EE 517 Power System Analysis and Design Lecture 1 Transmission Line Parameters

EE 517 Power System Analysis and Design
Lecture 1 Transmission Line Parameters
Introduction
The study of electric power systems is concerned with the generation, transmission,
distribution, and utilization of electric power (Fig. 1-1). Electric power is generated at the
power generating stations by synchronous alternators that are usually driven either by
steam or hydro turbines. Most of the power generation takes place at generating stations
that may contain more than one such alternator turbine combination. Depending upon the
type of fuel used, the generating stations are categorized as thermal, hydro, nuclear etc.
Many of these generating stations are remotely located. Hence the electric power generated at
any such station has to be transmitted over a long distance to load centers that are usually cities
or towns. This is called the power transmission.
Transmission Line Parameters

The power transmission line is one of the major components of an electric power system.
Its major function is to transport electric energy, with minimal losses, from the power sources to
the load centers, usually separated by long distances. As such, it may be represented
quantitatively by a combination of three characteristics, or parameters: its resistance, inductance,
and capacitance.
1. Resistance
The most significant effect of the resistance of transmission line conductors is the
generation of I2R loss in the line. The resistance also produces an IR-type voltage drop, affecting
the voltage regulation of the line.
The dc resistance R of a conductor of length l and cross-sectional area A is
l
R=ρ , Ω(1)
A
where ρ is the resistivity of the material of the conductor in ohm-meters. The dc resistance of a
conductor is affected only by the operating temperature, and it increases linearly with the
temperature.
Page 1 of 22
When ac is flowing, rather than dc, the following factors need to be considered:
frequency or skin effect, temperature, spiralling of stranded conductors, bundle conductors
arrangement, and proximity effect.
1.1 Frequency Effect

When a conductor is transmitting alternating current, the current-density distribution
across the conductor cross section is nonuniform and is a function of the ac frequency. As
frequency increases, the current tends to go toward the surface of the conductor and the current
density decreases at the center. This phenomenon is known as the skin effect. The skin effect
reduces the effective cross section area used by the current, and thus, the effective resistance
increases. A skin correction factor k, obtained by differential equations and Bessel functions, is
considered to re-evaluate the ac resistance. For, 60 Hz, k is estimated around 1.02.
Rac =k R dc ( 4)
1.2 Temperature Effect

The resistivity of any conductive material varies linearly over an operating temperature,
and therefore, the resistance of any conductor suffers the same variations. As temperature rises,
the conductor resistance increases linearly, over normal operating temperatures, according to the
following equation:
R 2 T +t 2
= (2)
R 1 T +t 1
The temperature dependence of resistance is quantified by the relation
R2=R 1 [ 1+α ( t 2−t 1 ) ] (3)
where R1 and R2 are the resistances at temperatures t1 and t2, respectively, and α is called the
temperature coefficient of resistance. The resistivities and temperature coefficients of several
metals are given in Table 3-1.
Page 2 of 22
1.3 Spiraling Effect

There are two types of transmission line conductors: overhead and underground.
Overhead conductors, made of naked metal and suspended on insulators, are preferred over
underground conductors because of the lower cost and easy maintenance. Also, overhead
transmission lines use aluminium conductors, because of the lower cost and lighter weight
compared to copper conductors, although more cross-section area is needed to conduct the same
amount of current. There are different types of commercially available aluminium conductors:
aluminium-conductor-steel-reinforced (ACSR), aluminium-conductor-alloy-reinforced (ACAR),
all-aluminum-conductor (AAC), and all-aluminumalloy-conductor (AAAC).
ACSR is one of the most used conductors in transmission lines. It consists of alternate
layers of stranded conductors, spiralled in opposite directions to hold the strands together,
surrounding a core of steel strands. Figure 2 shows an example of aluminium and steel strands
combination.
The purpose of introducing a steel core inside the stranded aluminium conductors is to obtain a
high strength-to-weight ratio. A stranded conductor offers more flexibility and easier to
manufacture than a solid large conductor. However, the total resistance is increased because the
outside strands are larger than the inside strands on account of the spiralling.
1.4 Bundle Conductor Effect

