NEWS

China’s Yunnan Province is home to many electric power resources, including hydropower, coal, solar energy, biomass energy, wind power and geothermal energy. Power grids here are densely set and power line inspection is hugely affected by Yunnan’s unsettled climate and complicated terrains. Discover how the DJI M200 helping to provide safe and reliable inspections.

Zhaotong Power Supply Administration:

Zhaotong Power Supply Bureau of Yunnan Power Grid Co., Ltd., located in the northeast of Yunnan province, covers subtropical and temperate areas with both plateau and monsoon climates. Complicated terrain and great altitude difference in Zhaotong result in obvious vertical variations of climate, from south subtropical climates at Jinsha River, at the lowest altitude of 276m, to cold temperate climates in the mountainous area of Qiaojia County, where altitude is the highest of 4040m.

Zhaotong Power Supply Administration is in charge of more than 3,500km 110KV-500KV power lines, which are set among high mountains with severe weather conditions. Because thunder and rain are the most frequent weather during April to October, power lines and transmission towers are prone to malfunction problems due to lightening strokes and floods. In winters, icing is a huge challenge to power grid maintenance in Zhaotong because of its persistence and extensity. Zhaotong’s location right upon the Jingshajiang Seismic Zone also makes power line inspection harder and riskier.

Safety and Reliability

Safety and reliability should always be prioritized when it comes to deciding what drones should be used for power line inspection. Here we look at the DJI M200 Series and how it fits the needs of the Zhaotong Power Supply Bureau.

The magnetic field generated around power lines and transmission towers is strong, but thanks to the built-in D-RTK module, DJI M210 Series  is able to resist magnetic interference, realizing centimeter-level positioning accuracy, excellent flight stability and reliability even when flying near to these devices.

Although D-RTK technology solves the problem of interference and positioning accuracy, close-range inspection can still be risky for inspectors who lack skills in drone operation. Ordinary drones require inspectors to fly close to power lines and transmission towers in order to get clear images, which needs careful operation. The Matrice 210, however, can carry the Zenmuse Z30 zoom camera with a 30x zooming capability, making details of transmission towers available from ten meters away or more. With a tap on screen, the target area is enlarged and zoomed in to, significantly improving work efficiency and safety.

Temperature Measurement

When conducting infrared temperature measurement, optical images and thermal images are both necessary for comparing details of the inspected devices. DJI M210 has a dual gimbal system that can carry two cameras at the same time. During inspection, inspectors can change between two images at any time, accelerating problem detecting and diagnosing processes and boosting inspection efficiency by cutting time of inspection for each tower down to 10-15 minutes.

Inspection in rigorous working conditions calls for reliable flying platforms. DJI Matrice 200 Series satisfies multiple needs with its excellent reliability, flexible configuration and various intelligent features. With its intuitive capabilities, Matrice 200 Series reduces the risk of manpower inspection and improves work efficiency. All in all, it is a powerful yet easy tool built for power line inspection.

M200 Series: A New Tool for Business

Ping. Qiu, Deputy Director of Power Transmission Administration Station of Zhaotong Power Supply Bureau states, “M200 Series has satisfied the needs of power line inspection and maintenance with more powerful functions and features, showing people what technology can do to boost productivity.”

About Zhaotong Power Supply Bureau

In 2014, Zhaotong Power Supply Bureau adopted drones to conduct power line inspections as a pilot project, aiming to replace manpower inspection where inspectors had to climb up power transmission towers and reduce the risk of falling. In 2015, three UAV inspection teams were officially set to conduct regular power line inspection, risk detection and failure identification. In 2016, UAV inspection was applied to all inspection units under Zhaotong Power Supply Bureau, and UAV application scenarios also started expanding to cleaning earth wires and other business.