Asset Management Planning
“Every feature has some maintenance cost, and having fewer features lets us focus on the ones we care about and make sure they work very well.” -- David Karp
Though believed to be secure, maintenance-free systems, towers, and poles have shown that due to corrosion and mechanic injury, they can indeed corrode. Aging alone is not an accurate predictor of oxidation of systems. Several factors may cause corrosion or influence a structure's corrosion level. But proper asset management planning with innovative solutions can protect electrical assets. The transmission towers, poles, or other electrical assets can be reinstated in their better forms through transmission tower resurfacing and advance curative solutions. The development of secure and innovative solutions to transmission tower resurfacing and other difficult-to-access systems depend upon the proper management plan. Free climbing and rope access techniques are used to achieve works that significantly improve flexibility and eliminate the need for intricate styling in remote areas.
The conventional and standard asset management planning needed to prevent the transmission tower, poles and other electrical assets from deterioration and structural instability.
Service interruptions can occur during downtime, leaving thousands of homes powerless. This is also the perfect time for cleaning up the transformers. Most repair services ignore the importance of transformer cleaning. This stage is significant, especially when the utility maintenance schemes, as transportation from power stations to customers, attempt to become more productive. The transformer would also prevent intermittent blackouts by cleaning regularly. Transformers that are not kept routinely can result in expensive repairs and eventually fail, leaving many people in darkness.
The industries are in a position to weigh running costs compared to the maintenance of these critical assets. Extending the service life by applying protective coverings rejuvenates the cementite protection in the original tower design. Across comparison, the customers should rest assured that their resource requirements are met most effectively with a regular maintenance schedule.
Owners must consider the technical and financial perspectives and performances to determine the best assessment methodology. Towers and poles are one of the largest and most significant technological assets of the electrical industries. Regular investments in tower and poles maintenance have been unfortunately often reduced or eliminated to reduce costs as revenues and shareholder profits have increased, and charges have been reduced. The threat of power failures and problems of public safety is curious because cost savings strategies will double or threefold long-term maintenance costs.
To study the transmission tower resurfacing, we need to see a little background of the asset management planning. The right of way (ROW) is a strip of land that is lined with energy. The property in possession have a particular license or rights for the construction and maintenance of the transmission lines can be owned by the transmission operators. The power line system is a network of interconnected generators, transmission lines, and distributed installations. Utility companies seek to position transmission lines at places that are technologically, economically and environmentally appropriate for the accommodation of required infrastructures.
Key Challenges of Asset Management Planning for Transmission Lines
Corrosion
Data gathered in recent years has shown a need to invest in the asset management plan for transmission tower resurfacing at 40 years of age and over to deal with corrosion problems. This age category comprises up to 39% of the population of Darwin’s transmission pole and tour pole. During the next two regulatory periods, transmission poles and tower assets in the Darwin region will have an impressive effect on system reliability as assets are aged and start to surpass normal asset life. Therefore, this is a considerable field of investment to manage the plan for transmission tower resurfacing.
Earthing Degradation
The deterioration of the tower earth systems was detected by earthing degradation tests carried out on 271 transmission poles and turrets over 30 years. Up to one-third of them were found with earthing deteriorated system in the latest experiments carried out in 2016. Investment is necessary in order to keep the transmission network safe and reliable. It is said to be another big challenge in asset management planning.
Other Defects
The maturing of data on the condition of pole and tower properties is a major challenge in the asset management plan. In general, polar turret problems are handled as corrective maintenance due to a few operational failures found on the network to date. When asset losses begin to emerge and reach their life expectancy, greater focus is on corrosion and condition data collection and analysis, in order to improve decision making in the field of asset management planning. This also includes seasonal challenges. The wet season runs from October/November through April/May, with high moisture content, monsoon rain, and storm. In general, temperatures are measured by the bureau of meteorology. The dry season has categorized the dropping of temperature. The polar and turret failure is strongly linked to the seasonal climatic conditions and the pole and tour failures.
Investment planning to manage the key challenges of transmission tower resurfacing
For the next transmission tower resurfacing period from 2019 till 2023, the following plan for the replacement of pole and tower prosperities are being proposed:
Renovation (rejuvenation) project for transmission pole and tower networks. A comprehensive refurbishment program to rectify corrosion defects and prolong asset life in the area, including the targeted methodical inspections, including transmission tower and poles structures.
Renovation of the network of transmission pole and tower earthing system. A tailored reform plan to restore the appropriate conception requirements for high-risk earth systems.
Another challenge is a maintenance plan which involves a combination of a substitute and refuses investments in the area of transmission lines to deal with the advance supply deterioration problems.
A framework for the health and criticism of assets and a consistent method of evaluating assets identifies assets or groups of assets that require further analysis and makes value-based investment decisions that were developed to achieve this goal. These renovation programs for transmission tower resurfacing are designed to sustain risk over time.
