Venezuela: EDELCA replace insulators on transmission lines crossing over the River Orinoco

This event happened two years ago something serves to illustrate a maintenance task of transmission lines .Caroni Electrification , CA , EDELCA , a subsidiary of the National Electricity Corporation under the Ministry of Popular Power for Energy and Petroleum , performed maneuvers replacement insulator strings in the three towers that make up the cross section of about Orinoco river , the Palital Guri - line transmission system to 400 thousand volts.In total seventy-two chains were replaced in the three towers, twenty-three insulators each, for a total of 1728 replaced isolators , which will continue to provide a reliable and quality service to the Venezuelan population .Juan Parra, Maintenance Engineer EDELCA team member who coordinated actions , recalled that the decision to replace these insulators was made after the evaluations are conducted periodically throughout the transmission system."In routine inspections determined that the corrosive action of the atmosphere, especially for being on the river and near an industrial area , was affecting insulators , so he decided to do this preventive work and replace the insulator strings in towers 55, 56 and 57 Palital Guri - line 400 system , "said Parra.High precision maneuverTo achieve the replacement of insulator strings , EDELCA personnel planned special maneuver consisting of three basic steps : first, raise , through the use of a special tool trolley for maintaining hot - wire conductor , weighing approximately 16 tons , second, disengage the insulator string and then move it to land and finally , raise new insulator string and put in place.Despite the extensive experience of the staff EDELCA similar to this procedure , replacement of insulators in crossing the Orinoco River represented a new challenge.Luis Acosta , Technical Maintenance Company , said: " procedures that had already been done in EDELCA for similar work in other crosses gave us a basis for this work , but this particular crossing was the weight I had, by the distance that between tower and tower configuration and four insulator strings in a driver who has four sub - conductors, resulting in a work that was unprecedented in the company. "working togetherRealizing the complexity of this operation , the Board of EDELCA coordinated a team of flexible working in order to ensure proper planning and execution of the maneuver. It featured the participation of workers in the Regional Air Division of the Directorate of Regional Networks and specialists from the Departments of Maintenance West, East and South , of the Directorate of Operation and Maintenance of Transmission .José Gregorio Ojeda, Lineman Electrician 3 Maintenance Department Air East, emphasized the high level of rapport achieved between workers of the Company to achieve the objectives: " We did several brainstorming to come up with the best solution to board the task until we made the decision together and with professionalism , how to do the job . "