Investigation on Rain Shedding Approach for Distribution Lines by Impact Vibration

This paper studies the feasibility of rainwater shedding on distribution lines by impact excitations. The finite element analysis (FEA) and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) are combined to achieve the residual rain on vibrating lines. The dynamic mesh method is used with the CFD analysis for characterizing the dynamic behaviors of rain on vibration lines. Then, the vibration amplitude and acceleration of a line under impact excitation are discussed, where the exciting position is also considered. The time-history function of line's vibration serves as the motion equation for the fluid region. The dynamic oscillating behaviors of rain on vibrating line are studied, and a relationship between the residual ratio of rain versus the amplitude of impact is fitted. By integrating the vibration analysis and the CFD approaches, the distribution of the residual rain on the line under the impact excitation can be evaluated. The numerical results show the effectiveness of impact excitation for rain shedding of distribution lines. The obtained results can provide effective guidance for the development of rain shedding methods.