Case Study | Sitech Electric’s Live Grid Inspection with Drone Technology Safeguards Power Lines in Xinjiang

Release time:

2025-03-28

Key words:

Recently, Sitech Electric was awarded a key live grid inspection project by State Grid Xinjiang Power Supply Company, conducting unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-based live inspections on distribution overhead lines in Xinjiang. As a technology leader with nearly 20 years of experience in the power industry, Sitech Electric brings together a team of over 60% technical professionals and extensive experience from more than 5,000 substations and over 30,000 kilometers of transmission lines covering State Grid and China Southern Power Grid. The company will conduct systematic inspections to identify potential risks and provide solid guarantees for the safe and stable operation of the power grid.

Faced with challenges such as widespread line distribution and complex environments, Sitech’s team leveraged civilian UAV operation qualifications and a standardized operational system. Through scientific mission planning and multi-UAV collaboration, the company ensured both inspection accuracy and efficiency, laying a foundation for future large-scale implementation.

Technology Enablement
Dual-Mode Infrared & UV Detection for Accurate Risk Identification

Addressing the difficulties of maintaining distribution overhead lines in Xinjiang’s harsh natural environment, Sitech Electric employs advanced drone-based infrared and ultraviolet live detection technologies. These methods enable non-contact, non-outage inspections to accurately locate hidden risks, building an “intelligent defense line” for grid security.

Infrared Detection Technology: Revealing Temperature Anomalies to Prevent Potential Failures
Using high-precision infrared thermal imaging equipment mounted on drones, Sitech conducts long-range scans of temperature distribution along power lines, quickly identifying:
- Temperature-related defects such as overheating at conductor connections and insulator degradation;
- Current-carrying capacity reduction caused by abnormal heat generation in equipment;
- Early warnings of hidden defects to prevent fault escalation.
  This technology significantly enhances the proactive detection of defects in Xinjiang’s overhead lines, providing a scientific basis for predictive maintenance.

Ultraviolet Detection Technology: Capturing Discharge Signals to Ensure Insulation Safety
By detecting ultraviolet spectra generated by corona discharge and partial discharge, Sitech accurately locates:
- Discharge caused by contamination, cracks, or aging of insulators;
- Partial discharge resulting from mechanical defects such as loose hardware or conductor damage;
- Real-time insulation assessment supporting differentiated maintenance strategies.
  This technology is particularly suitable for screening insulation risks in complex environments like deserts and mountainous areas, greatly improving fault inspection efficiency.

Digital Management
Data-Driven Decisions for a Closed-Loop Maintenance System

Sitech Electric has established an inspection ledger and an intelligent analysis platform to deeply analyze infrared and ultraviolet detection data. Visualized reports are generated and delivered to the maintenance management system. Through digital management of the entire process—detection, analysis, decision-making, and maintenance—the company helps clients:

Classify and prioritize defects to optimize resource allocation;
Compare historical data to track equipment condition trends;
Evaluate asset health to extend equipment service life.

Implementation Necessity
Live Detection Drives Transformation in Grid Maintenance

As China’s power grid expands rapidly, traditional outage-based maintenance models face issues such as low efficiency, high costs, and reduced power supply reliability. Sitech’s UAV-based live detection technology addresses industry challenges with three core advantages:

Zero Power Outage: Ensures continuous electricity supply, avoiding economic losses;
High Efficiency and Precision: Inspects several kilometers of lines per flight, improving efficiency by over five times;
Proactive Prevention: Shifts from “post-fault repair” to “pre-risk intervention,” reducing overall maintenance costs.

After implementation, the project is expected to deliver significant benefits to the Xinjiang power grid:

Economic Benefits: Reduction in unplanned outage losses, extension of equipment life by 3-5 years, and lower full lifecycle maintenance costs;
Social Benefits: Improvement in power supply reliability to 99.98%, ensuring stability for residential and industrial users;
Environmental Benefits: Reduction in equipment replacement frequency through precise maintenance, supporting green and low-carbon operational practices.

Sitech Electric will continue to advance in the field of smart grid inspection, integrating UAVs, artificial intelligence, and big data technologies to drive the digital and intelligent transformation of grid maintenance. In executing the key live detection project for State Grid Xinjiang, Sitech remains committed to its philosophy of “technology-driven, safety-first,” ensuring high-standard inspection tasks and contributing professional expertise to the development of a new-era power system.

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