RU2774089C1 - Method for lubricating a cable or wire of an overhead power line and a device for its implementation - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: electric power industry.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to the electric power industry. A device for lubricating a cable or wire of an overhead power line is an unmanned aerial vehicle, containing a means for moving along a cable or wire (1) and a lubrication chamber (2) installed on it, the lower part (3) of which is movable with the possibility of opening for opening cable or wire (1) inside the chamber. In the lubrication chamber (2) nozzles (4) are installed, to which a hose (5) is connected with a shut-off and control valve for supplying lubricant from a tank installed on the unmanned aerial vehicle. A hose (7) is also connected to the lubrication chamber (2) to drain the lubricant from the lubrication chamber back to the tank. The lower part (3) of the lubrication chamber (2) is equipped with a recovery filter (9) to clean the lubricant when it is removed. The connector between the upper and lower parts of the lubrication chamber is made inclined.

EFFECT: simplification of the design of the lubrication chamber, improvement of quality, elimination of leakage of lubricant into the environment.

4 cl, 1 dwg

Description

The claimed invention relates to the field of mechanical engineering and electric power industry, namely to devices for lubricating cables and wires of overhead power lines (OL) using an unmanned aerial vehicle.

A device for remote cleaning and lubrication of a metal rope is known, which includes a housing consisting of two disconnectable halves, equipped with inlet and outlet holes located on the same geometric axis for passing a metal rope with the formation of an internal chamber, a means of connecting the halves of the housing to each other, fixed on the interlocking parts halves of the body with seals and channels for supplying lubricant or cleaning agent. The means for connecting the body halves to each other is made in the form of a hinge, which allows the halves to close and open with each other with the help of lugs on the body and a system of levers. The housing is attached to an unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with rollers for moving along a rope using brackets mounted on a hinge. Each half of the housing on both sides has grease and cleaning agent traps and drain channels that direct unused grease or cleaning agent to tanks installed on an unmanned aerial vehicle (RF patent No. 2703398, published 10/16/2019).

The disadvantages of this device are the complexity of the design, the insufficient quality of the lubrication of the wire, and the fact that the used lubricant is returned to the tanks not cleaned of contaminants before its further use, and when the halves of the housing are opened, residual lubricants and contaminants can be drained into the environment.

The technical result to which the claimed invention is directed is to simplify the design of the lubrication chamber, due to the presence of one movable part, to improve the quality of lubrication of the cable or wire of the overhead line by cleaning the used lubricant returned to the tank, and also to exclude leakage of lubricant into the environment .

In part of the method, the claimed technical result is achieved by the fact that the method of lubricating a cable or wire of an overhead power line consists in approaching the cable or wire of an unmanned aerial vehicle with a lubrication chamber installed on it with an open bottom, inserting a cable or wire into the lubrication chamber, landing an unmanned aerial vehicle device on a cable or wire, after which they close the lower part of the chamber, and, moving along the cable or wire, spray the cable or wire with lubricant coming from the tank installed on the body of the unmanned aerial vehicle from the nozzles installed in the lubricant chamber, while the lubricant remaining in the lower part of the chamber after spraying, is discharged through the reductant filter from the lubrication chamber back to the tank for further use.

A device for lubricating a cable or wire of an overhead power line is a an unmanned aerial vehicle, containing a means for moving along a cable or wire and a lubrication chamber installed on its body, the lower part of which is movable with the possibility of opening for inserting a cable or wire into the chamber, nozzles are installed in the chamber for spraying the cable or wire with lubricant, to which a hose for supplying lubricant coming from a tank installed on an unmanned aerial vehicle is connected to the lubrication chamber, a hose is also connected to the lubrication chamber to drain the lubricant using a pump from the lubrication chamber back to the tank, while the lower part of the lubrication chamber is equipped with a reductant filter for cleaning the lubricant when it is removed from the lubrication chamber to the tank, and the connector between the upper and lower parts of the lubrication chamber is made inclined.

A liquid level sensor is installed at the bottom of the lubrication chamber.

The tank is equipped with a neck for refueling the tank with lubricating fluid in the air.

The claimed invention is illustrated by the drawing, where Fig. 1 - diagram of a device for lubricating a cable or wire: a) - with an open lubrication chamber, b) - with a closed lubrication chamber.

A device for lubricating a cable or wire of an overhead power line (Fig. 1 a), b)) is an unmanned aerial vehicle (not shown in the drawing) containing a vehicle installed on it for moving along a cable or wire 1 of the overhead line and a lubrication chamber 2, the lower part 3 of which is movable with the possibility of opening to put the cable or wire 1 inside the chamber. In the lubrication chamber 2 there are nozzles 4 (for example, three) for spraying the cable or wire 1 with lubricant, to which a hose 5 with a shut-off and control valve (not shown) is connected to supply lubricant from the tank installed on the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 ( not shown in the drawing), for example, using a pump 6 for direct supply of lubricant from the tank. A hose 7 is also connected to the lubrication chamber 2 to drain the lubricant from the lubrication chamber back to the tank using a pump 8 for pumping lubricant out of the chamber. The lower part 3 of the lubrication chamber 2 is equipped with a recovery filter 9 for cleaning the lubricant when it is removed from the lubrication chamber to the tank for further use. On the movable lower part 3 of the lubrication chamber 2, a wall 10 is installed, which is a barrier that prevents the filtered lubricant and contaminants removed from the cable or wire during lubrication from draining into the environment when the lubrication chamber is opened. The presence of the wall 10 ensures that the lower and upper parts of the chamber overlap.

