Transmission and Distribution Line

Transmission and Distribution

Type of System
Low-tension
230V/400V
High tension
11kV,
33kV,132 kV,220kV

Conductors
ACSR
Cable (Armored or Unarmored)
Service Wires

Hard wares and Fittings

Pole (Wooden or Steel, Concrete)
D-Iron/Insulator Fittings
Stay sets
DBs

Disc Insulator
Pin Insulators
Stay Insulators
Drop out Fuses etc
Lighting Arrester

T&D

Transmission Line can either be buried cables or conductors suspended

overhead on poles.
Overhead lines
Under ground
Voltage drop at any distribution line end is limited to 10%
11kV or 33 kV line -5%
Distribution transformer- 3%
Service wire- 2%

The maximum transmission line to line voltage level permitted in isolated

system is 11 kV.
Transformer should be at least 20-25% over sized than the existing
demand
For service connection, voltage level
1) low tension supply
230 V, single phase for load up to 30 A
400/230 V, three phase for loads more than 30 A
ACSR conductors are generally used for overhead lines
Armoured cables should be used for underground system
PVC-insulated armoured cables may also be used but should limit for
short distribution

Size and designations of ACSR

conductors
Name

Current rating
in still air (A)

Resistance
(/km)

Inductive
reactance at
50 Hz and 50
Cm spacing
(/km)

Approximate
weight
(Kg/km)

Squirrel

76

1.374

0.355

80

Gopher

85

1.098

0.349

106

Weasel

95

0.9116

0.345

128

Rabbit

135

0.5449

0.335

214

Otter

185

0.3434

0.328

339

Dog

205

0.2745

0.315

394

Clearances of Overhead
conductors

Minimum sag for cables up to 11

kV

D=(L/172.8) where d= sag in m, L= length of span in m

Note: value of sag should be included when determining the ground

clearance of Transmission line

Transmission & Distribution Line

construction Items

ACSR CONDUCTOR
POLES
CROSSARMS
STAY MATERIALS
STEEL WIRE
DISC INSULATOR FITTINGS
CLAMPS

Transmission poles
Hardwood
Reinforced concrete (plain terrain)
Galvanized steel (difficult hilly terrain)
All poles carrying 11 kV and 33 kV circuits shall 11 m high
Basic Span
33kV line: 50 m to 55 m
11kV line: 50 m to 55 m

Insulator

Shackle Insulators are used for low-voltage transmission

Stay insulators on all stays sets
Pin, Disc, Strain and post insulators are used for high voltage transmission

The voltage and span determine the minimum spacing of the conductors
Generally conductor spacing on the poles
Up to 400 V- at least 300mm
1000 V- 400mm
11 kV- 600mm
Spacing (m) = sqrt(d+(V/150)) , V= voltage in kV, d= sag in meters
70% should be added for safety factor.
Stay set should be provided at the first pole, at all poles set at an angle
and at line ends.

Lightning Protection

Lightning arrestors should be provided for all current carrying conductors

at the start and end of lines
Every 1000m along high-tension lines and 500m along distribution lines
In lightning-prone areas neutral lines should be earthed approx. 200m
using 2 m long, 25 mm diameter GI earth piping and GI wire
Earthing should be provided at each lightning arrestor
Overhead ground wires shall be used to protect high voltage transmission
line.
Earthing should be carried out using a minimum 600 mm x 600 mm x 3
mm ground plate of copper or GI piping/strips with adequate depth

11 kV System
Low-tension system using
ACSR and ABC Cable

Choice of voltage

The cost and performance of the line depend , to a great extent, on the
line voltage.
An empirical formula for the optimum voltage is

P
L
V 5.5

1.6 100
Where L= Length of Line km

P=Power in km

V=voltage level in kV
The above formula gives primary estimate. The choice of most
economical voltage requires a detailed study of many technical and
economic aspect as well as the standard of any country

23

Selection of Conductor Size

The Cost of conductor and accessories is about 30 to 45%

of the total cost of the line
The conductor is selected on the following basis
Mechanical strength
current carrying capacity / Loss
Voltage regulation
Corona loss
The standard practice is to design line for a conductor
temperature of 75oC

24

Selection of Conductor Size contd..