In high-voltage transmission lines, there may be more than one conductor per phase
(bundle configuration) to increase the current capability and to reduce corona effect discharge.
Corona effect occurs when the surface potential gradient of a conductor exceeds the dielectric
strength of the surrounding air (30 kV/cm during fair weather), producing ionization in the area
close to the conductor, with consequent corona losses, audible noise, and radio interference.
Corona, however, can be reduced by increasing the total conductor surface. By increasing
the number of conductors per phase, the total cross-sectional area increases, the current capacity
increases, and the total ac resistance decreases proportionally to the number of conductors per
bundle. Figure 3 showa some typical arrangement of stranded bundle configurations.
Page 3 of 22
Conductor bundles may be applied to any voltage but are always used at 345 kV and above to
limit corona. To maintain the distance between bundle conductors along the line, spacers made
of steel or aluminium bars are used.
Example 1. A solid cylindrical aluminium conductor 25 km long has an area of 336,400 circular
mils. Obtain the conductor resistance at: (a) 20°C, and (b) 50°C. The resistivity of aluminium at
20°C is 2.8 x 10-8 Ω-m.
Example 2. A sample of copper wire has a resistance of 50 Ω at 10°C. What must be the
maximum operating temperature of the wire if its resistance is to increase by at most 10 percent?
Take the temperature coefficient at 10°C to be α = 0.00409°C-1.
Page 4 of 22
2. Inductance
2.1 Inductance of a Single Conductor
Consider a long round conductor with radius r, carrying a current I as shown in Figure
4.3.
The inductance of the conductor can be defined as the sum of the contributions from flux
linkages internal and external to the conductor.
2.1.1 Internal inductance

A simple expression can be obtained for the internal flux linkage by neglecting the skin
effect and assuming uniform current density throughout the conductor cross section, as
illustrated in figure 4.3. The inductance due to the internal flux linkage is
Note that Lint is independent of the conductor radius r.
2.1.2 Inductance due to external flux linkage

Figure 4.4 shows a conductor with current I and illustrating the external flux linkage
between D1 and D2.
The inductance between two points external to a conductor is
Page 5 of 22
2.2 Inductance of Single Phase Lines

Consider one meter length of a single-phase line consisting of two solid round conductors
of radius r1 and r2 as shown in figure 4.5. The two conductors are separated by a distance D.
Conductor 1 carries the phasor current I1 referenced into the page and conductor 2 carries return
current I2 = –I1. These currents set up magnetic field lines that links between the conductors as
shown.
The inductance per phase per meter length of the line is given by
Examination of equation 4.22 reveals that the first term is only a function of the
conductor radius. This term is considered as the inductance due to both the internal flux and that
external to conductor 1 to a radius of 1m. The second term of eq. 4.22 is dependent only upon
conductor spacing. This term is known as the inductance spacing factor. The above terms are
usually expressed as inductive reactances at 60 Hz and are available in the manufacturers table in
English units.
−1
The term r ' =r e 4 is known mathematically as the self-geometric mean distance of a
circle with radius r and is abbreviated by GMR. r’ can be considered as the radius of a fictitious
conductor assumed to have no internal flux but with the same inductance as the actual conductor
with radius r. GMR is commonly referred to as geometric mean radius and will be designated by
Ds. Thus, the inductance per phase in millihenries per kilometre becomes
Page 6 of 22
Example 3. A single-phase transmission line 35 km long consists of two solid round conductors,
each having a diameter of 0.9 cm. The conductor spacing is 2.5 m. calculate the equivalent
diameter of a fictitious hollow, thin-walled conductor having the same equivalent
inductance as the original line. What is the value of the inductance per conductor?
2.3 Inductance of Three-phase Transmission Lines

2.3.1 Symmetrical Spacing
Consider one meter length of a three-phase line with three conductors, each with radius r,
symmetrically spaced in a triangular configuration as shown in figure 4.7.
The inductance per phase per kilometre length is
where r’ is the geometric mean radius, GMR, and is shown by D s. For a solid round conductor,
−1
Ds =r e 4 , for stranded conductor Ds can be evaluated from eq 4.50. Comparison of (4.33) with
(4.23) shows that inductance per phase for a three-phase circuit with equilateral spacing is the
same as for one conductor of a single-phase circuit.
2.3.2 Asymmetrical Spacing

