This text is part of the special Energies notebook
A researcher from the University of Sherbrooke is working with Hydro-Québec and Rio Tinto to prevent Quebecers from having to experience or relive a major power outage.
“The 1998 ice storm showed the importance of staying up to date in the field,” says Sébastien Langlois. Since 2004, the civil engineering professor at the University of Sherbrooke has pursued research in collaboration with Hydro-Québec to ensure the reliability of hydroelectricity transmission.
“The subjects on which we work vary according to the needs of Hydro-Québec and the line managers,” notes the specialist in the mechanical and structural aspects of transmission lines. From the normal aging of high voltage lines (most of which were built in the 1960s and 1970s), to natural disasters and the ever-increasing demand for energy, the challenges are multiple. It is in this vein that in 2022, Mr. Langlois and his team received a total of $1.6 million to work in partnership with Hydro-Québec and Rio Tinto.
Aging and innovation
Over the past two years, the professor has focused more specifically on the reliability of conductors, an essential component in energy transportation. Made from aluminum with a steel core, they transmit energy. “The infrastructure is aging. Even if they are not necessarily in poor condition, we ask ourselves a lot of questions, including how soon will we have to replace components,” he explains. Corrosion, vibrations and natural aging end up causing cracks and breakages in aluminum wires. Although efforts have been made in the past to minimize this wear and tear, the scale of the network and the investments required require better prediction.
Through laboratory experiments on component parts, larger-scale digital modulations and other mathematical models, researchers want to predict when and where potential ruptures may occur, so that a physical inspection can be carried out. timely. The researchers have thus developed a prediction methodology which they have already presented to Hydro-Québec, which will take care of its implementation. “Our advanced analysis methods are not always used in practice, but they are used to design simplified methods that will be used by engineers on a day-to-day basis,” explains Mr. Langlois.
The team also focused on the development of a new concept of aluminum pylon, an abundant resource in Quebec. “It could be interesting, especially in remote areas, as it halves the weight of the pylons,” underlines Mr. Langlois. A significant detail for these areas, where parts sometimes have to be transported by helicopter, which is expensive. This reduction in weight would also allow the use of less imposing lifting tools.
The researchers also want to analyze the life cycle of steel in comparison to aluminum and see an interest in using aluminum “to potentially reduce the environmental impact over the entire life cycle of this product”. hopes Mr. Langlois.
Local and essential expertise
Validation of their concept will continue in the coming years. “The next step would be to do a pilot project by integrating the pylon into a prototype line to test the concept,” raises Mr. Langlois. Because even if inspections are regularly carried out, “some lines are very far away. We must therefore design reliable lines, without needing to take care of them,” he observes. With increasing pressure on the network, we cannot afford to lower reliability. “It’s an important challenge,” says the professor. Major investments must be planned in advance, which is facilitated by research projects like those of Sébastien Langlois.
Fortunately, Quebec continues to maintain and develop its expertise. “We are lucky to have this in Quebec,” remarks Mr. Langlois, who himself trains students with his research projects. The university researchers, engineering firms and expertise maintained at Hydro-Québec (which has its own research center) are valuable and quite unique in the world. “It means that when there is a problem or a challenge to overcome, we know who to call, whereas elsewhere in the world, this expertise has been lost,” he notes.
Often out of sight, these structures are nevertheless crucial “We are all used to having electricity in our homes, and when we have a breakdown, everything is turned upside down. It’s a lot of work to ensure transport reliability,” he recalls.
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