The Chinese Use Drones with Flamethrowers to Clean Power Lines
Cernescu Andrei / 8 years ago
We all know that performing maintenance on power lines is quite hazardous for multiple reasons, one of which is the risk of getting electrocuted, and since nobody really wants to go up there and risk their lives for a piece of plastic, the Chinese have decided to rely on drones for this particular problem. Oh, and these drones are equipped with flamethrowers! Yeah, it definitely looks quite dangerous to use flamethrowers to clean power lines, but the method is quite safe according to the authorities, especially since most of the hanging debris is just plastic such as balloons or kites that melt away quickly when exposed to quick bouts of intense heat.
That definitely makes sense since the flames can reach up to 400 degrees Celsius or 752 degrees F, but these temperatures are not really hot enough to damage the wires, as they were made out of aluminum-coated steel. Zhang Han, a team member in charge of utility maintenance in Xiangyang, explained:
“The flames occur spontaneously, and most of the things that hang upon power lines are usually plastic. They usually burn immediately after, so there is no damage.”
Apparently, setting up a drone with a flamethrower and burning away the trash takes just 15 minutes, which is definitely more time-efficient than sending someone up there to do the job manually.
