A Method Employing Micrometeorological Data to Decouple BOTDR Monitoring of Temperature and Stress for the Measurement of Ice Thickness on Optical Fiber Composite Overhead Ground Wire

Ice accretion poses a critical threat to the safe and stable operation of transmission lines, with particularly severe impacts on overhead ground wires (OPGW) lacking operational current-induced thermal effects. Distributed Brillouin Optical Time Domain Reflectometry (BOTDR) demonstrates significant potential for ice thickness monitoring due to its extended sensing range and operational simplicity. However, practical implementations of BOTDR in transmission line monitoring face critical challenges in decoupling temperature and tension effects a limitation where conventional methodologies described in existing literature prove inadequate for practical ice monitoring applications. This paper presents a novel methodology integrating microclimate terminals temperature data from transmission towers with mechanical calculation models to isolate OPGW tension parameters, thereby enabling precise ice thickness determination. A 147-hour field validation was conducted using an isolated span test platform under natural icing conditions. Comparative analysis with conventional manual ice observation and mechanical measurement methods demonstrates measurement accuracy within 15% error tolerance, confirming the technical viability of the proposed approach. The developed methodology establishes a theoretical framework for OPGW ice monitoring technology, addressing critical gaps in existing non-energized conductor monitoring solutions.