State Grid Of China Implements The First Helicopter-assisted Replacement Of UHV Line Insulators in The Country

Helicopter-assisted replacement of UHV line insulators at the job site.

On April 8, in the Huzhou section of Zhejiang Province of the ±800 kV Fufeng Line, State Grid Zhejiang Electric Power Co., Ltd. United Nations Network Power Space Technology Co., Ltd. successfully completed the first helicopter-assisted replacement of UHV line insulators in the country, and successfully eliminated the defects of damaged composite insulators Hidden danger.

The ±800kV Fufeng Line starts from Xiangjiaba Fulong Converter Station in Sichuan in the west and ends at Fengxian Converter Station in Shanghai in the east. It was put into operation in 2010. It is the first UHV DC transmission project constructed by State Grid Corporation of China. The sending task of the large-scale hydropower base in the lower reaches of the river can deliver 32 billion kWh of clean electricity to East China every year.

Helicopter-assisted replacement of UHV line insulators at the job site.

In the morning of the same day, a red helicopter flew towards the Huzhou UHV dense channel along the established route. A composite insulator with a length of 11.5 meters and a weight of 95 kilograms was hung below the helicopter through a 40-meter-long insulating rope. After flying for 8 minutes, it arrived at the end of the cross arm of No. 3370 tower of ±800 kV Fufeng Line. Command the helicopter to descend slowly, and the personnel on the tower use the guide rope to assist the insulators in position. Finally, under the precise cooperation of the pilot and the personnel on the tower, the insulator string precisely hangs the composite insulator at the end of the cross arm. After more than an hour of overhaul, the operation was successfully completed.

According to reports, the operation method of helicopter-assisted replacement of UHV line insulators is not restricted by complex mountainous terrain, solved the problem of large-scale material transportation in mountainous areas, improved the level of mechanized operations, and increased operating efficiency by nearly 60%. The impact will be to protect about 1200 square meters of forest vegetation.

In recent years, the State Grid Equipment Department has continued to deepen the construction of a modern equipment management system, continuously strengthened maintenance strategy optimization, maintenance process control, and maintenance mode upgrades, focusing on improving the lean maintenance level and energy availability of UHV DC transmission lines. The successful practice of this operation marks a new level of mechanization and intelligence in the maintenance of UHV lines in my country.