As a GIS Specialist for Loveland Water and Power, Bruce Kelly spends his days mapping the path of the city’s utility infrastructure, from water lines to power poles to reservoirs. Now he is helping LWP get an innovative new monitoring program off the ground — literally.
Last month, Kelly assumed the controls of LWP’s new Matrice 30T drone to perform inspections that are otherwise difficult for humans to do.
“Cree (Goodwin) knew that I had a little bit of an aviation background, because I had worked on my private pilot’s license in the past,” Kelly said, referring to his boss, LWP Utility Application Services Manager Cree Goodwin. “So he said ‘Hey, we’ve gotten this drone. Would you be interested in running it’.”
Goodwin started planning for the drone program several years ago, as a way to make utility inspections safer and more efficient. He finally purchased the Matrice 30T last year, and then went looking for a candidate to operate the drone.
“We got very lucky having this project sitting on the shelf, waiting for the right person to show up,” Goodwin said as Kelly demonstrated the drone. “And then here comes Bruce. It couldn’t have worked out much better.”
The Matrice 30T has both a wide-angle camera with zoom capability and an infrared camera with thermal imaging that can detect electrical problems not visible to the human eye.
Since starting inspections in July, Kelly has mostly been focusing on overhead power lines and the equipment on utility poles. Working with Russ Mueller, a longtime LWP line crew supervisor, Kelly’s drone images have revealed encroaching vegetation and splits in the tops of poles, issues that could have led to major outages if left undetected.
“Some of the stuff that they’re finding, the guys have rolled crews the very next morning to go fix it,” Goodwin said.
In the coming weeks, Kelly will be using his drone to inspect power lines and poles in the Alexander Mountain fire burn area, which, in past years, would have been time-consuming and difficult for human inspectors, according to Mueller.
“Some of the terrain up there is very difficult to get to,” he said. “So this makes it nice to fly a pole run without physically having to hike and look at each one.”
The Reporter-Herald caught up with Kelly last week to talk more about the new program and how his training prepared him to soar to new heights.
1. What is the process for becoming a licensed drone pilot, and what was the most challenging aspect of the learning process?
There are specific eligibility and procedural requirements laid out by the FAA, however the main requirement is passing the FAA’s Part 107 Knowledge Test. The exam evaluates not only drone knowledge, but also general aviation information such as weather, aviation charts and airspace. I was fortunate to have worked on my private pilot’s license in the past, so much of the general aviation information was familiar. The challenge for me was learning some of the drone specific regulations.
2. What is the most complicated type of drone inspection that you do for Loveland Water and Power and what makes it a challenge?
The most complicated inspections are those in which we operate in environments with multiple external considerations such as obstacles, safety or privacy concerns. For example, we put a high value on respecting privacy, so we strive to operate in the utility easements when near private property. If there are tall trees near the utility easement or around the pole, capturing useful inspection data while remaining safe and respectful can present unique challenges.
3. Can you describe a situation where using a drone for inspection revealed an issue that might have been missed using traditional methods?
While inspecting overhead switches the thermal camera revealed a temperature anomaly on a switch downtown. On the thermal image we could see two of the blades were hotter than the third. Then, using the visual zoom camera from above, we were able to see the contact points were no longer seated properly. This was an easy fix for one of our expert line crews. Correcting the issue when they did not only saved the equipment from damage, but more importantly, kept downtown businesses from suffering an unexpected power outage.
4. What is the most unexpected or surprising thing you’ve found during a drone inspection?
We found a transformer bank that had a blown fuse. Unexpectedly, we discovered the configuration of this particular transformer bank prevented an outage. However, it also caused two of the three transformers to take more of the load than designed. Eventually this would have compromised the two transformers, causing an outage and damaging equipment. This condition wasn’t obvious from the ground. It was only after reviewing the images back at the office the issue was spotted. Again one of our great crews was dispatched and quickly got things back in proper working order.
5. With the rapid advancements in drone technology, how do you stay current with the latest tools and techniques, and what future innovations are you most excited about?
I’m subscribed to several industry publications and podcasts to help me keep tabs on current topics and trends. I’ve also attended multiple industry webinars, workshops and conventions. I’m most excited about the potential for machine learning to aid in identifying issues in the inspection imagery. I’m also intrigued by the possibilities of using technologies like drone based LiDAR to create digital twins and 3D models of utility infrastructure.