The effect of floating-potential conductors on the electric field near overhead transmission lines

Experimental Evaluation of Aerial Manipulation Robot in Contact With 15 kV Power Line: Shielded and Long Reach Configurations

“…where is a scale factor that depends on the configuration of the bodies [37] ( 1 for parallel plates). As shown in [16], the distortion of the electrostatic field is more pronounced for geometries with high curvatures, typically in the corners or edges of the frame structure of the robot, or in the propellers. For the 15 kV power line, the ESD event will occur when the separation distance is below 5 cm [2] (see Section IV-A).…”

“…The goal now is to derive a model that describes qualitatively these interactions and their relevant effects, taking into account that it is not feasible to model electrically the robot due to the complex distribution of all the conductors and the insulation materials employed on its construction. In order to provide analytical solutions, many works consider simple spherical models [36][37] or simplified geometries [16]. Electromagnetic field simulation software like Ansys Maxwell has been also employed in [16] to study the perturbation in the electric field generated by a power line due to the proximity of a helicopter model, comparing the field measurements with simulation results.…”

“…In order to provide analytical solutions, many works consider simple spherical models [36][37] or simplified geometries [16]. Electromagnetic field simulation software like Ansys Maxwell has been also employed in [16] to study the perturbation in the electric field generated by a power line due to the proximity of a helicopter model, comparing the field measurements with simulation results. Although the current that flows through the power line corresponds to a time varying linear distribution of charge, the relatively slow time rates (50/60 Hz) and the small size of the aerial robot compared to the wavelengths allows to conduct an electrostatic analysis.…”

“…Ref. [15] analyzes the Corona discharge on a quadrotor within an offshore HVDC wind farm, whereas [16] [17] consider the electrostatic fields produced by a power line on a manned helicopter. Second, the installation of devices like bird flight diverters, electrical spacers, vibration dampers, shown in Figure 1, requires a significant level of dexterity, especially in the helical diverter and in the spacers.…”

“…Unlike the visual inspection operations conducted with manned helicopters [16] [17] and unmanned aerial platforms [14][15][21] [22][23] [24] by flying several meters away from the power lines, the realization of maintenance tasks like the installation of bird flight diverters using aerial manipulation robots as illustrated in Figure 1 involves the physical and electromagnetic interaction with the conductors in a closer range, raising two problems: the accurate positioning of the aerial robot with respect to the power line, and the electrical protection of the onboard electronic components. Regarding the first point, ref.…”