Live conductor stringing, maintenance and repair method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10644485-B2
Application number	US-201615236002-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 12, 2016
Priority date	Aug 12, 2015
Publication date	May 5, 2020
Grant date	May 5, 2020

Abstract

The present invention relates to replacing conductors in a high-voltage power transfer system. The method provides, for example, a method for maintaining sections of electrically conductive phases in a three-phase power conductor line, wherein the three phases are parallel and spaced apart in an ordered sequence. The phases are strung between support structures and supported above the ground. Maintenance work, which include replacement or repair, is performed on sections of the three phases without interrupting a power load in any one of the three phases and without transposing the relative positions of the phases out of their ordered sequence.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for maintaining one or more sections of electrically conductive phases in a three phase power conductor line without interrupting power in any of the three energized phases, the three energized phases denoted as the A, B and C phases, and wherein the three energized phases are parallel and are spaced apart in an ordered sequence wherein the A phase is proximate to the B phase and the B phase is proximate to the C phase, and the B phase is located between the A phase and the C phase, and wherein the A phase has a corresponding A load and a A phase section needing maintenance, the B phase has a corresponding B load and a B phase section needing maintenance and the C phase has a corresponding C load and a C phase section needing maintenance, and the A, B and C phases are strung between two support structures supporting the three phases suspended above a ground, the method comprising the steps of:
providing a temporarily de-energized new D phase section and stringing the new D phase section between the two support structures;
electrically connecting in parallel the B phase section needing maintenance to the new D phase section through at least a first pair of jumpers extending between the the B phase section needing maintenance and the new D phase section and wherein the at least first pair of jumpers do not cross over the A and C phases;
transferring the B load to the new D phase section thereby establishing the new D phase section as a temporary B phase section;
de-energizing the B phase section needing maintenance thereby establishing the de-energized B phase section needing maintenance as a first temporarily de-energized D phase section;
maintaining the first temporarily de-energized D phase section;
electrically connecting in parallel the C phase section needing maintenance to the first temporarily de-energized D phase section through at least a second pair of jumpers extending between the C phase section needing maintenance and the first temporarily de-energized D phase section, wherein the at least second pair of jumpers do not cross over the A and the temporary B phases;
transferring the C load to the first temporarily de-energized D phase section thereby establishing the first temporarily de-energized D phase section as a temporary C phase section;
de-energizing the C phase section needing maintenance thereby establishing the de-energized C phase section needing maintenance as a second temporarily de-energized D phase section;
maintaining the second temporarily de-energized D phase section;
electrically connecting in parallel the second temporarily de-energized D phase section to the temporary C phase section through at least a third pair of jumpers extending between the second temporarily de-energized D phase section and the temporary C phase section, wherein the at least third pair of jumpers do not cross over the A and the temporary B phases;
transferring the C load from the temporary C phase section to the second temporarily de-energized D phase section so as to re-establish the second temporarily de-energized D phase section as the C phase;
de-energizing the temporary C phase section thereby establishing the de-energized temporary C phase section as a third temporarily de-energized D phase section;
electrically connecting in parallel the third temporarily de-energized D phase section to the temporary B phase section through at least a fourth pair of jumpers extending between the third temporarily de-energized D phase section and the temporary B phase section, wherein the at least fourth pair of jumpers do not cross over the A and the C phases;
transferring the B load from the temporary B phase section to the third temporarily de-energized D phase section so as to re-establish the third temporarily de-energized D phase section as the B phase;
de-energizing the temporary B phase section thereby establishing the de-energized temporary B phase section as a fourth temporarily de-energized D phase section; and
removing the fourth temporarily de-energized D phase section.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein providing an auxiliary support structure prior to the providing a temporarily de-energized new D phase section substantially adjacent the two support structures and the A phase section needing maintenance is moved and strung on the auxiliary support structure, and the new D phase section is strung between the two support structures where the A phase section needing maintenance was moved from.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the stringing of the new D phase section further comprises steps of:
providing a pulling line having at least one non-conductive end,
connecting said at least one non-conductive end of said pulling line to a leading end of the new D phase section,
providing first and second equal potential zones at opposite ends of a stringing path wherealong the new D phase section is to be strung, wherein said first and second equal potential zones are grounded,
electrically connecting said pulling line to said first equal potential zone, electrically connecting the new D phase section to said second equal potential zone, and connecting said at least one non-conductive end of said pulling line to said leading end of the new D phase section,
electrically connecting pulling equipment at said first equal potential zone to said first equal potential zone and electrically connecting pay-out equipment at said second equal potential zone to said second equal potential zone,
pulling said pulling line along said stringing path using said pulling and payout equipment so as to pull said pulling line into said first equal potential zone while paying-out the new D phase section along said stringing path from said second equal potential zone.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein said non-conductive end of said pulling line is comprised of a flexible electrical isolator.

5. The method of claim 2 , wherein a first lateral distance between the new D phase section and the A phase section needing maintenance supported on the auxiliary support structure is substantially no less than a phase-to-phase lateral separation, wherein said phase-to-phase lateral separation is substantially equal to a second lateral distance between the B phase section needing maintenance and the C phase section needing maintenance.

6. The method of claim 2 , wherein the A phase section needing maintenance strung on the auxiliary support structure is substantially parallel to the new D phase section strung between the two support structures.

7. The method of claim 2 , wherein the step of stringing the new D phase section between the two support structures where the A phase section needing maintenance was moved from further comprises treating the new D phase section as an energized conductor.

Assignees

• Quanta Associates Lp

Inventors

• O'Connell Daniel Neil
• Wabnegger David Karl
• Quaedvlieg Phillip Howard
• Palmer Robert Wayne

Classifications

• H02G1/04 Primary

  for mounting or stretching · CPC title