Practical transmission lines cannot maintain symmetrical spacing of conductors because
of construction considerations. With asymmetrical spacing, even with balanced currents, the
voltage drop due to line inductance will be unbalanced. Consider one meter length of a three-
phase line with three conductors, each with radius r. The conductors are asymmetrical spaced
spaced with distances shown in figure 4.8.
Page 7 of 22
Examination of (4.38) shows that the phase inductances are not equal and they contain an
imaginary term due to the mutual inductance.
2.3.3 Transpose Line

A per-phase model of the transmission line is required in most power system analysis.
One way to regain symmetry in good measure and obtain a per-phase model is to consider
transposition. This consists of interchanging the phase configuration every one-third the length
so that each conductor is moved to occupy the next physical position in a regular sequence. Such
a transposition arrangement is shown in figure 4.9.
Since in a transposed line each phase takes all three positions, the inductance per phase can be
obtained by finding the average value of (4.38).
The inductance per phase per kilometre length is
where
Page 8 of 22
This again is of the same form as the expression for the inductance of one phase of a single-
phase line. GMD (geometric mean distance) is the equivalent conductor spacing. For the above
three-phase line, this is the cube root of the product of the three-phase spacings. D s is the
geometric mean radius, GMR. For stranded conductor, Ds is obtained from the manufacturers’
−1
data. For solid conductor, D =r ' =r e 4 .
s
In modern transmission lines, transposition is not generally used. However, for the
purpose of modelling, it is most practical to treat the circuit as transposed. The error introduced
as a result of this assumption is very small.
Example 4. A single-circuit three-phase line operated at 60 Hz is arranged as shown in Figure 19.

Each conductor is No. 2 single-strand hard-drawn copper wire. Find the inductance and inductive
reactance per phase per kilometer.
2.4 Inductance of Composite Conductors

In the evaluation of inductance, solid round conductors were considered. However, in
practical transmission lines, stranded conductors are used. Also, for reasons of economy, most
EHV lines are constructed with bundled conductors. In this section an expression is found for the
inductance of composite conductors. Consider a single-phase line consisting of two composite
conductors x and y as shown in figure 4.10.
Page 9 of 22
The current in x is I referenced into the page, and the return current in y is – I. Conductor x
consists of n identical strands or sub-conductors, each with radius rx.Conductor y consists of m
identical strands or sub-conductors, each with radius ry. The inductance of conductor x will be
GMD is the mnth root of the product of the mnth distances between n strands of conductor x and
m strands of conductor y. GMRx is the n2 root of the product of n2 terms consisting of r’ of every
strand times the distance from each strand to all other strands within group x.
The inductance of conductor y can also be similarly obtained. The geometric mean radius
GMRy will be different. The geometric mean distance GMD, however, is the same. The
inductance of conductor y is
GMD
L y =2 x 10−7 ln H /m
GMR y
The total inductance of the line is

L=L x + L y
Example 5. Find the geometric mean radius of a conductor in terms of the radius r of an
individual strand for
Page 10 of 22
(a) Three equal strands as shown in Figure 12 (a)

(b) Four equal strands as shown in Figure 12 (b)
Example 6. One circuit of a single-phase transmission line is composed of three solid 0.5 cm
radius wires. The return circuit is composed of two solid 2.5 cm radius wires. The arrangement
of conductors is as shown in figure 20. applying the concept of the GMD and GMR, find the
inductance of the complete line in mH/km.
Page 11 of 22
2.4.1 GMR of bundled conductors

Extra-high voltage transmission lines are usually constructed with bundled conductors.
Bundling reduces the line reactance, which improves the line performance and increases the
power capability of the line. Bundling also reduces the voltage surface gradient, which in turn
reduces corona loss, radio interference, and surge impedance. Typically, bundled conductors
consist of two, three, or four sub-conductors symmetrically arranged in configuration as shown
in figure 4.12. The sub-conductors within a bundle are separated at frequent intervals by spacer-
dampers. Spacer-dampers prevent clashing, provide damping, and connect the sub-conductors in
parallel.
The GMR of the equivalent single conductor is obtained by using (4.50). If D s is the GMR of
each sub-conductor and d is the bundle spacing, then
Example 7. Calculate the inductance per kilometer per phase of the single-circuit, two-bundle
conductor line shown in figure 3-9. The diameter of each conductor is 5 cm.
Page 12 of 22
2.5 Inductance of three-phase double-circuit lines

