Audit / Source Inspection
Hardening the Grid: Reinforcing the T&D infrastructure to prevent or reduce the damage from extreme weather events.
Right selection of poles, Towers and Wires:
- Dual OHGW to reduce the potage caused by lightning.
- OPGW to provide the communication path across the grid, enhancing the cybersecurity and improving reliability.
- New Insulator design and materials provide greater reliability.
- Higher Capacity, steel reinforced conductor allows for more efficient power flow and reduce electrical losses.
- Greater clearances between electrical lines reduces outages caused by animal and provides safer working conditions for line crews.
- Sturdier steel poles/concrete poles improve resiliency during storms, provide longer lifeexpectancy and lower maintenance costs.
- Improved grounding provides better lightning performance and safer operation of T&D system.
Flooding can create tremendous issues for transmission substations
- Identify the substations which are vulnerable to flooding.
- Plan for temporary and permanent hardening measures.
- For permanent solutions, install sheet piles flood walls that are constructed of composite materials to resist decay and rust.
- Raise substation equipment above flood level.
- Install flood monitor sensor to alert rising water level.
- Substation control houses can be designed for withstand a direct hit from EF3 tornado with back-up control houses available on short
- Transmission Materials: Steel Pole, Lattice Towers, and Substation Support Structures, Insulator, Conductor, OPGW , Guy Wires Shield Wires and Hardware Assembly
- Weld Inspections – NDT Technique
- Fabrication Shop Audits and on-site Inspections
- Material Sampling (Metallurgical and Mechanical Testing)
- Failure/Root Cause Analysis
- Field Inspection for aging transmission structures