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Weather-Based Ampacity of Overhead

Transmission Lines

Conference Paper January 2013

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 Weather-Based Ampacity of Overhead
Transmission Lines
Omar H. Abdalla*, Rashid Al-Badwawi, Hilal Al-Hadi, Hisham Al-Riyami, and
Ahmed Al-Nadabi
Oman Electricity Transmission Company
P. O. Box 1224, P. C. 131, Al-Hamriyah, Muscat
Sultanate of Oman
*E-Mail: ohabdalla@ieee.org
Abstract The paper concerns with the determination
of Weather-Based Ampacity (WBA) of overhead line conductors
in the Main Interconnected Transmission System (MITS) of
Oman. The objective is to exploit the available capacity of
existing overhead transmission lines, thus reducing investments
in replacing conductors or constructing new circuits. Conductor
parameters and weather data are collected to calculate the
thermal rating of the of transmission lines. The weather data
collected from the Directorate General of Meteorology and Air
Navigation includes hourly wind speed and temperature over
several years and locations in Oman.
Analysis of Oman weather data has shown that there is an
excellent correlation between ambient temperature and wind
speed which leads to increasing conductor ampacity at maximum
loading conditions. The conductor ampacity is calculated by
using the thermal balance equation which includes heating effects
due to resistive losses and solar heat, and cooling effects due to
wind and heat radiation.
Results are presented to show the effects of wind speed,
ambient temperature, solar irradiance, conductor surface
emissivity, and solar absorption coefficient. Comparison of
calculated WBA and Static Ampacity (SA) of the MITS
conductors are presented over 24 hours of typical days using
recorded weather data and conductor parameters. The WBA is
significantly higher than the SA. The results can be used by
transmission system operators to effectively loading the lines with
available higher WBA. Also, the WBA techniques can be
integrated with future smart grids.
Keywords - Ampacity; conductors; overhead transmission lines;
irradiance; emissivity; absorption; thermal rating
I. INTRODUCTION
During planning and design stages, the current currying
capacity, or ampacity, of overhead line conductors has been
historically calculated on the basis of worst case weather
conditions. These include maximum ambient temperature,
maximum solar irradiance and lowest wind speed. During real
operation; temperature, solar effect and wind speed are widely
varying depending on day time and season. Accordingly, real-
time conductor ampacity can reach much higher levels
compared to the design Static Ampacity (SA). IEEE Standard
738 [1] and Cigre Brochures are available to calculate
overhead conductor ampacity [2], [3].
Real-time ampacity of overhead transmission lines and sag
have been the subject of many references since 1980s [4]-[8].
A software for determination of real-time ampacity and ground
clearance is described in [9] for integration into smart grid
technology. Outputs from the program are compared with
actual measurements obtained from a real test span.
This paper concerns with the determination of Weather-
Based Ampacity (WBA) of overhead line conductors in the
Main Interconnected Transmission System (MITS) of Oman.
The objective is to exploit the available capacity of existing
overhead transmission lines, thus reducing investments in
replacing conductors or constructing new circuits. Conductor
parameters and weather data are collected to calculate the
thermal rating of the of transmission lines. The weather data
collected from the Directorate General of Meteorology and Air
Navigation includes hourly wind speed and temperature over
several years and locations in Oman. Analysis of Oman
weather data has shown that there is an excellent correlation
between ambient temperature and wind speed which leads to
increasing conductor ampacity at maximum loading conditions.
The conductor ampacity is calculated by using the thermal
balance equation which includes heating effects due to resistive
losses and solar heat, and cooling effects due to wind and heat
radiation.
Results are presented to show the effects of solar irradiance,
conductor surface emissivity, ambient temperature, wind speed
and solar absorption coefficient. Comparison of calculated
WBA and SA of the MITS conductors are presented over 24
hours of typical days using recorded weather data and
conductor parameters. The WBA is significantly higher than
the SA. The results can be used by transmission system
operators to effectively loading the lines with available higher
WBA. Real-time implementation of WBA calculations for
existing grids and future smart grids is discussed. This allows
using existing transmission lines to their full capability, and
reducing the need for new transmission lines, capital
expenditure, corridors and environmental impacts, and in the
same time allowing more efficient operation of the power grids
and lower utility rates. The ability to monitor transmission lines
in real-time would also improve system reliability and safety.
Section II describes conductor ampacity calculations based
on the heat balance formula. Section III presents studies of the
effects of weather conditions on the conductor ampacity.
Section IV concerns with the effects of solar absorption and
conductor emissivity factors on the ampacity. Section V
presents analysis of collected weather data. Section VI presents
results and comparisons of the WBA and SA in addition to
discussions of the possibility of implementation. Section VII
summaries the main conclusions.
 II. CONDUCTOR AMPACITY TABLE I: TYPES AND PROPORITIES OF CODUCTORS

