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Projects: Projects for Investigator
Reference Number	NIA_NPG_022
Title	Drones Within Visual Line Of Sight (Drone WVLOS)
Status	Completed
Energy Categories	Other Cross-Cutting Technologies or Research 100%;
Research Types	Applied Research and Development 100%
Science and Technology Fields	SOCIAL SCIENCES (Town and Country Planning) 5%; SOCIAL SCIENCES (Business and Management Studies) 5%; ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (Electrical and Electronic Engineering) 45%; ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (Mechanical, Aeronautical and Manufacturing Engineering) 40%; ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES (Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences) 5%;
UKERC Cross Cutting Characterisation	Not Cross-cutting 100%
Principal Investigator	Project Contact No email address given Northern Powergrid
Award Type	Network Innovation Allowance
Funding Source	Ofgem
Start Date	01 January 2018
End Date	01 October 2020
Duration	ENA months
Total Grant Value	£245,000
Industrial Sectors	Power
Region	Yorkshire & Humberside
Programme	Network Innovation Allowance
Investigators	Principal Investigator	Project Contact , Northern Powergrid (100.000%)
	Industrial Collaborator	Project Contact , Northern Powergrid (0.000%)
Web Site	https://smarter.energynetworks.org/projects/NIA_NPG_022
Objectives	Northern Powergrid intends to purchase up to four drones, of differing types, by April 1, 2018 and conduct a nine month trial program. Trials will be undertaken primarily in rural operating zones and will look to assess the applicability of drone based methods to the range of current operational and asset management and maintenance activities. As part of the assessment Northern Powergrid will engage with an established inspection survey and asset management company to assist in the purchase vs contract decision. Following the completion of trials we will look to tender for the services needed for the desired solution. Vendors may be utilized on an as-needed basis for one-off specialized applications. This project is concerned with undertaking further exploratory work to assess the technical and commercial viability of using UAS WVLOS within NPg through a series of carefully designed trials. The trials will look to assess the following: Flying capability: The ability to fly consistently in a range of real life scenarios: Weather: Visibility (clear skies, cloudy, night), Wind (None to high), Rain (Rain, snow) Route type: Urban, rural, no fly zone Line type: Route length (<5km, >15km) and Line design (pole, tower) Data capture: The ability to provide a consistent and quality set of information including photographs, videos, infrared and LiDAR to a pre-determined specification. Integration into business processes: The ability to integrate into (and/or enhance and/or replace) existing business processes: Routine inspections: generate a bespoke report along a route using a generic condition pro forma Ad-hoc inspections: to undertake a specific assessment, e.g. inspect a cable bridge structure. Fault management: to help identify the location of a specific fault. This project would explore the ability to have condition data live streamed back to an NPg subject matter expert (SME).Make versus buy analysis: Assess each potential business process to decide the best deployment solution The utility of a drone based approach for each of the activities identified above in scope and an assessment of the economics of that utilisation would be the minimum successful output. Identification of new tasks suitable for this technology as well as an identification of associated operational issues are also likely additional outcomes but would be seen as additional to the base success criteria.
Abstract	The project is an assessment exercise. Completion of the assessment, whether the outcome is positive or negative would comprise a successful outcome.
Publications	(none)
Final Report	(none)
Added to Database	15/12/22