Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)’s Structural Engineering Research Centre (SERC) has developed a modular, light weight structure that will help in quick restoration of power supply in case of failure of transmission towers.
Santosh Kapuria, director of CSIR-SERC and a member of the team that developed the emergency response system (ERS), explained that it is fabricated using structure-grade aluminium and weighs around two tonnes each.
“When transmission towers get bent or uprooted or damaged due to cyclones or earthquakes, the ERS can be installed in under three days and does not require any major construction to hold it up. Transmission towers that carry high tension lines through vast open spaces across the country, usually take a couple of months to construct and weigh between 25 and 50 tonnes each,” he said.
The Chennai-based laboratory recently signed an agreement for licensing of this technology with Advait Infratech, Ahmedabad, which manufactures products related to transmission line utilities including optical fibre ground wires that act as earth wires and internet connectivity.
Shalin Sheth, managing director of Advait, said that usually such structures are imported from countries such as Germany and Canada and they cost a lot. "The structure developed by CSIR-SERC will cost only 40% of such imported material. It can be scaled up to carry power lines from 33 KV to 800 KV. It can be easily assembled, reused, transported and stored," he said. It can also be used as a temporary tower until transmission companies get the right of way for the towers, he added.
CSIR-SERC has signed the agreement with Advait following an expression of interest it called for. "We are ready to transfer this technology to other companies too if they qualify. Though there are a few companies making ERS available worldwide, it is the first time this will be manufactured in India," Mr. Kapuria said.