First, Overhead conductor ampacity can be calculated by Conductor Prosperities Conductor Types
the so called heat balance equation [10]. In steady-state, the New Name 221-AL3 479-AL3 821-AL3
temperature of the conductor is determined by equating the Old Name Elm Yew Araucaria
total heat input (or heating effect) to the total heat output (or No./Nominal diameter of wires
19/3.76 37/4.06 61/4.14
(mm)
cooling effect). The following equation shows this main heat Overall Diameter (mm) 18.80 28.42 37.26
balance: Nominal Cross-Sectional Area
211.0 479.0 821.1
(mm2)
Weight (kg/km) 579.2 1319.6 2269.4
(1)
Nominal Breaking Load (kN) 62.24 141.31 242.24
Nominal DC Resistance at 20
o 0.1568 0.0693 0.0406
In equation (1), I2R is the heat gain due to the current C (ohm/km)
flowing in the conductor; R is the conductor resistance which is
a function of temperature. QSolar is the heat the gain due to the TABLE II: CALCULATED AMPACITY OF OVERHEAD LINES
solar radiation received at the conductor. QConv is the heat loss
Voltage Rated Current Rated Power
or cooling due to convection which is a function of wind speed, Conductor Type
(kV) (A) (MVA)
ambient temperature, and conductor temperature. QRad is the Twin Elem 132 782.4 179
cooling due to heat radiation from the conductor which is a Twin Yew 132 1280 293
function of air and conductor temperatures. Twin Araucaria 220 1766 673
Then, the current-carrying capacity or the ampacity of the Quad Yew 400 2560 1774
conductor is:
Table II shows the calculated ampacity of overhead lines,
(2) using the thermal heat balance equation and parameter data
given above corresponding to the worst case conditions. The
ampacity is given both in terms of current and MVA per
circuit. All transmission lines are designed as a double circuit
The right hand side terms are calculated as follows: arrangement to satisfy the (N-1) criteria of the Transmission
[ ( )] (3) System Security Standard [12], [13].
( ) ( ) (4)
[( ) ( ) ] (5) III. EFFECTS OF WEATHER CONDITIONS
(6) A. Effect of Wind Speed
Figure 1 shows the effect of the wind speed on the ampacity
Where: of the overhead transmission lines in the MITS of Oman. The
(m/s) Velocity of wind ampacity is significantly affected by the wind speed. The wind
= 0.5 m/s speed has a forced cooling effect on the conductor. As the wind
speed increases the ampacity increases. The ampacity of each
(W/m2) Intensity of solar radiation
type of conductors corresponding to the design value of the
= 1200 W/m2
o wind speed ( = 0.5 m/s) is marked by the vertical line in the
( C) Ambient temperature figure.
= 50 oC (Oman Electrical Standard, OES-11)
(oC) Maximum conductor temperature in steady state
= 80 oC (Oman Electrical Standard, OES-11)
(mm) Diameter of conductor
(From manufacturer data)
(1/ oC) Temperature coefficient of resistance
= 0.00403 1/ oC (for Aluminum)
(/km) Conductor resistance at 20 oC
(From manufacturer data)
Coefficient of solar absorption
= 0.5
Emissivity power ratio to black body
= 0.6
(W m2 K-4) Stefan Boltzmanns radiation constant
= 5.7 x 10-8

