Mobile and Portable De-Icing Devices for Enhancing the Distribution System Resilience Against Ice Storms: Preventive strategies for damage control

Climate change has reportedly increased the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events such as heatwaves, heavy rains, hurricanes, tornados, flood, fire, and ice storms. Ice storms are considered one of the most severe natural disasters that can disrupt people's daily lives and incur infrastructural damages. As shown in Figure 1, the accumulated weight of ice on surfaces can easily snap trees and power lines and damage distribution and transmission structures. Just six to seven millimeters of ice accumulation can add hundreds of pounds of weight per line span. Ice storms are the leading cause of large-scale power outages in the United States and elsewhere during the winter season. The damage caused by ice storms can easily result in major power outages, blackouts, and at times shut down entire metropolitan areas.