Federal power agency plugs into F.C. firm’s technology

FORT COLLINS – What started as a Colorado State University spin-off company in the early 1980s is now a firm providing one-of-a-kind solutions to the energy industry.

Fort Collins-based Engineering Data Management recently received a sole source, multi-year contract from the U.S. Department of Energy to test power line anchors for the Oklahoma-based Southwestern Power Administration. The contract, which calls for EDM to test about 2,000 anchors, is worth up to $100,000 per year for five years.

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Engineering Data Management won the sole source contract because of an innovative technology the company developed to test for corrosion on guy anchors. Guy rod anchors are the underground braces that support electrical line poles and cross arms.

“There’s no good way to figure out if they’re good or bad,´ said Arun Pandey, the project manager for EDM, referring to other methods for testing guy anchors.

Prior to EDM’s testing technology, guy anchors had to be dug out of the ground to determine if they were corroded, according to Gary Bridges, a spokesman for the Southwestern Power Administration, which operates 1,380 miles of high-voltage transmission lines.

The process of digging up the anchors, which typically range in size from eight feet to 20 feet, is expensive and labor intensive, he said.

Another issue with visual inspection of guy anchors is that many power companies will only inspect the upper portion of the anchors because they believe corrosion is more likely to occur there.

“We’ve found that’s not the case,” Pandey said. Because of different soils, minerals and even proximity to other underground metal infrastructure many anchors corrode at the bottom.

This is a major issue since one corroded guy anchor has the potential to take out miles and miles of power lines. EDM began working on a solution to this problem about 10 years ago. The company was approached by a consortium of energy companies and the Electric Power Research Institute with the problem and asked if there was a solution.

“We said no (there isn’t a solution), but we think we can solve it,” Pandey said.

EDM assembled an R&D team, which was led by Pandey and included Southwest Research Institute, to develop a method of sending ultrasonic waves through the anchor from the exposed top. The waves are analyzed to determine if the anchor has been compromised.

“Now we are in the second generation in this technology,” Pandey said. The new technology uses magnetostrictive waves instead of ultrasonic waves. The new process is quicker because it requires very little prep work.

EDM is already using this technology in the field, but right now the equipment is a little bulky. A truck or an all-terrain vehicle is needed to transport all of the necessary equipment to test and analyze. However, the company is ready to release yet another upgrade.

“By the end of May, the hardware will be compacted into a portable unit,” Pandey said, adding that the new unit would measure 15 inches by 12 inches by 6 inches and will be battery powered.

The company will continue to administer the test for customers to ensure the accuracy of the signal captured and the analysis. The company just started getting multi-year testing contracts with various utilities, and the market for this technology looks to be growing.

“This is needed by everyone (in the industry),” Pandey said. One utility that worked with EDM looked into replacing every guy anchor on one line and found it would cost about $20 million. With EDM’s technology, anchors can be replaced on an “as needed” basis.

This is only one of many projects EDM is involved with. The company, formed in 1982 by three civil engineers and one wood technician from CSU, is constantly working on a variety of technologies.

“Our goal is helping infrastructure intensive industries solve technical problems,´ said Andrew Stewart, president of EDM. The company’s operations are broken up into five areas: research and development, software development, optimizing transmission line power flow, power line inspection and maintenance services, and environmental services.

“Environmental services are EDM’s newest pursuit and we have become the North American leaders in helping power companies solve wildlife caused outage problems,” he said, such as bird power line electrocutions.

In the environmental arena, EDM has developed a bird strike indicator to remotely detect and report collisions with overhead lines or guy wires. The company is also working on research projects that include developing a repellent for pileated woodpeckers, commercializing a spray on insulation to mitigate animal contacts with power lines, developing a repellent to deter squirrels from chewing aluminum conductor, and testing the feasibility of a remote bird and bat collision sensor for wind turbines.

Stewart said the company works closely with the utility industry in order to develop many of its products. They collaborate on research and development and often get funding from outside sources.

“The company’s strength is on the creative side, not the sales and marketing,” he said. “We really try to develop strategic alliances with great companies.”

They also team with energy industry organizations and research institutions to bring technology to the field.

“We have a real good handle on the problems in the industry,” Stewart said, adding the company often teams with research partners are less adept at finding valid applications for their research.