Table I lists the properties of the conductors used in most

overhead transmission lines in Oman [11]. Almost all 220kV
and 132kV overhead transmission lines consist of twin All
Alloy Aluminum Conductors (AAAC). Planned 400kV lines Figure 1: Effect of wind speed on line ampacity.
will consists of quad Yew AAAC bundle conductors per phase.
 Figure 2: Effect of ambient temperature on conductor ampacity.
Figure 3: Effect of solar irradiance on conductor ampacity.
B. Effect of Ambient Temperature
Figure 2 shows the effect of ambient temperature on the
line ampacity for each type of conductors and voltage levels.
Ambient temperature (T1) has a large effect on conductor
ampacity as it affects three terms of the heat balance equation
(1), namely QConv, QRad and resistance R, noting that the
conductor maximum temperature (T2) should not exceed 80 oC
according to the Oman Electrical Standard OES-11. The
design ambient temperature is also specified in the OES-11 to
be 50 oC. For a fixed maximum temperature of T2 = 80 oC, as
the ambient temperature T1 increases the conductor ampacity
decreases. The ampacity of conductors corresponding to the
design value of the ambient temperature (T1 = 50 oC) is
marked by the vertical line in Figure (2).
C. Effect of Solar Irradiance
The maximum solar irradiance in tropical areas is taken to
be Si = 1200 W/m2 [14]. This value is used as a design value
for determining the conductor ampacity in Oman. Solar
irradiance (or intensity of solar radiation at conductor surface)
has a heating effect on the conductor. Figure 3 shows the
relation between conductor ampacity and solar irradiance. As
solar irradiance increases the conductor ampacity decreases.
This effect is not as significant as ambient temperature.
Figure 4: Effect of emissivity factor on conductor ampacity.
Figure 5: Effect of solar absorption factor on conductor ampacity.
IV. EFFECTS OF EMISSIVITY AND SOLAR ABSORPTION FACTORS
A. Effect of Emissivity Factor on Conductor Ampacity
The emissivity factor (e) of the bare conductor surface
affects the quantity of heat radiation from the conductor as
indicated in Equation (5). In stranded conductors, heat is
radiated in all directions from each wire. Measurements of
emissivity factor of stranded conductors are reported in [15]. A
new conductor has a low emissivity factor (around 0.2), whilst
aged conductors have much higher emissivity factor of about
0.9. Figure 4 shows the effect of the emissivity factor on the
conductor ampacity. It is shown than the ampacity increases
with the increase in the emissivity factor.
B. Effect of Solar Absorption Factor on Conductor Ampacity
The solar absorption factor ( ) has a direct effect on the
heat gain term (QSolar) as indicated by Equation (6). Figure 5
shows the effect of the solar absorption factor on the conductor
ampacity. As solar absorption factor increases the conductor
ampacity decreases. The solar absorption and conductor
emissivity factors have opposite effects on the ampacity.
Figures (6)-(9) show the effects of both factors on a single
graph of each type of the conductor arrangements considered in
this study. The intersection of the horizontal and vertical lines
determines the design ampacity on the particular curve.
 Figure 6: A monogram of twin-Elem 132kV overhead line ampacity as a Figure 8: A monogram of twin-Araucaria 220kV overhead line ampacity as a
function of emissivity and solar absorption factors. function of emissivity and solar absorption factors.

Figure 7: A monogram of twin-Yew 132kV overhead line ampacity as a Figure 9: A monogram of quad-Yew 400kV overhead line ampacity as a
function of emissivity and solar absorption factors. function of emissivity and solar absorption factors.

Table III summaries the values of the design parameters for
determining the ampacity of overhead transmission lines in
Oman as presented in this paper in addition to corresponding
design parameters used in some other countries and those
recommended by the IEC as given in [16].
TABLE III: DESIGN AMPACITY PARAMETERS IN VARIOUS COUNTRIES
Indonesia
V. ANALYSIS OF WEATHER DATA
Weather data have been collected from the Directorate
General of Meteorology and Air Navigation including hourly
wind speed and temperature over several years and locations in
Oman as shown in Table IV. Hourly solar irradiation data at
two locations; namely Adam and Manah, have been recorded
during 2011.
Extensive analysis of collected weather data has shown that
there is an excellent correlation between ambient temperature

