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

2003年的东北大停电表明了我们的社会对电力的依赖程度有多严重。传输线由若干支撑电导体的塔组成，被认为是电力系统的主要组成部分。输电线路的故障会导致电力中断，造成毁灭性的社会和经济后果。这种失败可能造成生命损失，1998年蒙特利尔冰暴期间30人死亡证明了这一事实。全球范围内的大多数铁塔故障都归因于局部的高强度风（HIW）风暴，以龙卷风和落暴的形式出现。尽管这一事实和这些风暴的显著增加，目前的实践规范并没有考虑到输电线路设计中高强度高爆事件造成的负荷。因此，西安大略大学（UWO）发起了一个研究项目，由马尼托巴水电公司和CEATI资助，CEATI代表来自四大洲14个国家的公用事业公司，研究高辐射事件对输电线路的影响。本研究将在本研究中进行扩展，开发一种新的计算机模型，该模型可以描述与HIW事件相关的风场，线组件振动与风场之间的相互作用，以及塔的结构响应及其失效模式。这项研究将得出一种设计高辐射事件下可靠输电线路系统的方法，并将建议公用事业公司在其设计指南中实施。该研究将受益于用于模型验证的windee穹顶设施。这个独特的设施目前正在UWO建造，使用了2300万美元的CFI，代表了世界上第一个可以在下冲和龙卷风下测试结构的设施。这项研究将有助于使加拿大成为一个更安全的地方，并为未来的自然灾害事件做好更好的准备。

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.