Development of Design Procedures for Transmission Line Structures under High Intensity Wind Events Using a Fluid-Structure Interaction Model

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The Northeast Blackout of 2003 demonstrated how heavily our society relies on electricity. A transmission line, which consists of a number of towers supporting electrical conductors, is considered a major component of an electrical system. Failures of transmission lines can lead to power interruption resulting in devastating social and economical consequences. Such failures might cause the loss of lives, a fact proven by the death of 30 individuals during Montreal 1998 ice storm. Most of tower failures around the globe have been attributed to localized High Intensity Wind (HIW) storms in the form of tornadoes and downbursts. Despite this fact and the noticeable increase in these storms, the current codes of practice do not account for the loads resulting from HIW events in the design of transmission lines. As a result, a research project was initiated at the University of Western Ontario (UWO) and was funded by Manitoba Hydro and CEATI, which represents utility companies from 14 countries on 4 continents, to study the effect of HIW events on transmission lines. This research will be extended in the proposed study by developing a novel computer model that can describe the wind fields associated with HIW events, the interaction between the vibrations of the line components and the wind field, and the structural response of the towers and their failure modes. A methodology for designing reliable transmission line systems under HIW events will result from this study and will be proposed to utility companies for implementation in their design guidelines. The study will benefit from the WINDEEE dome facility for models' validation. This unique facility is currently under construction at UWO using a $23M CFI, representing the first in the world in which structures can be tested under downbursts and tornadoes. The study will assist in making Canada a safer place and better prepared for future natural disaster events.