The tank is equipped with a neck (not shown in the drawing) for refueling the tank with lubricating fluid in the air by means of another unmanned aerial vehicle tanker with a hose and a tank (not shown in the drawing).

The connector between the upper and lower parts of the lubrication chamber is made inclined, which allows opening the lower part 3 at a smaller angle.

The lower part of the chamber is opened using the drive 11.

To control the amount of lubricant in the lubrication chamber 2, a liquid level sensor (not shown in the drawing) is installed in its lower part 3 to ensure that a certain amount of lubricant is always present in the lower part of the chamber to prevent air from entering the hose 7.

The upper and lower parts of the lubrication chamber are connected by a spring-closer 12 in order to keep the lower part of the chamber in the closed position when the device is operating on an overhead line.

The lubrication chamber can be equipped with a stuffing box (not shown in the drawing) that prevents leakage of lubricant from the lubrication chamber through the hole 13 through which the wire or ground wire moves. The stuffing box is an air blower with holes, installed near the hole 13, through which the wire or ground wire moves. A hose of a pump installed on an unmanned aerial vehicle is connected to the air blower to direct air into the gap between hole 13 and wire 1 towards the direction of possible fluid leakage. The air blower is provided with a flexible hose to allow the lower part 3 of the lubrication chamber to be opened. The stuffing box not only prevents leakage of lubricant from the lubrication chamber, but also promotes uniform distribution of lubricant over the surface of the wire or ground wire inside the chamber.

The inventive method and device work as follows.

An unmanned aerial vehicle with a lubrication chamber 2 installed on it with an open lower part 3 flies up to the cable or wire of the overhead line 1, leads the cable or wire into the open lubrication chamber 2, sits on the cable or wire 1. After landing the unmanned aerial vehicle on the cable or wire of the overhead line 1 the lower part 3 of the lubrication chamber 4 is closed by the control system of the unmanned aerial vehicle. Thus, the cable is in the hole 13. Moving along the cable or wire 1, the nozzles 4 spray the cable or wire 1 with lubricant coming from the tank through the hoses 5. The used lubricant remaining in the lubrication chamber 2 passes through the filter 9 and then is discharged through the hose 7 to drain the lubricant from the lubrication chamber 2 back to the tank.

In the event that the lubricant in the tank has run out, the tank can be refilled with lubricant in the air through the neck of the tank by means of another unmanned aerial vehicle with a hose and a tank.

Using a liquid level sensor, the lubricant level is controlled in the lower part 3 of the lubrication chamber 2 to prevent airing.

Air is supplied to the openings of the stuffing box air blower by means of a pump and a hose, which is directed into the gap between the opening 13 in the lubrication chamber, through which the wire or ground wire moves, and the wire or ground wire, towards the direction of a possible lubricant leakage. The pressurized airflow generated by the stuffing box prevents leakage of lubricant from the lubrication chamber by pushing excess fluid back into the lubrication chamber, helping to evenly distribute the lubricant over the surface of the cable or wire.

After the end of the process of lubricating the wire 1 with a shut-off and control valve, the supply of lubricant from the tank is stopped, the lower part 3 of the lubrication chamber 2 is opened, the unmanned aerial vehicle takes off from the wire or cable.

The claimed invention makes it possible to improve the quality of lubrication of a cable or wire of an overhead line by cleaning the used lubricant returned to the tank, as well as to reduce the impact of the lubrication process on the environment.

Claims (4)

1. A method for lubricating a cable or wire of an overhead power line, which consists in approaching the cable or wire of an unmanned aerial vehicle with a lubrication chamber installed on it with an open bottom, inserting a cable or wire into the lubrication chamber, landing an unmanned aerial vehicle on a cable or wire, after then the lower part of the chamber is closed and, moving along the cable or wire, the cable or wire is sprayed with lubricant coming from the tank installed on the body of the unmanned aerial vehicle from the nozzles installed in the lubrication chamber, while the lubricant remaining in the lower part of the chamber after spraying is discharged through the reductant filter from the lubrication chamber back to the tank for further use. 2. A device for lubricating a cable or wire of an overhead power line, which is an unmanned aerial vehicle, containing a means for moving along a cable or wire and a lubrication chamber installed on its body, the lower part of which is movable with the possibility of opening for inserting a cable or wire into the chamber, nozzles are installed in the chamber for spraying the cable or wire with lubricant, to which a hose for supplying lubricant coming from a tank installed on an unmanned aerial vehicle is connected to the lubrication chamber, a hose is also connected to the lubrication chamber to drain the lubricant using a pump from the lubrication chamber back to the tank, while the lower part of the lubrication chamber is equipped with a reductant filter for cleaning the lubricant when it is removed from the lubrication chamber to the tank, and the connector between the upper and lower parts of the lubrication chamber is made inclined. 3. The device according to claim 2, characterized in that a liquid level sensor is installed in the lower part of the lubrication chamber. 4. The device according to claim. 2, characterized in that the tank is equipped with a neck for refueling the tank with lubricating fluid in the air.

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