Purpose of the asset management planning
The main objective of this asset management planning for the transmission tower resurfacing is to define the approach of power to manage tower life cycle activities. Pole and tower assets meet broad external legislative, codes, and standards requirements. This is achieved through interlinked systems and processes that define power network management practices within an internal framework for policy, strategy, and plans. The management also provides an overview of an asset class. It is also needed to align the corporate objectives and priorities. Another purpose of asset management planning is to make the strategy of investment in a proper location at an appropriate time.
Key steps for asset management planning
Transmission Tower Earthing System Refurbishment Program
Recent studies have found flaws in earthing degradation of the transmission line networks, land tests over a period of 30 years, the most recent testing in 2015 and 16, indicate that the tower base earth structures are declining. Transmission line grounding is a crucial function for the safe and reliable operation of a transmission system. The goal is to ensure that lightning output is appropriate and that fault current dissipation is efficient, and that dangerous measure is not built up, as well as touch potential around the base of the towers. For the next regulatory cycle of asset management planning, it is planned to refurbish the transmission towers earthing systems. Over the five-year period, this project will target for the rehabilitation of 313 or 12% of landing systems in the area of Darwin.
Transmission Tower Corrosion Protection Life Extension Program
The next regulatory period proposes a program to replace and rebut distribution poles in the area of transmission towers. It includes the asset management condition over the life cycle of the asset, including the design, manufacture, commissioning service, maintenance, repair, alteration, replacement, and disposal. Throughout post-failure evaluations and trials, the impact of degradation of the corrosion on functional integrity and strength of towers and poles are also studied.
Growth requirements
Overhead power lines remain typically the cheapest way of the distribution of power to newest urban and commercial developments in the energy and water system, which makes the projected growth in connections a very apt proxy for the expected increase in overhead infrastructure needs over the same time period. The changing climate with reduced demand growth is expected to impact the network growth requirements, and AEMO's forecasts will be adopted by the end of 2023-24, which aims to project expected growth in pole and tower assets. Precise decision making about the transmission tower maintenance can take place, for example, change or alteration of maintenance policies, cash for repairs and money for new assets. This results in the entire development and great working of the transmission towers.
Benefits of asset management planning
It results in better decision making.
It provides an infrastructure for the creation and management of the transmission lines.
By using an asset management plan, it becomes reliable to maintain the assets of the country such as transmission lines and reduces the risk of utility.
It provides long term system integrity, which is essential for the transmission tower resurfacing.
The foremost benefit of an asset management plan is cost saving. Planning can manage the cost for each asset of the country. By asset management planning, a country can create a financial cost plan to invest in the transmission system of a nation.
It also helps in reducing the energy wastage, because a lot of energy is wasted due to the malfunctioning of the transmission lines. Through proper management plans, it will become easier to maintain the transmission lines at an appropriate time which is helpful to save energy.
The asset management committee believes that by investing the revenue over the assets of a country, it can be easier to gain the income again because the electric and water board will work properly, resulting in the generation of more revenue.
A general representation of asset management planning
Background Information – It helps in filling out the necessary information, including volume, age, size, performance, current condition, a preset value and the summaries of asset information management.
Risk Management Plan – It is formulated to determine various risk that have a high probability of affecting the services. It also includes the objectives that are impacted by the threat, in what manner the risks are determined and estimated, and what risk mitigation plans are in place.
Operating Plan – It involves the decision making process; including trends; well-defined and effective working strategies along with an approach to match the required service levels; how the ongoing tasks are prioritized and risks linked with alternate tactics, and predictions of the planned operating costs.
Equipment Maintenance Plans -- Includes trends; defined maintenance strategies and methods to meet required service levels; how maintenance tasks are prioritized and risks associated with alternative approaches; and forecasts of planned maintenance costs.
Recapitalization Plans and Strategies – Summarizes renewal expenses – main work which doesn’t raise the design capacity of an asset but replaces, regains, or renews the current asset to its real function.
Capital Planning and Strategies – It defines new investment, which generates an exclusive asset that didn’t exist earlier or which promotes or enhances an existing asset beyond its current volume.
Disposal Plan – It determines activities linked with the exclusion of a withdrawn asset including the destruction, repositioning or sales. It consist of a future prediction of withdrawn assets, involving timing, expenses, and cash flow prediction of the revenue/expenses from the exclusion of an asset.
Conclusion
Regardless of how a plan will work, it is cored important to produce a management plan. Transmission lines are a huge asset for a country, and they need to be adequately maintained. No negligence can be ignored in regard to transmission tower maintenance. The above article acknowledges the importance of the transmission tower resurfacing along with asset management planning. They should be developed in a proper time period to apply them to meet the needs of the country. The maturity and critical factors of asset management planning can affect the investment revenue, but it is of high importance to follow the guide to the asset management planning. The future of a country demands the proper asset management planning of its essential powers, such as transmission lines.
