Introduction
The growing need among Utilities to monitor power grids in real time, improve their reliability and make more efficient use of existing infrastructure has led De Angeli Prodotti to develop and patent an innovative conductor with an integrated monitoring system: the SMART CONDUCTOR.
The energy transition is profoundly changing the way transmission grids are managed. The increasing electrification of consumption and the integration of large amounts of energy from renewable sources require a grid that is increasingly flexible, digital and aware of its own operating conditions. Transporting energy is no longer enough: it is becoming essential to know in real time what is happening along the line.
This is where Grid Enhancing Technologies (GETs) come into play: a family of technologies developed to improve the use of existing transmission infrastructure through sensors, monitoring systems, power flow control devices and analytical tools. Among the most interesting applications of GETs is Dynamic Line Rating (DLR), which makes it possible to dynamically determine the actual available capacity of a power line based on its real operating and environmental conditions.
From “static line rating” to Dynamic Line Rating
Traditionally, the transmission capacity of a power line is defined through static or seasonal ratings, calculated using conservative environmental assumptions. In reality, however, the thermal capacity of a conductor changes continuously depending on parameters such as ambient temperature, wind, solar radiation, precipitation and the physical conditions of the line.
Dynamic Line Rating goes beyond this approach: by using up-to-date information on line conditions and the surrounding environment, it allows operators to assess the available transmission capacity more accurately at any given time. This makes it possible to make better use of the infrastructure when conditions allow, while also identifying situations in which more cautious operation is required.
DLR therefore represents an important step towards a grid in which measurement, data communication and infrastructure management are increasingly integrated.
The role of Smart Conductor
Line monitoring solutions can be based on different approaches, including:
- DTR/DLR (Dynamic Thermal Rating / Dynamic Line Rating) systems with sensors installed at specific points along the line;
- OPGW, i.e. optical ground wires integrating optical fibers for telecommunications and data transmission;
- distributed systems capable of collecting information directly along the conductor itself.
The De Angeli Prodotti Smart Conductor was developed precisely from the integration of the electrical conductor with monitoring technology. Thanks to the optical fiber integrated into the conductor, the line is no longer merely a passive infrastructure designed to transport energy, but can also become a continuous source of information about its own condition.
The objective is to ensure continuous, real-time monitoring of the power line, helping to improve its reliability, safety and operational efficiency.
This availability of information is particularly important from a Dynamic Line Rating perspective: having more precise knowledge of the conductor’s actual conditions makes it possible to build a more accurate representation of the state of the line and to support advanced grid management systems.
From the conductor to the Smart Grid
Smart Conductor therefore represents an evolution of the very concept of the overhead conductor. Alongside its traditional function of transporting energy, it adds the ability to generate information useful for grid management.
This is a significant change. The power grids of the future will have to integrate increasing amounts of renewable generation, which is inherently more variable, while at the same time energy demand will continue to grow due to the electrification of industry, mobility and many other forms of consumption.
In this scenario, building new infrastructure remains essential, but it is becoming equally important to make better use of the infrastructure that is already available. This is one of the core principles behind Grid Enhancing Technologies: increasing visibility across the grid, gaining a better understanding of its actual limits and allowing operators to use the available capacity more efficiently. The U.S. Department of Energy, for example, includes technologies such as Dynamic Line Rating, advanced power flow control systems, and analytical and monitoring tools within the GET category.
The SMART CONDUCTOR fits into this transformation towards an increasingly digital, monitored and intelligent power grid, in which conductors, sensors, optical fiber, communication systems and analytics platforms can progressively converge.
The conductor therefore becomes not only the medium through which energy flows, but also one of the elements through which the grid can understand itself.
Engineering
The Smart Conductor is a conductor for overhead power lines to which a wire is replaced with a sensitive wire, equipped with optical fiber.
Thanks to the optical fiber inside the Smart Conductor, interrogated by means of advanced equipment, it is possible to obtain continuous and real-time information regarding the operating conditions of the line throughout the operating life. In particular, it is possible to monitor:
- Breakages or failures;
- Temperatures;
- Deformations;
- Vibration and acoustic analysis (future developments).
How is a Smart Conductor made?
| Tube material choice |
Steel & Aluminium |
| Metal tube position |
Inner or outer layer |
| Lifetime of optical fibers |
40 years |
| Operating temperature |
≥ 80°C (optional > 150°C) |
| Dedicated fittings |
Compression joint suggested |
| Data analysis |
Information and not data |
Advantages
Thanks to Real Time information it is possible to apply targeted and preventive maintenance on the line, reducing (or eliminating!) the possible disservices due to this type of activity.
This type of conductor is fully compatible with existing infrastructures, minimizing upgrade costs as no infrastructure works are required (75% of the total cost of the plant saved). Avoiding the creation of new infrastructures also makes it possible to significantly reduce the environmental and landscape impact as well as the consumption of land as a non-renewable resource.
Advantages for TSOs:
- Optimal power flow management;
- Reduction of electricity costs;
- Reduction of maintenance costs;
- Increase the reliability and efficiency of the system
Smart Conductors enable REAL-TIME monitoring of the line thanks to integrated optical fibers, providing valuable data for DLR (Dynamic Line Rating) applications and fitting within the broader framework of GETs (Grid Enhancing Technologies), technologies designed to increase the efficiency, capacity and visibility of existing power grids.
