Open Collections

Rahnama, Amirali

University of British Columbia

The integration of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in power line inspections significantly improves efficiency and safety compared to traditional methods. This thesis explores the comparison of UAV trajectories for detecting the corona effect, characterized by ultraviolet (UV) emissions due to high-voltage discharges, which indicate potential faults in power transmission systems. The study compares the effectiveness of straight and spiral UAV trajectories using advanced algorithms to determine the most efficient inspection paths. Simulations conducted in MATLAB reveal that straight trajectories offer an estimation error as low as 0.22%, demonstrating better accuracy and efficiency for large-scale inspections. In contrast, spiral trajectories, while providing detailed data for specific areas, exhibit higher estimation errors, up to 10.31%, and are more resource-intensive. This research uniquely incorporates a mobile receiver in UAV simulations, allowing a dynamic and realistic assessment of UAV performance. The findings contribute to enhancing the reliability and safety of power lines by comparing UAV trajectories for accurate fault detection, thereby improving maintenance protocols and helping to prevent power outages. This thesis provides significant insights into the practical applications of advanced UAV technology and trajectory planning in power line inspections.

Text

2024-10-24

Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/89498

Civil Engineering

University of British Columbia

UBCO

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/