Innovative condition monitoring of electricity transmission asset - from science based archaeology to monitoring environmental risks on infrastructure

环境因素可以加速腐蚀，例如，沿海地区的空气污染和盐度是已知的因素。因此，重要的是要了解各种环境因素与腐蚀之间的关系，以便为资产管理政策提供信息。仅国家电网输电(NGET)网络就有21,990个钢网架铁塔，支撑着英格兰和威尔士的架空电力线路。Nget每年检查大约3650座钢网架塔的状况。由于陆路准入的限制以及资产的绝对数量，数据是通过从直升机上拍摄的彩色图像来获取的。对图像进行处理以对腐蚀程度和性质进行分类是一项人工任务。腐蚀等级的分级是通过人工检查图像来执行的。研究发现，光照条件的变化会降低对彩色图像的检测精度。因此，这些资产中的10%然后由工程师通过爬上塔来手动检查，以验证故障区域。总体而言，钢铁健康评级是主观和耗时的，给检查人员带来了健康和安全风险。拟议的项目旨在将为以科学为基础的考古开发的技术和方法以远程成像的形式转化为能源部门基础设施的状况监测，展示国家能源研究中心的研究对能源和基础设施部门和英国经济的影响，启动输电资产状况监测的阶段性变化。这项拟议的创新是及时的，因为它承诺自动获取和分析数据，并有望产生更定量和更可靠的结果。随着时间的推移跟踪状况的能力将有助于了解这些资产在其整个生命周期中的性能和劣化情况，并支持预测维修和更换它们的最佳时间的能力。这种预测能力支持生命周期成本最低的范例--可转嫁给消费者的成本节约。由于需要不断提高工作实践的安全性、资产调查的准确性和生命周期成本，这项创新为关键基础设施资产和整个社会提供了必要的维护、规划和成本效益。类似的资产监测和管理问题贯穿基础设施和能源部门，从铁轨、桥梁、船舶、离岸平台到管道。利益相关者包括：1)国家电网-国家输电系统运营商2)OPUS国际咨询有限公司-一家全球基础设施开发和资产管理公司3)Mosdorfer CCL系统有限公司-架空电力线路产品制造商

Environmental factors can accelerate corrosion, e.g. air pollution and salinity in coastal areas are known factors. It is therefore important to understand the relationship between various environmental factors and corrosion to inform asset management policy.National Grid Electricity Transmission (NGET) network alone has 21,990 steel lattice towers that supports the overhead power lines in England and Wales. NGET inspects the condition of around 3650 steel lattice towers each year. Owing to restrictions on land access as well as the sheer volume of assets, data is captured via colour imagery taken from helicopters. The processing of images to classify the extent and nature of corrosion is a manual task. The grading of the level of corrosion is performed by manual inspection of the images. It was found that the changing light conditions can reduce the accuracy of inspection from colour images. Therefore, 10 percent of these assets are then inspected manually by engineers by climbing up the towers for verification of trouble areas. Overall, the grading of steel health is subjective and time consuming, posing health and safety risks to inspectors. The proposed project aims to translate technology and methods developed for science-based archaeology in the form of remote imaging at standoff distances to condition monitoring of infrastructure in the energy sector, demonstrating the impact of research in NERC remit to the energy and infrastructure sector and UK economy, initiating step change in condition monitoring of electricity transmission assets. The proposed innovation is timely because it promises automated data capture and analysis with the prospect of producing more quantitative and reliable results. The ability to track condition over time will support an understanding of how these assets perform and deteriorate throughout their lifecycle, and support the ability to predict the optimal time to repair and replace them. Such predictive ability supports a least lifecycle cost paradigm - cost savings that can be passed on to consumers. With demands to continuously improve working practice safety, accuracy of asset surveys and therefore lifecycle costs, the innovation delivers significant maintenance, planning and cost benefits necessary for critical infrastructure assets and society as a whole.Similar asset monitoring and management issues cross-cuts the infrastructure and energy sectors sectors ranging from railway tracks, bridges, ships, off-shore platforms to pipe lines.The stakeholders are: 1) The National Grid - national electricity transmission system operator2) OPUS International Consultants Ltd. - a global infrastructure development and asset management company3) Mosdorfer CCL systems Ltd. - a manufacturer of overhead power line products