Diagnosis of Supporting Structures of HV Lines Using Magneto-Mechanical Effects

Abstract

This paper concerns the idea of using magneto-mechanical effects in prophylactic activities to reduce the risk of occurrence of an extensive blackout on high voltage (HV) lines. The subject matter of the paper is related to the event from April 8, 2008, which deprived approximately 600,000 recipients from 18 cities of the West Pomeranian voivodeship of power and caused millions in losses for the national economy. In theoretical considerations, the idea of diagnosing the technical state and level of effort of steel power line towers using the metal magnetic memory method (MMM) is presented, with a consideration of the methodology for obtaining a reference signal from the external magnetic field. The capabilities of the MMM method have been illustrated by examples of active and passive experiments. Finally, the authors indicated the need of IT support of MMM data analysis using a 3D model of the predicted distribution of the magnetic field in the vicinity of the tested object.