Automatic diagnostic of transmission lines based on ultraviolet inspection

Abstract

Evaluation of the technical condition, reliability of the insulation of electrical equipment is an actual problem. It is confirmed by experience and statistics of operation at power plants and railway facilities. The combination of an unmanned aerial vehicle with UV-camera and software based on neural networks allows us to effectively diagnose long power lines. To increase the effectiveness of non-contact inspection of power lines, especially in hard-to-reach areas, more compact mobile solutions should be used which include an UV-camera and an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The aircraft market currently has significant growth, that allows to bring the diagnostic experience to a new level by attaching an UV-camera to an aerial device, which will have a tremendous effect on examining long power lines. But we faced one problem related to the absence of any scientific basis for this method of examination, so it was decided to conduct experiments in a laboratory of St. Petersburg Polytechnic University. The results of experiments are presented in the work.