Automated UAV PD surveying project

Elimpus had been awarded a second innovation contract to develop an automated PD survey by UAV (unmanned air vehicle). This project is a continuation to a trial investigation of using drones to perform a PD survey over an air insulated substation.

The original prototype used the M600 DJI drone. It was used as a proof of concept, which proved to be successful. This drone has been superseded by the more powerful and versatile M300 and M350 drones.

A bespoke custom PD payload will be used to integrate with the drone. The flight path, flight data, all PD results, images of suspect plant, will be transferred to the Elimpus Nserver cloud solution. These PD results will be plotted on a user friendly mapping of the substation, pinpointing the areas of concern.

This UAV PD survey solution offers a number of benefits, such as faster surveys, reduced manpower, access to RHMZ (risk hazard management zones), and automated PD reports.