Preparation and Experimental Studies of Novel Anti-icing Aluminum Conductors to Enhance the Transmission Capacity

Transmission safety and capacity of overhead transmission lines are important for the electric power system. Icing seriously threatens the security of power delivery, reflected in the line galloping and line-tower collapsing. Here, novel anti-icing aluminum (AI) conductors with different diameters were successfully prepared by anodization techniques. The superhydrophobicity and glaze icing behavior of all specimens were verified. Furthermore, the transmission capacity of prepared Al conductors was evaluated by up- current experiments. Line loss of all Al conductors was calculated and determined by mathematical formulations. Results show that anodized Al conductors exhibit good anti-icing properties and increased transmission capacity, attributed to the superhydrophobicity and heat dissipation of the nanopores micro-structure. The good anti-icing properties and large transmission capacity make the anodized overhead transmission line the potential low-cost candidate to improve transmission safety and capacity.