Disruptive solution to mitigate risk and increase efficiency in EDP distribuiçao, overhead lines inspections

In order to manage the technical condition of its physical assets and according to its established asset management policy, EDP Distribuição frequently inspects its High Voltage (HV) and Medium Voltage (MV) overhead power lines. Such inspections are carried out by a specialized service provider, using a manned helicopter or personnel on the ground. Helicopter inspections require a crew of at least an experienced pilot and two technicians are expensive and have security concerns (risk of mechanical failure or collision). Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) bring potential benefits, since they partially mix the advantages of having a fast, potentially economic and autonomous scanning of a predefined set of waypoints with the flexibility of having closer looks at specific points on the grid and with a significantly lower operational risk. Furthermore, current inspections methods, like thermographic analysis and Light Detection And Ranging (LiDAR), are giving growing amounts of information which have to be properly managed using adequate algorithms. In this context, EDP Distribuição promoted the development of an algorithm to support the decision making process, regarding interventions on detected anomalies and subsequent works based on several relevant criteria, and is performing field tests with some commercial UAV solutions.