Just for a bit of background, transmission companies want to know the temperature of transmission lines because the dynamic clearance of the line to the ground as the current heats the wire limits the max current. Surprisingly complex to model accurately as it is quite dynamic (sometimes the conductor is pinned with the insulator and it swings, or sometimes it can slip through, etc, etc).
"Magic Balls" installed by drones may revolutionize US power grid
11–20 of 22 posts
Re: "Magic Balls" installed by drones may revolutionize US power grid
#12I can't find any information on how these are powered. Do they partly use current flow from coronal discharge? Or is it some long lasting battery?
Likely from the magnetic field from the conductor. They even have street lights that are powered this way.
https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/3005516/1/TPEL2436702%...
Re: "Magic Balls" installed by drones may revolutionize US power grid
#13I'm not a fan of the manufacturer dubbing these "Magic Balls", when "sensor spheres" or even "Neuron" from the original article linked in this thread, is more than sufficient. We're not trying to appeal to home consumers here. Maybe it's for politicians...
Cool project though, transmission costs account for a large proportion of energy delivery.
Re: "Magic Balls" installed by drones may revolutionize US power grid
#14I can't find any information on how these are powered. Do they partly use current flow from coronal discharge? Or is it some long lasting battery?
Not sure how much I am allowed to go into detail here, but can confirm what 127361 wrote: the sensors harvest power from the electromagnetic field in normal use. However, considering "power outage detection" is a selling point, you can draw your own conclusions about there being some power storage onboard ;)
Re: "Magic Balls" installed by drones may revolutionize US power grid
#15Magic Balls aka temperature sensors that allow transmission lines to be overloaded based on environmental conditions, meaning more capacity across existing lines when conditions are favorable.
It also has voltage, vibration, ground clearance, inclination so you are also measuring snow and wind and other scada shit.
What's actually cool is I've never seen a drone install anything before. Closest thing is placing a bomb, which has an high amount of tolerance.
They say it can be installed without shutting down power. Think of all the things it skips, outages and the paperwork, working from heights and the paperwork, clearance zones and the paperwork. It's probably a 20 man team down to 10.
Re: "Magic Balls" installed by drones may revolutionize US power grid
#16Magic Balls aka temperature sensors that allow transmission lines to be overloaded based on environmental conditions, meaning more capacity across existing lines when conditions are favorable.
Also noted "Heimdall said that advanced weather information, power-line data, and machine learning are part of the solution its experts bring to the grid."
Re: "Magic Balls" installed by drones may revolutionize US power grid
#17I'm not a fan of the manufacturer dubbing these "Magic Balls", when "sensor spheres" or even "Neuron" from the original article linked in this thread, is more than sufficient. We're not trying to appeal to home consumers here. Maybe it's for politicians... Cool project though, transmission costs account for a large proportion of energy delivery.
it's probably for Americans
Re: "Magic Balls" installed by drones may revolutionize US power grid
#18I can't find any information on how these are powered. Do they partly use current flow from coronal discharge? Or is it some long lasting battery?
Not sure how much I am allowed to go into detail here, but can confirm what 127361 wrote: the sensors harvest power from the electromagnetic field in normal use. However, considering "power outage detection" is a selling point, you can draw your own conclusions about there being some power storage onboard ;)
power harvest and large/super caps? neat
Re: "Magic Balls" installed by drones may revolutionize US power grid
#19Those hyperlinks are pretty ballsy.
Re: "Magic Balls" installed by drones may revolutionize US power grid
#20I can't find any information on how these are powered. Do they partly use current flow from coronal discharge? Or is it some long lasting battery?
Not sure how much I am allowed to go into detail here, but can confirm what 127361 wrote: the sensors harvest power from the electromagnetic field in normal use. However, considering "power outage detection" is a selling point, you can draw your own conclusions about there being some power storage onboard ;)
probably patented by now? disclosed yet?