On-line monitoring method and observation system of transmission line icing

China is seriously affected by transmission line icing. At present, there are no effective on-line monitoring techniques of snow and ice accretion on transmission lines in China. The design of transmission lines and disaster prevention are difficult to carry out due to a conspicuous lack of historical data. This paper summarizes the monitoring methods of transmission line icing applied in engineering. Aiming at the shortages of these methods, a new on-line monitoring approach employing image processing is posed. With this method, automatic and on-line monitoring can be realized. Finally, the composition and function of the integrated monitoring system are stated in detail.