Abstract: The present invention is related to a method for detecting and/or measuring atmospheric accretion on a suspended electrical cable span (2) of overhead power lines, said suspended electrical cable span (2) having a sag (D) and a local tension (H), and being submitted to wind pressure (wwind), comprising the steps of independently: measuring said sag (D), and optionally measuring the wind pressure (wwind), over a first time range, measuring the local tension (H) over a second time range, the results of both steps being complemented and/or combined, so that to allow atmospheric accretion detection and/or measurement.

Abstract: A system and method for measuring a perpendicular wind speed component with respect to a suspended cable span. The method includes monitoring a motion of at least one point of the suspended cable span over a time interval, and determining whether the motion includes Aeolian vibration. If the motion does not include Aeolian vibration, a transverse swing angle of the suspended cable span is measured and the perpendicular wind speed component is calculated as a function of the transverse swing angle. If the motion includes Aeolian vibration, a frequency of the Aeolian vibration is measured and said perpendicular wind speed component is calculated as a function of the Aeolian vibration frequency. The method may include measuring an effective incident radiation and for determining a maximum allowable current rating, or “ampacity”, for the suspended cable span, as well as for supplying electric power over a power line comprising said power span.

Abstract: Method for measuring the power line thermal rating or maximum allowable current rating of an overhead power line with respect to a suspended/anchored cable span (2), comprising at least the following steps of: monitoring a motion of at least one point P of said suspended/anchored cable span (2) over a time interval; monitoring actual line current I, in A, over said time interval; determining an actual sag of said suspended/anchored cable, as a variable of actual line current; measuring or determining the effective wind speed of said suspended/anchored cable span (2) over said time interval; determining a sag reserve DF, in m, for thermal rating, which is the distance between the actual sag and a maximum allowable sag; determining the rate of change, tan(?), in m/A2, of the actual sag versus the square of the line current for the effective wind speed; and determining the power line thermal rating of the overhead power line, or ampacity, linked to a corresponding safety clearance, at measured or determined