Optimized line design in a deregulated world
Fred A. Brown, PE
President & Chief Executive Officer
LineSoft Corporation
12310 East Mirabeau Parkway
Spokane, WA 99216
Telephone: (509) 928-1707
Fax: (509) 928-2581
E-mail: fbrown@linesoft.com
Introduction
Deregulation has presented utilities with new challenges, and to win, these service providers
must focus on reducing the total cost of power line design, construction, and maintenance
without sacrificing performance, reliability, or standards.
The way to reliability, best cost, and compliance in line design is down the path of optimization.
Optimization first requires an evaluation of practices throughout the business, particularly by
those in the engineering environment, where the job of the line designer demands advanced
tools, technical expertise, and creative energy.
Although design optimization involves improved tools, it is above all a process change. This
new approach requires an objective comparison of traditional "rules of thumb" with new
engineering procedures in light of company objectives. Energy delivery to customers is the top
priority. Regulatory compliance and adherence to company standards are obligatory. The
crucial new factor is the addition of best-cost procedures to the mix of delivery and compliance.
With the aid of powerful and efficient design and spotting software, engineers can evaluate the
impact of the hundreds of factors that affect the cost and performance of electric lines. Software
technology now provides designers the tools to quickly and precisely investigate a variety of
options and identify the combination best suited to a given situation. In short, the automation
solution becomes a natural extension of the engineer's design process, stimulating new ideas and
enhancing creativity.
Changing the established system within a utility or any other business is a challenge. At the
utility, success requires that Management, Engineering, Standards, Information Services, and
Construction departments work together toward clear and common goals. The incentive is real
and attainable; millions of dollars can be saved each year using optimized design practices.
Success requires new tools, solid design skills, and a shift in focus from today's practices to a
new engineering approach to power line design.
The optimization process
The basic optimization process is simple. A designer wants to get power from point A to point B
at the best cost and within the bounds of safety and performance criteria. Many factors affect the
cost, safety, and performance of a power line. Some factors are within the designer's control and
some are not. The designer must recognize which factors can be manipulated to his or her
advantage. It is then a matter of identifying the optimal combination of variables that take the
fullest advantage of the terrain and other constraints.
Line design and structure spotting are historically laborious, complicated tasks. Designers have
not had time to thoroughly consider what-if scenarios. With the advent of optimization software
and the analysis it affords, a designer can now identify and track the cost of each design decision.
After each optimization effort, the designer can determine which factors are limiting the design.
The designer can then manipulate the variables over which he or she has control and re-spot the
line.
No one can foresee how the complicated interrelationship of variables and terrain will come
together and affect the spot. Intuition and experience can help, but it is still a trial and error
process.
Historically, utilities have limited the variables available to the designer and applied a series of
"rules of thumb" to the process. Sometimes these standardized rules are based on sound
engineering judgement. Sometimes they are not. There are valid reasons for standardized
materials and practices, but in today's competitive environment, there are vital business reasons
to rethink established practices and consider creative solutions.
