DESIGN
OF
OVERHEAD
TRANSMISSION LINES
General Considerations
Electrical Considerations for T.L. Design:
• Low voltage drop
• Minimum power loss for high efficiency of
power transmission.
• The line should have sufficient current
carrying capacity so that the power can be
transmitted without excessive voltage drop
or overheating.
• Conductivity of Conductor:
R = ρ.L/A , or
R = L/Ϭ. A
Where:
L: Conductor length.
A: Conductor cross sectional area.
ρ: resistivity
Ϭ: Conductivity (Ϭ= 1/ρ)
• The conductor conductivity must be very high
to reduce Conductor resistance R and hence
reduce losses
PL= 3 I2 .R
• Heat expansion coefficient must be very small.
Rt = R0. (1 + α0 .t)
αt = α0/(1+ α0.t)
α t is the heat expansion coefficient at t.
Mechanical Considerations for T.L. Design:
• The conductors and line supports should
have sufficient mechanical strength:
- to withstand conductor weight, Conductor
Tension and weather conditions (wind, ice).
- The Spans between the towers can be long.
- Sag will be small.
- Reducing the number and height of towers
and the number of insulators.
Main components of Overhead
lines:
(i) Conductors
(ii) Supports
(iii) Insulators
(iv) Cross arms
(v) Miscellaneous
CONDUCTOR MATERIALS
Properties :- (i) High electrical conductivity.
(ii) High tensile strength in order to withstand mechanical
stresses.
(iii) Low cost so that it can be used for long distances
(iv) Low specific gravity so that weight per unit volume is small.
Commonly used conductor materials:-
a)Copper
b) Aluminium
c)Steel-cored aluminium
d) Galvanised steel
e)Cadmium copper
Conductors are preferably stranded to increase flexibility.
(a) Copper
• High electrical conductivity
• Greater tensile strength
• Hard drawn copper used
• High current density
• Smaller cross-sectional area required
High cost & non availability
All Aluminum Conductors (AAC)
(b) Aluminium
• Cheaper & light in weight, for small span
• Small conductivity & tensile strength (60% of
copper)
• Cross-sectional area of conductor larger than
copper(Aluminium diameter= 1.26 times of copper)
• Higher tower with greater sag
• Specific gravity lower than copper
• Larger cross-arms required
• Not suitable for long distance transmission
2- Aluminum Conductor Steel
Reinforced (ACSR)
1- Steel strands
2- Aluminum strands
ACSR (26/7)
Steel cored aluminium:
• To increase stregth of aluminium conductors
reinforced with a core of galvanised steel
wires
• Abbreviated as ACSR(Aluminium condutor
steel reinforced)
Advantages of ACSR
• High mechanical strength can be utilized by
using spans of larger lengths.
• Tower of smaller height can be used
• A reduction in the number of supports also
include reduction in insulators and the risk of
lines outage due to flash over or faults is
reduced.
• Losses are reduced due to larger diameter of
conductor.
• High current carrying capacity.
3. Galvanised steel
• Very high tensile strength
• Long spans
• Suitable for Rural areas
• Cheap
• Poor conductivity & high resistance
• Not suitable for transmitting large power over
a long distance
4. Cadmium Copper
• Addition of 1% or 2% cadmium to copper
• Increased tensile strength by 50% than pure
copper
• Conductivity reduced by 15% below that of
pure copper
• Economical for lines of small cross-section due
to high cost of cadmium
INSULATORS
Properties:-
• High mechanical strength
•High electrical resistance to avoid leakage
currents to earth
•Insulator material should be porous, free from
impurities & cracks
TYPES
• Pin type :- For transmission and distribution
upto 33 KV
•Suspension type :- For voltage greater than
33 KV
•Strain type:- For dead ends , corner or sharp
curves
•Shackle type:- For low voltage distribution
lines & can be used either in a horizontal or
vertical position
Pin Insulator
Suspension Insulator
Shackle Insulator
LINE SUPPORTS
Properties:
• High mechanical strength to withstand
weight of conductor
•Light in weight
•Cheap in cost
•Longer life
•Easy accessibility of conductor for
maintenance.
TYPES OF LINE SUPPORTS:-
• Wooden poles
• Steel poles
• RCC poles
• Lattice steel towers
Wooden poles
• Shorter span upto 50 m
• Less cost & used for distribution purpose in rural areas
• Pesticides required eg. creosote oil
• Used for voltage upto 20 kv
• Smaller life(20-25 years)
• Less mechanical strength
• Made of Sal or Chir
• Moderate cross-sectional area
Wooden Poles
Steel Poles
Steel Poles
•Greater mechanical strength
•Longer life
•Larger spans
•Used for distribution purpose in cities
• Three types:
Rail poles
Tubular poles
Rolled steel joints
Steel Poles
RCC(Reinforced concrete poles):-
• Greater mechanical strength
•Longer life
•Longer spans
•Good outlook
•Little maintenance
•Good insulating properties
Two Types:-
Single pole
Double poles
Reinforced Concrete Poles
Steel towers :-
• Longer life
•Longer span
•Greater mechanical strength
•For long distance at high voltage
•Tower footings are usually grounded by
driving rods into the earth .This minimizes
lightning troubles as each tower acts as
lightning conductor.
Types of Towers
1- Suspension Tower
2- Tension Tower
3- Angle Tower
4- End Tower
1- Suspension Tower
2- Tension Tower
3- Angle Tower
4- End Tower
This type of towers exists in the beginning and
at the end of the line which exposed to
tension in one side.
Bundled conductors
