D-distance Risk Factor for Transmission Line Maintenance Management and Cost Analysis

In this paper, a D-distance risk factor was proposed to prioritize high-voltage transmission lines from high to low risk in transmission line maintenance and renovation management. Various conditions and importance assessment criteria together with the weighting and scoring method were proposed to calculate both the renovation and importance indices of transmission lines. The scores of different test methods and visual inspection were differentiated from zero to five as end-of-life to very good condition to evaluate the condition of the line and its components. Additionally, the scores of different importance criteria were modified to assess the line importance from low to high importance. Moreover, the analytic hierarchy process was applied to determine the important weight of all test methods and importance criteria, which were evaluated by utility experts. The renovation and importance indices were combined in a risk matrix to finally determine the risk of the line by using the D-distance technique. Later, the risk of every transmission line was plotted in a risk matrix to prioritize and manage maintenance tasks. Finally, a maintenance cost was analyzed by applying the D-distance risk factor and compared with the replacement cost of a new transmission line for maintenance planning and cost minimization. Twenty out of 115, 230 and 500 kV transmission lines fleet in Thailand were practically analyzed with actual data. The results were realistic to feasibly implement in a transmission system for sustainable management.