OREANDA-NEWS. October 13, 2010. JSC FGC UES Branch – Backbone Electric Grids (MES) of South – successfully tested a unique glaze melting system installed at substation 500 kV Kubanskaya (Krasnodar Territory). The new system will enable preventing glaze ice building on lightning protection cable on one of the key power transmission lines of the southern region – power transmission line 500 kV Tikhoresk – Kubanskaya during low temperature period.

High humidity, temperature drops, strong winds specific for southern region climate facilitate glaze ice building on power transmission lines. Glaze melting system is designed to control glaze ice building on power transmission lines specific for regions with temperature overbalance. The new glaze melting system was tested on power transmission line 500 kV Tikhoretsk – Kubanskaya. During that exercise automated ice-load control system was tested which included the unique wire heating control function.

The new system differs from the standard one as ice glaze built on lightning protection cable will be melted at the temperature up to +80° С. This system minimizes the danger to burn optic cable built in lightning protection cable.

Specialists will be able to control ice load level remotely; and also monitor optical cable temperature during melting process on a real-time basis. Experience gained will be further applied at other power facilities in southern region.

Power transmission line 500 kV Tikhoretsk – Kubanskaya with the length of 297 km was put into operation in 2010. Power supply to deficient in power districts of Krasnodar Territory including intensive emerging industrial complex of Taman peninsula, towns Krymsk, Novorossiysk and Temryuk, commercial and passenger harbors on the Black Sea coast depends on reliable operation of this power transmission line.