Professor Peter Wolfs

Western Power Chair (Transmission and Distribution)

Conductor material properties

Resistivity Om units resistances between the faces of a cube
with one metre side length.
IACS
International Annealed Copper Standard
1.72*10
-8
Om at 20C
Small amounts of impurities increase resistance

Resistivity of Aluminium 2.82*10
-8
Om at 20C
Resistivity of Iron 10*10
-8
Om at 20C






From Gonen pg 66-7
Copper
97% IACS, 8890 kg/m
3,
, 405-460MPa

Stranded Aluminium
61% IACS, 2700 kg/m
3,
, 160-185MPa

Aluminium Alloy 1120
59% IACS, 2700 kg/m
3,
, 230-250MPa

Galvanised Steel
10% IACS, 7800 kg/m
3,
, 1310-1390MPa

Aluminium Clad Steel
20% IACS, 6590 kg/m
3,
, 1270-1340MPa


From Olex Aerial Conductor Catalogue
http://www.olex.com.au/Miscellaneous/Catalogues-and-
Brochures.html



Copper
1.72*10
-8
Om * 8890 kg/m
3

= 152.9*10
-6
O kg/m
2


Aluminium
2.82*10
-8
Om * 2700 kg/m
3

= 76.1*10
-6
O kg/m
2


For the same resistance aluminium conductors are
49.7% the weight of copper

From http://www.lme.com/home.asp
London Metal Exchange Primary
Aluminium
(99.7% purity < 0.2 Fe < 0.1% Si)

$US/tonne

28
th
June 2011 $2,466
London Metal Exchange Grade A
Copper conforming to BS EN
1978:1998 (Cu-Cath-1)

$US/tonne

28
th
June 2011 $9,000


For the same resistance aluminium conductors are
49.7% the weight of copper

Aluminium is 27% the cost of copper

For the same resistance the metal in an aluminium
conductor is 13.6% of the cost of the metal a
copper conductor (on 28
th
June 2011)




Conductors cost more than the metal
Conductor prices can be given as a
processing charge (set for each
conductor type) plus the metal cost
For example $6/kg plus the LME metal
price on the delivery date
Contracts for construction can have
rise and fall provisions



Conductor
Code
Construction Kilograms
per
kilometre
Tensile
Strength
(kN)
AC
Resistance
O/km
Saturn 37/3.00 AAC
21mm diameter
721 42.2 0.135

299Arms
Nitrogen 37/3.00 AAAC
21mm diameter
721 62.2 0.139

295Arms

Lemon 30/3.00
7/3.00
ASCR/GZ
21mm diameter
973 90.4 0.167

269Arms

Darts 30/3.00
7/3.00
ASCR/AC
21mm diameter
913 91.6 0.155

280Arms
Cost = Losses + Conductor Cost
Losses are proportional to R = HR
Sum of all conductor costs are (assumed) inverse to R = K/R






R
K
HR C + =
0
2
= =
c
c
R
K
H
R
C
H
K
R =
HK HK C + =
Cost is minimum when all conductor costs = cost of loss
The Net present Value of n annual payments or income
amounts



Where r is the real interest rate (interest inflation);
n is the term in years
and q=1+r.

As an example for a 6% interest rate the capitalisation factor for
20 annual income payments, say due to energy sales, is 11.5.
100MW 132kV single circuit line continuous loading;
20 year time frame, 6% real interest rate, $60MWhr
Assume the total costs to purchase and suspend conductors is
$20/kg (this includes the conductors plus the incremental
costs in the towers)

Solution

The phase current is 437.4 Arms.
Use a one kilometre section to find H and K

Finding K work on a one kilometre section
Start with a ACSR/AC conductor that is large enough to at least
carry the phase current
Hurdles R
ac
=0.0675O/km and 1,880 kg/km
These phase conductors weigh 5640 kg and cost $112,800 to
install
Installed conductor cost = K/R
ac
; K= 7614

Loss cost = HR.
Assume Rac=0.0675O the three phase loss would be 38.7kW;
The annual loss is 339 MWhr or $20,340
Over 20 years the NPV will be $233,910
i.e. HR=233910; H=3.465*10
6

K= 7614
H=3.465*10
6

R
ac
=0.0468 we dont have one conductor this big.
This needs two conductors try Golf R
ac
=0.0915O/km and
1380 kg/km

