Without power lines, a technocratic landscape is unthinkable. This web of humanity has braided the whole world. A power line is one of the elements of electrical systems that transfers energy through current. According to the method of transportation, they are distinguished
cable and
overhead power lines. The former are hidden from human eyes, the latter we see daily, leaving the house. In the context of dynamically developing
civil and industrial construction, the number of power line systems is increasing annually. The requirements for them in terms of
bandwidth and security are increasing, as the load on the intersystem components is increasing. Power lines are also used to
transmit information using high-frequency signals. On the territory of the former USSR 60 channels of high-frequency and fiber-optic links are used.
The construction of power lines is a difficult engineering task, which includes the following processes: design, installation, commissioning and maintenance. Power lines are distinguished by the nature of the current: constant and variable. By appointment: distribution,
trunk, ultra-long (usually high-voltage power lines) and consumer (below 20 kV). By voltage: lower, medium, high, ultra-high and ultra-high. The highest voltage power line is the Ekibastuz - Kokchetav line (1150 kV). According to the mode of functioning of the neutrals: isolated, compensated, effectively grounded, solidly grounded. According to the modes of operation of power lines: normal, emergency or installation.
The first experiment on the formation of power lines was carried out in the XIX century. In 1874, Russian engineer Fedor Pirotsky used iron rails.
roads for transmitting current over a distance. On one rail, the current went in one direction, on the second - it returned. The experiment had a positive result, and for several years a car went along the route. But several pedestrians received electric shocks, and the project was closed. By the way, the experiment did not disappear in vain - today's metro operates on this principle.
In those years, scientists around the world were busy developing various methods for transmitting current over long distances. The most effective system was proposed and created by Russian inventor Mikhail Dolivo-Dobrovolsky. In 1891, under his leadership, the first three-phase current line was built at a distance of 170 kilometers. Energy losses decreased by a quarter. At the International Electrotechnical Exhibition in Germany, scientists from all over the world recognized that the problem was solved. The Electrotechnical Institute was opened in St. Petersburg, which developed the electrification system of Russia and trained specialists.
Initially, Russia did not have its own industrial base for electrifying the country - wires were brought from abroad, and supports were made from improvised material - wood. During the First World War, Revolution and Civil War, the construction of power lines was suspended. And since 1923, students of Mikhail Dolivo-Dobrovolsky, who remained in Russia, continued the work of their teacher.