Enhanced Airborne Condition Assessments - U.K. utilities use new helicopter inspection techniques as they revise strategic approaches to overhead line management

摘要

ELECTRICITY DISTRIBUTION NETWORK OPERATORS ARE REQUIRED to inspect, maintain and manage large numbers of geographically dispersed overhead line assets such as steel towers. While essential to meeting safety, statutory, operational and regulatory requirements, the large number of overhead line assets places a significant burden on the network operator in terms of resources and cost. Furthermore, to maximize the value of any inspection regime, the network operator should aim to collect as much useful information as possible on the condition of the assets being inspected rather than just a list of defects. Essentially, this enables the network operator to use the collected information for strategic decision making and investment planning, instead of merely targeting essential maintenance work.