Global climate change has led to a substantial shift in the climate zones previously defined for the design of the current electrical grid. This implies a greater likelihood that new climate events could cause damage to the grid if not adequately monitored. Furthermore, the need to produce energy from renewable sources demands greater flexibility in energy transport. In this context, the resilience of the electrical grid is a crucial and fundamental topic to ensure the continuity and security of service. It is therefore important to properly and effectively manage the transmission network and to assess the condition of its components in order to identify appropriate intervention strategies.

Optical systems offer a decisive solution for monitoring critical parameters; they can operate safely and are therefore suitable for integration and safety applications on electrical equipment in service. Their main features are high precision, contactless operation, and real-time monitoring. Here, we describe a simple method for determining the position of conductors at mid-span, based on an image processing technique.

The technique we propose is based on determining the absolute position of targets, which are attached to the conductors at mid-span, illuminated by IR LED sources, and visualized with an imaging system placed on a tower of the same line. The monitoring system, based on a digital NIR camera, is positioned on one of the two towers of the span of interest. An IR LED lighting system placed near the camera ensures that the targets are easily observable during the day and allows for nighttime measurements. Outdoor tests conducted can confirm that the system developed by RSE can operate continuously under conditions similar to those expected for installation on a span of a real high-voltage line. Currently, it can provide measurements of the variation in sag of one or more conductors simultaneously, along with the measurement of any rotations of the conductors. Soon, the image analysis algorithm will be implemented to detect the diameter of ice sleeves (if present) on the monitored conductors. The results of the measurements are available in the cloud. The installation of the measurement system is easy to carry out and can be performed without the need to take the line out of service.