avoids human risk
Power lines inspection professional training
Discover our professional training courses to prepare professional drone pilots for power lines and substations inspection missions.
DRONE VOLT Academy offers professional training for electric transmission and distribution network inspection.
Our training is provided by certified trainers approved by local aviation administrations (DGAC, FAA, etc…) and we use at the edge drone equipment to train our students.
Our fleet of drones dedicated to power line inspection:
- DJI Mavic, Mavic Dual Entreprise, Matrix 200 with Zenmuse XT, XT2, X5S, Z30 cameras.
- Hercules 2 for power line inspection with thermal camera and RGB sensors.
- Hercules 20 for power line stringing.
- Inspector for internal transmission tower inspection.
- Heliplane for 3D power line mapping.
Our dedicated drone fleet for the inspection of electrical distribution and transmission networks.
Discover all our professional drones for electric power transmission network inspection and power lines mapping.
