Harbin, December 13 (Yu Qingquan Dong Zhongyuan) At 9 o'clock on the 13th, under the transmission tower of the 220 thousand volt East Mojia B line near Changjiang Road, Daowai District, Harbin City, Yu Yangzheng, the intelligent inspection technology of the transmission and operation inspection center of the State Grid Harbin Power Supply Company, led Yao Yuan, a member of the working team, to carry out the application test of hydrogen-powered drones in transmission line inspection operations, which is also the first application of hydrogen-powered drones in the power grid inspection in alpine areas.
Hydrogen-powered drones inspect transmission lines Photo by Wang Runze.
Hydrogen-powered UAV is based on hydrogen fuel cell as the core power, and the hydrogen carried as fuel and the naturally inhaled oxygen are chemically reacted under the action of platinum catalyst to generate electrical energy to drive the UAV to fly, which truly achieves zero carbon emissions, and has the advantages of ultra-long battery life and low temperature resistance. Safety hazards such as ultra-tall trees ensure the safe and stable operation of the power grid.
Drone inspections in cold climates have always been a major challenge. This inspection operation uses a six-rotor hydrogen-powered drone, equipped with visible light and infrared lenses, to inspect the passage of the No. 1 to 22 towers of the 220 kV East Mojia B line in a low temperature environment of minus 22 degrees Celsius, and successfully complete the test tasks such as endurance stability, timeliness of emergency response, and long-distance relay. In this application, the reliability of hydrogen-powered drones for long-term inspection in low temperature environments has been verified. It shows that hydrogen-powered UAVs can safely and efficiently complete various inspection tasks under low temperature conditions.
There are nearly 1,000 kilometers of transmission lines in the mountainous and hilly areas under the jurisdiction of Harbin, which could not be reached in the past due to the bad weather in winter and the road conditions in the mountainous areas, but now the high endurance of hydrogen-powered drones can be used to monitor the operation status of the power grid in a timely manner, and quickly inspect and feedback on-site information to facilitate professional decision-making.
In the past, we carried out a patrol cycle on the eastern Harbin grid, requiring 4 groups of patrol personnel to use 4 days to carry out patrol tasks at more than 500 points. With the introduction of hydrogen power, it is expected that the number of spots will be reduced by half, and the inspection time will be shortened to about two days. "In addition, Harbin is about to host the 2025 Asian Winter Games, and as we continue to deepen our research and application of hydrogen-powered drones, this new technology will play a greater role in grid inspection." (ENDS).
*: China News Network.