4PyrJP0pkW9 finance.huanqiu.comarticleAirborne Sentinel on the Ice-Front: Zhejiang’s First Ultra-High-Voltage De-Icing Robot Safeguards Hangzhou’s Power Grid/e3pmh1hmp/fnjsms207<article><section data-type="rtext"><p>On 14 January, at a 600 m ridge-top wind-gap in Taiyang Township, Lin’an District, Hangzhou, a heavy-lift UAV fought its way through the winter gusts and, with centimetre-level precision, lowered a tank-like yellow robot onto the overhead ground wire between towers 89 and 90 of the 500 kV Li–Fu line. A soft metallic click of the locking mechanism was followed by the rhythmic blink of status LEDs—marking the formal commissioning of Zhejiang’s first autonomous de-icing robot for ultra-high-voltage transmission circuits. </p><p><i class="pic-con"><img data-alt="" src="//img.huanqiucdn.cn/dp/api/files/imageDir/3d1f45d05993c4e00d94d7e69109cfa5u1.png?imageView2/2/w/1260" /></i></p><p>As the pivotal corridor for inter-provincial power exchange in the Yangtze River Delta, the 500 kV Li–Fu line underpins regional load balancing and is regarded as the “critical bond” that keeps the delta grid stable. Yet its Lin’an section crosses a high-elevation mountain ridge where winter wet-snow events are routine and ambient temperature can drop to –5 °C; the windward slope topography lets ice accretion build rapidly on conductors and shield wires.“Steep peaks, narrow footpaths and complex terrain make ice coverage the No. 1 maintenance headache,” said Chen Jianqiang, site manager for State Grid Hangzhou Power Supply Company. </p><p>Until now, live-line de-icing on the UHV circuit relied on two makeshift methods: crews climbing towers to hammer ice off by hand, or multi-rotor drones swinging weighted de-icing bars. Tower climbing exposes workers to extreme cold at height and carries high safety risk; drone-mounted bars are easily grounded by wind speed, visibility or battery life, giving patchy and often late results. Both approaches are essentially reactive, deployed only after icing has reached emergency thresholds.“During heavy snow or glaze-ice events we used to man the line around the clock and rush repairs at night, yet we still couldn’t remove every ice threat in time,” Chen noted. </p><p><i class="pic-con"><img data-alt="" src="//img.huanqiucdn.cn/dp/api/files/imageDir/3ccf79e1fad46839de15b817c18f3488u1.png?imageView2/2/w/1260" /></i></p><p>The newly commissioned robot is essentially an “airborne sentinel” for the grid. Built around a lightweight chassis, it carries an intelligent sensor suite and high-definition monitoring payload that continuously reports ice accretion thickness, ambient temperature and conductor sag to the control centre. When ice depth reaches the pre-set warning threshold, the unit autonomously initiates its de-icing routine: a motor-driven, variable-frequency oscillating head transmits torsional shock waves along the ground wire, dislodging ice efficiently and precisely without human touch.Throughout the operation, maintenance staff track the robot’s position, health, battery state and on-site weather via a secure remote platform and can start or stop the device at will—effectively stationing an indefatigable forward watchman on the most ice-prone ridge. </p><p>“The breakthrough is that we now intervene far earlier in the icing cycle,” Chen explained.“Traditional tactics were ‘lock-the-barn-after-the-horse-is-gone’—we waited until a critical ice load had already formed. The robot supplies continuous, early-stage suppression, shifting us from reactive firefighting to true prevention and slashing the probability that heavy ice will over-sag or fracture the ground wire and trigger a line trip.” </p><p><i class="pic-con"><img data-alt="" src="//img.huanqiucdn.cn/dp/api/files/imageDir/56417b157cf123af115a4c41fafab1c3u1.png?imageView2/2/w/1260" /></i></p><p>With the winter-peaking season now at its critical stage, grid security and stability are under severe scrutiny. The formal deployment of the autonomous de-icing robot adds another high-tech tool to Hangzhou’s smart-O&M arsenal.Going forward, State Grid Hangzhou Power Supply Company will use this pilot project as a springboard to refine the robot’s environmental adaptability and operational precision, fortifying the winter security shield with science and technology. The goal is to detect and neutralise icing threats at the earliest possible moment, ensuring a resilient network and uninterrupted power for every household.(Text: Fu Yunxiao, Cao Ziwei / Photo: Wu Chen) </p></section></article>1768547430675责编：徐娜Global Times Online176854743067511[]//img.huanqiucdn.cn/dp/api/files/imageDir/0f70fea50f8aead800f85770a5e96d50u1.png{"email":"xuna@huanqiu.com","name":"徐娜"}