CARE
(Condition Assessment & Risk Engineering)
CAPCIS have been working with em2 and C3 to develop the fundamental degradation models for engineering materials that enhance the ability of network owners and operators to manage and target spend on their power transmission overhead line networks, and to understand the risk attached to this essential decision making. As a service, CARE is an intelligent analysis system that combines a range of key data sources to predict the degradation rate of transmission line elements such as towers, insulators, conductors and fittings. em2 can apply this concept to single or individual towers and routes within a network for maximum return.
The model works with ISO standard degradation rates but applies distribution functions to individual parameters that are combined through monte carlo simulation to cope with the real life variation and uncertainty. Material performance is combined with construction and maintenance data, historic weather and pollution records on a geographic basis to provide a probabilistic distribution of degradation performance across a network and on individual structures.
Validations of the model predictions have been achieved through site and laboratory assessment of tower components. As a byproduct of the work we have challenged traditional condition grading approaches and enabled the combination of cumulative degradation with structural assessment to give a whole life prediction for the assets.
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