and wind speed which leads to increasing conductor ampacity

France
Oman

Japan
China
USA

IEC

Design Parameter at maximum loading conditions. Figure 10 shows a sample of

hourly ambient temperature and wind speed during one day in
Muscat in year 2011. Visual examination of the two curves
Ambient Temp. T1 (oC) 50 - 35 - - 35 - shows that there is a good correlation between temperature and
Max. Conductor Temp. wind speed. Generally, it is observed that as ambient
80 90 70 90 85 75 -
T2 (oC)
temperature increases wind speed increases and vice versa.
Wind Speed (m/s) 0.5 0.61 0.5 0.5 1.0 0.5 1.0
Solar Irradiance Si
This is also displayed by plotting the same data as shown in
1200 - 1000 1000 900 1250 900 Figure 11. The cross correlation function described by
(W/m2)
Solar Absorptivity 0.5 0.5 0.9 0.9 0.5 - 0.5 Equation (7), is applied to the 24 hours data in order to
Conductor Emissivity e 0.6 0.5 0.9 0.9 0.6 - 0.6 statistically evaluate the correlation between temperature and
wind speed.
 ( )( )
(7)
( ) ( )

where

cross-correlation function
ambient temperature at hour
average ambient temperature during 24 hours
wind speed at hour
average wind speed during 24 hours
24 hours

The calculated value of is 0.92 indicating that there is an

excellent correlation between ambient temperature and wind
speed.
Figure 11: Relation between hourly temperature and wind speed in Muscat.
TABLE IV: LOCATIONS OF COLLECTED WEATHER DATA IN OMAN
Wind Speed

Data Period
Irradiance

VI. WEATHER-BASED AMPACITY

Source
Temp

Solar

Location This section concerns with the determination of Weather-

Based Ampacity (WBA) of overhead transmission lines. The
objective is to exploit the available capacity of existing
Muscat 2005-2011 Met overhead transmission lines, thus reducing investments in
replacing conductors or constructing new circuits. This may
Amerat 2010-2011 Met provide a practical solution for increasing transmission line
Buraimi 2005-2011 Met
capacity in cases of corridor restrictions. Conductor parameters
and weather data are used to calculate the thermal rating of the
Ibra 2005-2011 Met of transmission lines.
Figures (12), (13), (14) and (15) show comparison of WBA
Ibri 2005-2011 Met
and Static Ampacity (SA) of the four types of conductor
Mudaibi 2011 Met arrangements considered in this paper. These conductors are
for use with twin-Elm 132kV lines, twin-Yew 132kV lines,
Nizwa 2005-2011 Met
twin-Araucaria 220kV lines and future quad-Yew 400kV lines.
Sohar 2005-2011 Met The hourly weather data, temperature, wind speed, and solar
irradiance at Manah area are used. The day selected was the
Sur 2005-2011 Met 11th of June 2011, on which the highest solar irradiance of 1060
Swaiq 2010-2011 Met W/m2 was observed in Manah area.
Clearly, the weather-based ampacity is much higher than
Adam 2011 OPWP the design static ampacity. This provides more flexibility to
Manah 2011 OPWP
transmission system operator to optimally exploit the available
transmission capacity.

