New Technology revolutionises work of ESBI Cork based Design Team

The work of the High Voltage ESBI team in Cork has been revolutionised by new technology, notably Power Line Systems' Computer Aided Design and Drafting (PLSCADD) software and LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) technology, which gauges the range of distant objects using laser pulses, in a similar fashion to the way radar uses sound pulses for range-finding.

The two technologies have drastically improved quality control in office-based design work and significantly reduced the time spent on fieldwork during transmission line upgrading projects.

There are two stages to HV, ESBI's work that must be completed before new powerlines can be installed: fieldwork surveying the lie of the land where the transmission lines are to be laid and office-based design and specification work.

In the past, these two processes were extremely time consuming, particularly the field work which involved surveyors spending days physically walking and mapping the proposed transmission line route with an electronic distance measuring (EDM) device and a reflector prism pole, known to surveyors as 'the pogo stick'. Surveying involved tedious coordinate entry and obstacle coding of such things as hedges, walls, ditches and roads. More often than not, surveying involved a bit of DIY vegetation clearing, where trees and shrubs blocked the line of sight to the EDM.

Global positioning system (GPS) technology has largely replaced the older survey methods, but good satellite reception for GPS technology can be problematic close to existing high voltage lines or trees and dense vegetation. "For upgrading existing overhead lines where ground survey is not always part of the project scope the process of retrieving old archives and checking the original transmission profile drawings for the route was a difficult process, especially when you were working with paper profiles dating back to the 50s and 60s," says Elaine Hannan, an engineer with the Cork HV team. Records are often incomplete, thus requiring extensive investigation and fieldwork to determine the actual design principles, structures and materials originally used."

Now the process has been revolutionised: a helicopter equipped with LIDAR can scan vast tracks of land, quickly mapping terrain and topography and highlighting any obstacles along the proposed transmission line route. Aerial photography is integrated with the LIDAR mapping process, so that a 3D image map is created almost instantly.

Back at base, PLS-CADD, the most powerful overhead power line design program on the market, brings the data all together, allowing engineers to design transmission lines using a 'dragand- drop' interface. The software includes a quality control function that cross references construction materials, such as transmission poles, with the initial design specifications and the particular characteristics of the mapped area.

Mark Lyons, Cork office manager, says, "The software is an ideal solution. It is flexible enough to cater for the new means of data gathering e.g. laser and aerial mapping, while still appreciating that sometimes our engineers and surveyors need to physically walk the line. It has enabled our team to complete projects faster while also improving the quality of our output."

Oisín Armstrong, Dublin based project leader for ESBIs Overhead Line Design Systems, is also pleased with the technology, saying, "The PLS-CADD with LIDAR survey enables rapid delivery of highly accurate designs and is particularly suited for upgrading of transmission circuits where existing records have become outdated and unreliable. It's an example of how good technology can really add value to our services."