New Conductor cost 6 *1380Kg * $20/kg = $165,600
New losses R
ac
= R
ac
=0.0457O/km = $158,539

New cost $165,600+$158,539 = $324,139
Old cost $112,800+$233910 = $346,710

H
K
R =
Factors to Consider - Conductor span

Determined by the conductor strength relative to
weight
Determined by the tower height and allowable
ground clearance
Lines will expand if hot and sag this might reduce
clearance
The line must survive high winds and in the
Australian Alps ice loading
Conductors should not clash horizontal
clearances



Conductor stress

Where o = the stress in Pascals (Pa) or N/m
2
T is the conductor tension in Newtons (N)
CSA is the cross sectional area of the conductor in m
2

Conductor strain


Where e is the conductor elongation (dimensionless)
o = the stress in Pascals (Pa) or N/m
2
Y is Youngs modulus or the Modulus of Elasticity in Pascals


CSA
T
= o
Y
e
o
=
200m of Krypton AAAC conductor is tensioned to
12kN. What is the stress and elongation?

Solution



CSA is 158mm
2
Note AAAC has an ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of
230-250MPA.
This conductor is stressed to 33% of UTS.



MPa
N
CSA
T
9 . 75
m 10 158
000 , 12
2 6
=

= =

o
200m of Krypton AAAC conductor is tensioned to
12kN. What is the stress and elongation?

Solution



Y is 65 GPA

The conductor will stretch 0.00117 times its length
The 200M section will stretch 0.234m

3
9
6
10 17 . 1
Pa 10 65
Pa 10 9 . 75

=

= =
Y
e
o
Coefficient of Thermal Expansion


Where e is the thermal expansion (dimensionless)

AT is the change in temperature C
C
TE
is the Coefficient of thermal expansion

AAC - 23.010
-6
/C
AAAC - 23.010
-6
/C
Copper - 17.010
-6
/C
Galvanised steel 11.510
-6
/C
Aluminium clad steel 12.910
-6
/C
ASCR/GZ and ASCR/AC Knee point stress transfers to
steel and aluminium wires bird cage


T C e
TE
A =
200m of Krypton AAAC conductor is tensioned to
12kN at 25C. How much will the conductor length
change for a 40C temperature rise due to load
current if the tension remains the same.

Solution


The conductor will expand by 0.00092 times
(dimensionless).
The 200m section will expand by 0.184m.

3 6
10 0.92 C 40 C / 10 23

= = A = T C e
TE
From Gonen pg 627
|
|
.
|

\
|

|
.
|

\
|
= 1
2
cosh
H
wL
w
H
d
Where
d - is the sag or deflection in metres
H - is the horizontal component of tension in
Newtons
L - is the span length in meters
w - is the conductor weight in Newtons/m

The total conductor tension at the support is


Where V is the vertical tension equal to half the
span weight in Newtons

2 2
V H T + =
Find the sag for 200m span of Krypton, tensioned at
12kN. Krypton weighs 433kg/km
Solution w = 4.24N/m

m 767 . 1
1
N 12000 2
m 200 m / 24 . 4
cosh
m / N 24 . 4
N 12000
1
2
cosh
=
|
|
.
|

\
|

|
.
|

\
|

=
|
|
.
|

\
|

|
.
|

\
|
=
N
H
wL
w
H
d
|
.
|

\
|
=
H
wL
w
H
l
2
sinh
2
Where
l - is the conductor length in metres
H - is the horizontal component of tension in
Newtons
L - is the span length in meters
w - is the conductor weight in Newtons/m


Find the length of conductor for 200m span of
Krypton, tensioned at 12kN.

m 04 . 200
N 12000 2
m 200 N/m 24 . 4
sinh
N/m 24 . 4
N 12000 2
2
sinh
2
=
|
.
|

\
|

=
|
.
|

\
|
=
H
wL
w
H
l
|
|
.
|

\
|
=
T
wL
d
8
2
Where
d - is the conductor deflection or sag
T - is the conductor tension in Newtons
L - is the span length in meters
w - is the conductor weight in Newtons/m


Find the sag for 200m span of Krypton, tensioned at
12kN. Krypton weighs 433kg/km
Solution

m 767 . 1
N 12000 8
m 200 N/m 24 . 4
8
2
2
=
|
|
.
|

\
|

=
|
|
.
|

\
|
=
T
wL
d