Figure 10: Hourly temperature and wind speed in Muscat. Figure 12: Comparison of WBA and SA of a twin-Elm 132kV line.
 Figure 13: Comparison of WBA and SA of a twin-Yew 132kV line.
WBA techniques may be applied to overhead transmission
lines to increase their rating, particularly highly loaded lines.
This requires installation of line monitoring devices readily
available in the market. These devices include weather
stations, and conductor temperature sensors, in addition to
signal transmission and processing facilities. The measured
data can be transmitted to the control centers via existing
SCADA system to be processed and provide the operators
with WBA of transmission lines in real-time.
Sag and tension monitoring devices might also be required
in critical spans if the conductor temperature is allowed to be
increased [17]. However, in the calculations of the WBA of
the conductors considered in this paper, the maximum
temperature of the conductor was set at 80 oC, which is the
same value used in determining the maximum sag according
to the OES-11. This may eliminate the need for installing sag
and tension monitoring devices.
On the other hand, for safely operating a transmission line
at higher conductor ampacity, capabilities of line joints, fitting
accessories, protection devices and relay settings should be
carefully reviewed to comply with the increased conductor
rating.
Figure 14: Comparison of WBA and SA of a twin-Araucaria 220kV line.
Figure 15: Comparison of WBA and SA of a quad-Yew 400kV line.
VII. CONCLUSIONS
The paper has presented weather-based ampacity studies of
overhead transmission lines of the MITS in Oman. Weather
data have collected from the Directorate General of
Meteorology and Air Navigation including hourly wind speed
and temperature over several years and locations in Oman.
Conductor parameters have been obtained from
manufacturers. Conductor parameters and weather data are
collected to calculate the thermal rating of the of transmission
lines. Recorded weather data and conductor parameters have
been used to calculate WBA of conductors. The conductor
ampacity is calculated by using the well-known thermal
balance equation.
Analysis of weather data has shown that there is an
excellent correlation between ambient temperature and wind
speed which leads to increasing conductor ampacity at
maximum loading conditions. Comparison of calculated WBA
and SA of the MITS conductors are presented over 24 hours of
typical days using recorded weather data and conductor
parameters. The results have shown that the WBA is
significantly higher than the SA. The results can be used by
transmission system operators to effectively loading the lines
with available higher WBA.
Real-time WBA techniques can be used in existing grids
and/or integrated with future smart grids where more
intelligent devices and improved communication facilities are
available. In both cases, this will provide more efficient use of
available capacity of overhead transmission lines, and might
eliminate the need for investments in replacing conductors or
constructing new transmission circuits.
VIII. REFERENCES
[1] IEEE Power Engineering Society, Standard for calculating the current-
temperature of bare overhead conductors, IEEE Standard 738,
November 2006.
[2] Cigre Working Group 22.12, Thermal behaviour of overhead
conductors, Cigre Brochure 207, August 2002.
[3] Cigre Working Group B2.12, Guide for selection of weather parameters
for bare overhead conductor ratings, Cigre Brochure 299, August 2006.
[4] S. D. Foss, S. H. Lin, R. A. Fernandes, Dynamic thermal line ratings,
IEEE Trans. Power Appuratus and Systems, vol. PAS-102, no. 6,
pp.1858-1864, June 1983.
][5 R. A. Bush, W. Z. Black, T. C. Champion, and W. R. Byrd,
Experimental verification of a real-time program for the determination
of temperature and sag of overhead lines, IEEE Trans. Power
Appuratus and Systems, vol. 102, no 7, pp. 2284-2288, July 1983.
[6] W. Z. Black, and W. R. Byrd, Real-time ampacity model for overhead
lines, IEEE Trans. Power Appuratus and Systems, vol. 102, no 7, pp.
2289-2293, July 1983.
[7] C. R. Stephen, Description of state of the art methods to determine
thermal rating of lines in real-time and their application in optimizing
power ow, Cigre Session 22, 2000, Paper No. 304.
[8] S. L. Chen, W. Z. Black, and H. W. Loard, Jr., High temperature
ampacity program for overhead conductors, IEEE Trans. Power
Delivery, vol. 17, no. 4, pp. 1136-1141, Oct. 2002.
[9] K. M. Klein, P. L. Spronger, and W. Z. Black, Real-time ampacity and
ground clerance Softeware for integration into smart grid technology,
IEEE Trans. Power Delivery, vol. 25, no. 3, pp. 1768-1777, July 2010.
[10] J. H. Waghorne, and V. E. Ogorodikov, Current currying capacity of
ACSR conductors, Trans. AIEE, vol 70, pp.1159-1162, 1951.
[11] Ovarhead line conductors brochure, Oman Cables Industry,
http://omancables.com
[12] Five year transmission system capability statement 2012-2016, Oman
Electricity Transmission Company, http://www.omangrid.com
[13] Transmission system security standards, Oman Electricity
Transmission Company, http://www.omangrid.com
[14] SURAL Product Catalog AAAC (All Aluminum Alloy Conductor,,
http://www.sural.com
[15] C. S. Taylor, and H. E. House, Emissivity and its effect on current-
carrying capacity of stranded aluminum conductors, Trans. AIEE, vol
75, pp.970-976, 1956.
[16] L. Ren, X. Jiang, G. Sheng, and W. Bo, Design and calculation method
for dynamic increasing transmission line capacity, WSEAS Trans., Issue
5, vol. 7, May 2008.
[17] W. Torre, Dynamic circuit thermal line rating, California Energy
Commission, A Consultant Report, P600-00-036, USA, October 1999.
http://www.energy.ca.gov/reports/2002-01-10_600-00-036.PDF

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