WindSim Power Line

A COOL way to increase existing power line capacity

WindSim Power Line (WPL) provides transmission owners an enhanced view of the conditions of their transmission lines by modeling wind at high-spatial resolution and computing thermal interactions (using IEEE-738) for every transmission span on which the system is deployed. Because WPL provides full visibility of transmission line conditions, WPL is a cost-effective, scalable option for transmission line owners to increase resilience through situational awareness of the transmission system, and thereby reduce the risk of line sag-induced faults and outages. As a Dynamic Line Rating (DLR) solution, WPL enables transmission owners to utilize their transmission lines more efficiently by having a real-time view of the true capacity of their transmission line assets.

Key Benefits of using WPL

Span-by-span physical modeling
Current-temperature relations
(IEEE-738)
Forecasts for up to 72 hours ahead
Identification of critical spans
Efficiency improvements with DLR
Real-time line conditions
Installs without disruption to service

Example of a long transmission line with several angles (line azimuths) in a complex wind field. Line ratings can vary substantially on a span-by-span level. The critical spans are usually located where there are parallel winds.

Software and Services

WindSim Power Line combines local weather monitoring, gridded mesoscale forecasts, CFD modeling specialized for complex-terrain, and the Generalized Line Ampacity State Solver (GLASS, developed by Idaho National Laboratory) into a single integrated DLR system. A successful DLR system is one with reliability, reproducibility, conservatism, and experience at the forefront of the implementation. Therefore, we offer WPL as a spectrum of vetted software tools and consulting services. How do we differentiate our solution competences for success: grid knowledge and the heat transfer calculations, CFD knowledge, mesoscale forecast and ANN (Artifical Neural Network) knowledge.
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WindSim Power Line Applications

Transmission engineers, planners, and asset managers can benefit from WindSim Power Line by more accurately rating lines, identifying critical spans, monitoring system health, and planning for outages. Use-cases include:

Use WindSim Power Line Forecasting to Increase Capacity

Forecasting is essential for applications aiming to utilize more of a line's capacity. Applications that require forecasting include real-time and day-ahead markets. WPL uses mesoscale data and applies downscaling on these gridded forecasts to obtain a higher-resolution forecast which is more applicable to locations with complex terrain and vegetation.

Identify Critical Lines to Inform Limiting Constraints

The transmission capacity in overhead lines is typically limited by the conductor temperature effect in the sag clearance, which varies in time and along the line spans. This variability is mainly due to weather conditions which are time and space dependent. WindSim Power Line is a tool that can be used to facilitate the determination of critical spans and provide the engineer options on ways to mitigate limiting constraints on the system through scenario analysis.

Improve Reliability of Ambient Adjusted and Static Ratings

Ambient-adjusted and static ratings are currently common ways to estimate the capacity of a transmission line. Both approaches exclude time variations of wind—the primary driver of the line's true capacity. By excluding wind conditions from the estimates, the true capacity can fall under the estimated capacity given AAR or Static Ratings. Because WPL accounts for realistic and dynamic wind conditions, WPL can promote a more reliable use of AARs and Static Ratings.

Collaborative Development

Idaho National Laboratory and WindSim

WindSim and the U.S. Department of Energy's Idaho National Laboratory (INL) benefit from a collaborative relationship since 2012. This relationship has grown from INL being a customer of WindSim to a cooperative partnership with federal funding from the U.S. Department of Energy, targeted at improving the electricity sector's ability to model and transfer weather conditions to every single span on the line to accurately perform Dynamic Line Rating across a larger geographic area with high reliability and certainty.

Weather-based Dynamic Line Rating has been validated through industry pilots to ensure it provides a smart grid energy solution for removing artificial or systematic power flow constraints. This is done by informing system planners and grid operators of available transmission and distribution capacity that was previously restricted by Static Line Ratings. WPL is currently deployed and continually validated in partnership with other electric utility partners and commercial meteorological solution providers, which also includes the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). WindSim is looking for additional partners to further deploy this innovative, industry accepted solution!

The joint WindSim | Idaho National Laboratory DLR Team has made the 2018 R&D 100 Finalist list. This team was also shortlisted for 2017 R&D 100 Finalists. R&D 100 Awards have served as the most prestigious innovation awards program for the past 55 years, honoring great R&D pioneers and their revolutionary ideas in science and technology. Together with the INL team that has been involved in the DLR space since 2008, the two organizations have created a solid prototype of the WindSim Power Line (WPL) solution. The individual team members have conducted successful industry funded pilot projects.

Why we focus on CFD based Dynamic Line Rating

Sensitivity of Temperature-and-Current Relationships to Wind

Wind is a key factor for estimating Dynamic Line Ratings. A simple sensitivity analysis can show just how dominantly wind contributes to the heat transfers on a line. Temperature and solar are the next important weather parameters essential for dynamlic ratings, but still these parameters are not as dominant or as variable as wind.
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Publications

Selected publications relevant to WindSim Power Line can be found here. For a complete list of videos and papers see Library.

Using Computational Fluid Dynamics of Wind Simulations Coupled with Weather Data to Calculate Dynamic Line Ratings: Alexander W.Abboud, Kenneth R.Fenton, Jacob P.Lehmer, Benjamin A.Fehringer, Jake P.Gentle, Timothy R.McJunkin, Katya L.Le Blanc, Melissa A.Petty, Matthew S.Wandishinc
Coupling computational fluid dynamics with the high resolution rapid refresh model for forecasting dynamic line ratings: Alexander Abboud, Jake P. Gentle, Timothy McJunkin, Jacob P. Lehmer
A Cool Way to Increase Existing Overhead Power Line Capacity: Jake Gentle, Donna Rennemo
The Benefit of Computational Fluid Dynamics Data in Dynamic Line Rating Calculations: A.W. Abboud, J.P. Gentle, T.R. McJunkin, B. Bhattari, C. Meissner, P. Anderson, S. Woods
Transmission line ampacity improvements using optimized forecasting solution for grid operations: Donna Rennemo
Meso-microscale coupling for wind resource assessment using average atmospheric conditions: P. Duran, C. Meissner, K. Rutledge, R. Fonseca, J. Martin-Torres, WindEurope Hamburg, 2018. (pdf document 1.5 Mb)
Day ahead wind farm power production forecast using a high resolution mesoscale model and various downscaling techniques: M. Mana, C. Meissner, WindEurope Hamburg, 2018. (pdf document 0.7 Mb)
Meso-microscale coupling for wind resource assessment using averaged atmospheric conditions: P. Duran, C. Meissner and G. Kersting, WindEurope Hamburg, 2017. (pdf document 0.9 Mb)

Press Releases

NYSERDA Award

WindSim looks forward to working together with NYPA to improve energy efficiencies with WindSim Power Line. New York Power Authority to pursue $1.5 Million in new technology solutions to improve energy efficiency and reduce costs in New York's Power Infrastracture.
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Can new transmission tech boost capacity and save billions? Two proposals aim to find out

New grid-enhancing technologies (GETs) have been shown to cost-effectively increase the power existing transmission lines can carry and the services they can provide without compromising reliability ...
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