On March 24, at the construction site of the 10-kilovolt iron tower in Xinchang county, Shaoxing city, Zhejiang province, State Grid Shaoxing Power Supply Company uses large payload drones for the first time to transport iron tower infrastructure materials. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
Thanks to the large payload drone transport team of State Grid Shaoxing Power Supply Company, on March 24, at the construction site of the 10-kilovolt iron tower in Langshu Bay, Tianmu Mountain Scenic Area, Xinchang county, Shaoxing, Zhejiang province, six large payload drones that can transport 100 kilograms each were lined up smoothly.
They were transporting the materials needed for the construction of the foundation of the tower. They maneuvered between the lofty mountains and ridges. Resembling a modern "airborne camel team", they precisely delivered the materials required for the power grid construction to the designated locations. This marks the first application of the large payload drone transport.
With the upgrading of power grid construction in mountainous areas, the number of new iron towers has become considerable. Xinchang county's geographical features, characterized by scattered mountains, posed a challenge on how to transport construction materials weighing tens of metric tons up the slopes.
On March 24, at the construction site of the 10-kilovolt iron tower in Xinchang county, Shaoxing city, Zhejiang province, State Grid Shaoxing Power Supply Company uses large payload drones for the first time to transport iron tower infrastructure materials. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
Iron towers are usually located on hillsides or halfway up mountains. The traditional method of transportation involved "human carrying and horse packing", which raised issues such as long distances on mountain trails, time-consuming, as well as worker and horse safety hazards. Sometimes, in order to open up new transport routes, inevitable compensation issues for forests and farmlands would arise.
The six 100-kilogram drones used in this transport team can transport one ton of materials every 15 minutes within a radius of 3 kilometers. In contrast, the traditional transport involving one horse and two people can only transport a maximum of 200 kg at a time and advance only 300 meters in an hour.
Calculating based on the materials needed for a 10 kv tower foundation, which includes 56.44 tons of cement, sand and stones, and 1.11 tons of steel bars, the drone transport team would only take 14 hours, while the human and horse packing would require at least a week. Additionally, the transport team is equipped with safety parachutes, which automatically open in case of emergencies.
"The successful practice of this transport has shown us that the speed of power grid construction is about to enter a new era. Compared to traditional transport methods, the use of heavy payload drones not only reduces manual labor and shortens the project time but also avoids safety hazards caused by complex terrains. In case of difficult repair environments, materials can be quickly delivered to the designated locations," said Zhang Chunlei, deputy general manager of the Xinchang Branch of Shaoxing Jianyuan Electric Power Group.
In the future, State Grid Shaoxing Power Supply Company said it will build on this pilot transport initiative, increase the application of heavy payload drone technology, and lead the way in deploying heavy payload drones in areas with complex terrain, in a bid to improve transport efficiency.
