Hybrid washing systems for cleaning transmission line insulators

This article aims to highlight the power supply reliability for uninterrupted performance, andfinancial efficiency, by installing a hotline insulator’s HYBRID washing system (HWS)

The HWS washing efficiency is a de facto revolution in the insulator’s maintenance programs: all polluted and energised insulators installed on 48 transmission towers are washed daily (8h work shift). 

The HYBRID washing system combines a low-cost pumper truck with a low-cost fixed, rigid piping system installed on the transmission towers.

The pumper truck doesn’t need highly skilled workers, such as certified crane operators and people who are properly educated to operate from the ground using joysticks or from platforms with telescopic booms. 

The hybrid washing technique minimises the expenditure on machineries like heavy-duty off-road vehicles equipped with an aerial platform or telescopic boom, suited for washing insulators located at extraordinary heights.

The pumper truck shall be parked approximately 50/100 m from the towers. Once the flexible hose mounted on the mobile washer is connected to the quick coupler fixed at each tower base, multiple insulators are simultaneously washed in minutes. 

The water envelopes and swamps are all energised insulators installed on one tower in one surge. In calm wind conditions, the washing activity duration is approx. 25/60 Seconds for one lattice tower. (Washing time depends on the tower’s configuration).

For washing energised insulators from 115 kV to 765 kV, with water pressure ranging from 2750 to 7000 kPa (400 to 1000 PSI) at the pump outlet, demineralised water with minimum permissible conductivity is required. 

When towers are installed in remote locations, not served by access roads, or hardly reachable, and pumper truck cannot be parked approximately at 50/100 m max. from the tower’s base, washing time per tower remain the same but the overall daily washable tower numbers are limited by the logistical environment.

Wilorton Hybrid Washing System grants zero flashovers (caused by polluted insulators), reduces network outages, eliminates repair time and maintenance costs, attains operational excellence, reduces downtime risk, ensures personnel safety, and achieves financial efficiency by optimising the maintenance budget. 

Our Energised Insulators Washing Systems ensure network reliability by combating the insulators’ pollutants build-up on any glass and/or ceramic insulator, and on any, composite, polymeric, and RTV coated insulators as well; with all due respect to the claim that these insulator types require minimal and ultimately unnecessary maintenance, sooner or later, in certain specific climatic areas, they must be washed to ensure operational excellence.

Installing a HYBRID WASHING SYSTEM also reduces overall CAIDI-CAIFI-SAIDI-SAIFI Indexes. 

Customer Average Interruption Duration Index (CAIDI) indicates the average time required to restore service during a predefined period.

The electric distribution System’s Average Interruption Duration Index (SAIDI): Indicates the length of time all customers would have been out of power if the total number of hours out of service in a year were to be shared. It is typically measured in minutes. 

Customer Average Interruption Frequency Index (CAIFI): Measures the average number of interruptions per customer per year. It is simply the number of interruptions that occurred divided by the number of customers affected by the interruptions.

The System Average Interruption Frequency Index (SAIFI) is the average number of service interruptions experienced by a customer in a year. The index is computed based on the methodology in the DB16-20 studies.

 Thanks to our extensive process know-how and technological expertise in the T&D power grid and power generation industry, we deliver comprehensive live line insulator washing systems to eliminate leakage currents, short circuits, and current interruptions caused by polluted insulators.

With our 20+ years of expertise, Wilorton is the only company on the market certified SN EN ISO 9001:2015 for Engineering and Project Management Of Energised Insulator Cleaning Systems. 

Wilorton HYBRID Washing System constitutes the revolutionary preventive maintenance of overhead T/L, eliminating outage losses and associated costs, caused by polluted insulators.

 To access our online calculator to output relevant details, such as the investment cost in installing a Hybrid Washing System on your most critical infrastructure affected by pollution, visit us at www.wilorton.com 

Free-of-charge Automated and Hybrid Washing Systems case/cost studies for your infrastructure are also available upon request. “We accept any challenge”. 

For more details, please visit, https://www.wilorton.com