Transmission Line Assessment

Kinectrics has established an outstanding record in supporting the reliability and safety of numerous key transmission facilities in North America for several decades. Our transmission line assessment services include:

Conductors, Skywires, Line Hardware and Insulators

• Aging and remaining life assessment for transmission lines

Corrosion Prevention and Control

• In situ field inspections of line components and tests to determine the need for maintenance and refurbishment
• Recommendations of practical solutions
• Identification of key environmental parameters in the corrosion process, and monitoring of the severity and frequency of their occurrence over an area of interest

Tower Tests

• Full scale, in situ tests using remote loading and instrument recording equipment

Foundation Assessment

• Inspection, uplift, compression and lateral load tests on various types of foundations, including concrete footings, steel grillages, rock and soil anchors and piles

Transmission Line Assessment Capabilities

• Diagnostic inspections of line components to determine current condition of lines, hardware, structures and foundations (field and laboratory)
• Rate of deterioration
• Assessment of line performance
• Failure analysis of structures and foundations due to aging, overloading and impact or shock loadingMechanical component failure analysis
• Life-cycle analysis
• Strategies for service life extension
• Corrosion assessment, prevention and control
• Determination of aggressiveness of environment, including atmosphere, soil, rock and groundwater
• Transmission line assessment of structural and foundation strength:
  • Bolts, tower members (lab and field testing)
  • Structure foundation interaction
  • Foundation performance and integrity (lab and full-scale testing)
• Site characterization and assessment
• Backfill design and selection for foundations
• Line surveys, assessments and monitoring for refurbishment and upgrading
• Laboratory and field conductor vibration studies, including:
  • Aeolian vibration
  • Sub conductor oscillation
  • Galloping

• Wind and ice-loading studies on transmission lines
• Evaluation of spacer-dampers and Aeolian vibration dampers
• Non-destructive and destructive testing of wood poles
• Mechanical tests on fibre optic cables and hardware
• Analysis and field-testing of station structures
• Mechanical and thermal tests on conductors, skywires, insulators and line hardware
• Sag-tension analysis and testing of conductors and skywires
• Ampacity studies and real-time clearance monitoring