Overhead Line Design & Extreme Event Mitigation

Overhead transmission lines are subjected to extreme events that may damage line sections and affect power supply to customers. Even when the best design criteria are met, there continues to be a risk of extensive damage to overhead lines when structural loads exceed the design criteria.  Experiences with several devastating events such as the ice storm in Canada and the north eastern U.S. in 1998, the major wind storm event in France in 1999 and the major icing event in China in 2008, along with hurricanes and high intensity winds (HIW) recently occurring in many countries, have demonstrated the significant devastation that severe weather causes to transmission systems. These problems may best be addressed by a better understanding of these issues through gaining knowledge in the subject areas, improving current technologies and by sharing needed research efforts as well as closing the existing “knowledge gaps” in the industry.  The objective of this interest group is to develop and share strategies to deal with overhead transmission line design issues and to mitigate the impact of extreme events, develop benchmarks for increased utilization of existing lines as well as the design of new lines, address corrosion of transmission components, develop containment strategy against line cascade and develop technologies to reduce life cycle costs.

Topics and Issues:

• Extreme Events
• Maximizing Availability/ Utilization of ExistingTransmission Lines
• Investigation of New Technologies
• Development of New Transmission Lines – Constraints: Environmental, Visual, Structural
• Understanding Resiliency Issues and its Impact on LineDesign