The Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) has developed a method for determining the degree of pollution deposits in electricity transmission networks. According to an IIT Madras release, the research team plans to contact NTPC, Power Grid, and other utilities to showcase the technology and its application in a real-world power system network.
According to a statement from IIT Madras, pollution-related electrical flashover happens under working situations and can result in blackouts and system failure. It went on to say that cleaning the contaminated insulator while it’s still in use appears to be the most foolproof method to solve the problem. The statement says that the electrical insulation’s performance is crucial to the dependability of an electric power system. In addition to electrical, thermal, and mechanical strains, environmental pollution affects the outside insulation on transmission lines that span thousands of kilometers and the substation equipment.
However, because of the high working voltages and large geographical expanse of the electrical transmission system, it would be necessary to determine the degree of pollution deposition and the kind of pollutant before such a massive exercise could be organized, according to the statement. Professor R Sarathi, Department of Electrical Engineering, IIT Madras, and Professor NJ Vasa, Department of Engineering Design, IIT Madras, have devised a solution based on Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS).
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Researchers can now detect the elements of pollution deposition by projecting a laser beam at a distance of 40 meters, with attempts underway to increase this reach to 100 meters. This would allow for a ground or drone assessment of the pollutant layer on transmission line insulators and windmills. The Central Power Research Institute (CPRI) in Bengaluru provided financial assistance for this project as part of the Ministry of Power’s National Perspective Plan.
Professor Sarathi elaborated on the study’s key findings, saying, “The presence of salt and other pollution deposits on the insulating materials was successfully recognized utilizing the LIBS analysis.” The suggested linear connection between the normalized intensity ratio of the LIBS spectra and the equivalent salt deposition density (ESDD) level was used to determine the degree of pollution on the insulating material.”
The deposition on the insulators is collected, and the equivalent salt deposit density (ESDD) and non-soluble material deposit density (NSDD) are calculated to estimate the components and quantity of contamination. There are other attempts to assess the intensity of the pollution by measuring the leakage current through the insulator. According to the IIT Madras statement, these are both time-consuming and costly.
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The pollution level on transmission line insulators and windmills may be determined at any remote place, according to the researchers, using this effective approach. This method might allow the power system community to monitor the status of transmission line insulators in real-time.
