Our principal: Dr. Jeff Wang
Dr. Wang is a world-leading expert in conductor galloping and vibration control, with over 35 years of experience in engineering, R&D, consulting, and manufacturing. He is a lead author of the EPRI Orange Book (Wind-Induced Conductor Motion) and the EPRI Blue Book (Compact Line Design). Dr. Wang conducted his PhD research in galloping studies and developed a pioneering and widely respected mathematical model for conductor galloping studies.
Dr. Wang is the inventor of a new technology that provides cost-effective preventive solutions for conductor galloping control at the line design stage. Since the 1990s, his technology and expertise have been successfully applied to the U.S. utilities to mitigate conductor galloping. He has consulted extensively for utilities, engineering design firms, EPC contractors, and manufacturers on conductor galloping and vibration control. Dr. Wang has conducted numerous high-profile consulting projects and provided innovative, reliable, and cost-effective solutions. He is the conductor motion control consultant for the America’s longest river crossing span (the 6,240 ft Tacoma Narrows Crossing span), and the galloping control consultant for Midwest’s largest new transmission line project (the $2 billion CapX2020 project), and the consultant for vibration mitigation & spacer damper procurement for the Ten West Link 500 kV transmission line project. He also served as consultant for the development of galloping and Aeolian vibration control standards for major U.S. utilities.
He serves as Vice Chair of the IEEE Overhead Conductors & Accessories Working Group and holds a U.S. patent in conductor galloping control. With a career dedicated to enhancing transmission line reliability through conductor motion control, Dr. Wang remains a driving force and worldwide leading authority in conductor galloping mitigations.
Industry Expertise
With over two decades of experience, we deliver innovative solutions tailored to the electric power transmission sector, ensuring optimal performance and reliability.
Project Portfolio
Our extensive project portfolio showcases successful implementations across various regions, highlighting our commitment to excellence and client satisfaction.
Client Success
We pride ourselves on our strong relationships with clients, consistently achieving their goals through our dedicated support and advanced technology solutions.
Features
Our features include cutting-edge technology, expert consultation, and a proven track record in enhancing grid reliability and performance.
Industry Reviews on Dr. Wang’s Work
“Dr. Wang developed a new and now well-regarded mathematical model for conductor galloping, an extremely destructive type of wind-induced conductor motion, and a new theory for overhead bundle transmission lines. His work overturned many commonly held beliefs on the phenomenon and overturned the accepted order in the technical community. His work is already a seminal reference on the subject.” by NEETRAC (National Electric Energy Testing, Research and Application Center), USA.
“I have reviewed Dr. Wang’s Galloping Criteria and Anti-galloping Standards Development report and found it to be, not only an outstanding engineering study, but an exceptionally well explained derivation of the design criteria we need going forward. The clear and concise presentation of the complex topic of galloping and the study results is greatly appreciated. The report will be the basis for revising our line design criteria.” by PPL Electric Utilities, USA.
Frequently Asked Questions about Galloping
What is galloping?
Galloping is a low frequency, large amplitude, wind-induced vibration of overhead power lines. Galloping is caused by moderately strong, steady crosswind acting upon an asymmetrically iced conductor surface. The ice accretion on the conductor has the effect of modifying the cross-sectional shape of the conductor, so that it becomes aerodynamically unstable. Galloping amplitudes are generally in a vertical plane, and range typically from 0.1 to 1.0 times the span’s sag. The frequencies of galloping depend on the type of line construction and the excited oscillation mode. Galloping frequencies usually range from 0.15 Hz to 1.0 Hz. Winds approximately normal to the line with a speed above 15 mph are usually required to cause galloping and there is not necessarily an upper speed limit.
What are the typical galloping damages?
Galloping amplitudes could be as large as or even exceed the sag of the span. Galloping can cause phase-to-phase flashovers. When galloping occurs, the strings and structurers are subjected to high dynamic stress leading to mechanical damages. Galloping can also cause conductor fatigue during the sustained motion. Galloping can be a large cost to utilities for repairs due to damages on conductors, hardware and structures. Galloping could cause the line to be out of service. In general, long river crossing spans are more susceptible to galloping.
What to consider when rebuilding an existing line?
When rebuilding an existing line, whether galloping could occur and what galloping motion amplitudes and frequencies would be are a function of wind speeds, icing conditions, conductor characteristics, line design data, suspension/dead-end attachment designs, etc. A line or a section of a line after a rebuild could experience galloping problems even if there was no history of galloping on the line or the same section before rebuilding the line.
Would increasing phase-to-phase clearance solve the galloping problems?
No. Modifying structure designs to increase phase-to-phase clearance will not affect the aerodynamic instabilities of the conductors and thus will not help prevent galloping from occurring.
What is the most common issue of galloping design?
The most common issue of galloping design is to only rely on the galloping ellipse results generated from PLS-CADD, and evaluate the overlap between ellipses to see if there is a violation. PLS-CADD ellipse results can be well used as a reference against potential phase-to-phase flashovers, not for galloping mitigation. Using PLS-CADD for galloping designs will not mitigate galloping – i.e. galloping could still occur and cause damages in the spans that do not have galloping ellipse violations. Further, using PLS-CADD galloping ellipses as galloping design for new lines would result in unnecessary larger phase-to-phase clearance and increase project cost.
More FAQ to be added soon…