The steady state temperature will reached when I2R=(Wc+Wr)As

Wc

5.727 pv
Ta

0.123

T1 is conductor temperature

T2 is temperature of air

T 4 T2 4

Wr 57039.9e 1
1000 1000
where Wc= heat loss due to convection , watt/m2
Wr is the heat loss due to radiation, watt/m2
As is the conductor size,
I is the rms value of current,
R is the resistance
P is Pressure in atmospheres

Ta temp of air in Kelvin

D is diameter of conductor in m
The formula is valid if v>0.15 m/sec and d>0.75e-2 m

25

Selection of Conductor Size

contd.

The above criteria for the selection of conductor size is applicable for
lines up to 220 kV. For EHV and UHV lines radio interference and
corona have to taken into consideration
For EHV lines and UHV lines bundled conductor are generally used.
Experiment has shown that a conductor selected on the basis of corona
and radio interference consideration would normally be thicker than the
one selected from the point of view of current carrying capacity

26

Choice of span, number of circuit

and conductor configuration

For high voltage line 200-400m span are generally used. For 400kV
350-400 m are used.
For river and ravine crossing exceptionally long span up to 800m have
been satisfactorily employed.
A transmission line can be single circuit or double circuit.
A double circuit line has high power transfer capability and higher
reliability.
Each double circuit line is designed for 75% of the line capacity.
Vertical, horizontal, triangular and L type configuration are commonly
used in transmission line
For single circuit horizontal, triangular, L type configuration are used
For double circuit, vertical one is most economical.
27

Insulation Design

The insulation design affects the performance of the line to a great

extent.
Line insulation should be sufficient to take care of switching overvoltage, temporary over-voltage and atmospheric over-voltage. The
insulation should be 300% higher than the normal operating voltage
The maximum switching surge over-voltage to the ground is taken as
2.5 p.u and the insulation is designed for this voltage.
In EHV and UHV lines over-voltage due to switching assume greater
importance than atmospheric over-voltage.

28

Selection of the ground wire

The primary function is to shield the phase conductor from the lighting
strokes.
They are places above the phase conductor and are grounded at
every/ alternate tower.
The number of ground wires may be one or two.
The shielding angle of about 30o is considered to be adequate for
high voltage lines.
Tower Footing resistance should not exceed 10 ohm
The ground wire should be able to carry the maximum expected
lighting current, without undue heating.
it should have sufficient mechanical strength.
The size of the ground wire is generally decided on the basis of
mechanical strength.

29

Evaluation of the line

performance

If the line is more than 100 km, calculations should

be based on the ABCD parameters
Line representation by nominal PI or T
Voltage regulation
Line Losses
Corona and radio interference
Reference

power system analysis and design by BR Gupta

Element of power system design by M.V Deshpande

30

Design Calculations

Transmission Voltage
Power Handling Capacity of Line
(Check with Surge Impedance Loading)

If the required power to transmit is less than the SIL, Single Circuit is sufficient

Calculate Current

Resistance allowable temperature rise (choose approximate conductor size)

1 75
r75
0

1 35
r35

Check the line efficiency

Choose the suitable conductor size
Take the mechanical parameters and design for sag, span and support
Calculate the phase spacing
Choose the configuration of conductor (Horizontal or Vertical)
Calculate Voltage regulation (No-Load and Full Load) based on the nominal PI or T
representation of Line
Calculate PF, power delivered by the line and again check the efficiency
Calculate Critical disruptive voltage and calculate the Corona Loss
Check Reactive Power requirement at receiving end, PF improvements and efficiency
31

Quality Aspects: Transmission

and Distribution
Pole Spacing
Ground Clearance
Conductor Spacing
Vertical and Horizontal
Clearance

Proper size of t&d fittings

Connections and Joints
Load Balance
Voltage Drops within 5-10%
Sag and spans
Clearance: House and Trees 2m

DBs: 100 hhs or 10kW with

adequately sized fuses or
MCCBs
Drop-out fuse at suitable ratings
Proper size of Cablings
Service wire
Use Concentric rather than twin
flat

Any ????

Corona Loss

Corona occurs in power lines of 100 kV or above.

The energy required for the movement of the ions and
electrons is taken from the conductor and thus the
energy loss occurs.
This loss is called as corona loss.
Loss is in the form of light, sound, heat and chemical
action.
Increase in voltage enlarges the envelope further. Higher
increase can ultimately lead to spark over.
If the spacing between the conductors is less than three
times the conductor radius, the spark over occurs even
before any corona is noticed.