A three-phase double-circuit line consists of two identical three-phase circuits. The
circuits are operated with a1 – a2 , b1 – b2 , and c1 – c2 in parallel. Because of geometrical
differences between conductors, voltage drop due to line inductance will be unbalanced. To
achieve balance, each phase conductor must be transposed within its group and with respect to
the parallel three-phase line. Consider a three-phase double-circuit line with relative phase
positions a1b1c1 – c2b2a2, as shown in figure 4.13.
The method of GMD can be used to find the inductance per phase. To do this, we group
identical phases together and use (4.49) to find the GMD between each phase group
The equivalent GMD per phase is then
Similarly, from (4.50), the GMR of each phase group is
where D bs is the geometric mean radius of the bundled conductors given by (4.51) – (4.53). The
equivalent geometric mean radius for calculating the per phase inductance to neural is
The inductance per phase in mH/km is
Page 13 of 22
Example 8. A 345 kV double-circuit, three-phase transposed line is composed of one ACSR,

556,500-cmil, 26/7 Dove conductor per phase with horizontal configuration as shown in figure
4.23. The conductors have a diameter of 0.927 in. and a GMR of 0.3768 in. Find the inductance
per phase per kilometer of the line.
Page 14 of 22
Example 9. A 345 kV, double-circuit three-phase transposed line is composed of two ACSR,
1,431,000-cmil, 45/7 Bobolink conductors per phase with vertical conductor configuration as
shown in figure 4.22. The conductors have a diameter of 1.427 in. and a GMR of 0.564 in. The
bundle spacing is 18 in. Find the inductance per phase per kilometer of the line.
Page 15 of 22
3. Line Capacitance
Transmission line conductors exhibit capacitance with respect to each other due to the
potential difference between them. The amount of capacitance between conductors is a function
of conductor size, spacing, and height above ground. Consider a long round conductor with
radius r, carrying a charge of q coulombs per meter length as shown in figure 4.14.
The potential difference between cylinders from position D1 and D2 is defined as the
work done in moving a unit charge of one coulomb from D2 to D1 through the electric field
produced by the charge on the conductor. That is given by
The notation V12 implies the voltage drop from 1 relative to 2, that is, 1 is understood to be
positive relative to 2. The charge q carries its own sign.
3.1 Capacitance of Single-phase Lines

Consider one meter length of a single-phase line consisting of two long solid round
conductors each having a radius r as shown in figure 4.15. The two conductors are separated by a
distance D. Conductor 1 carries a charge q1 C/m and conductor 2 carries a charge of q2 C/m.
The capacitance between conductors is
Page 16 of 22
Equation (4.68) gives the line-to-line capacitance between conductors. For the purpose of
transmission line modelling, we find it convenient to define a capacitance C between each
conductor and a neutral as illustrated in figure 4.16.
Since the voltage to neutral is half of V12, the capacitance to neutral C = 2C12, or
Recalling Ɛo = 8.85 x 10–12 F/m and converting to μF per kilometer, we have
The capacitance per contains terms analogous to those derived for inductance per phase.
However, unlke inductance where the conductor geometric mean radius (GMR) is used, in
capacitance formula the actual conductor radius r is used.
3.2 Capacitance of Three-phase Lines

Consider one meter length of a three-phase line with three long conductors, each with
radius r, with conductor spacing as shown in figure 4.18.
The capacitance per phase to neutral is
Page 17 of 22
or capacitance to neutral in μF per kilometer is
This is of the same form as the expression for the capacitance of one phase of a single-phase line.
GMD (geometric mean distance) is the equivalent conductor spacing. For the above three-phase
line this is the cube root of the product of the three-phase spacings.
Example 10. A 500 kV, three-phase transposed line is composed of one ACSR 1,272,000-cmil,
45/7 Bittern conductor per phase with horizontal conductor configuration as shown in figure
4.19. The conductors have a diameter of 1.345 in. and a GMR of 0.5328 in. Find the inductance
and capacitance per phase per kilometer of the line.
Page 18 of 22
3.3 Effect of Bundling

The procedure for finding the capacitance per phase for three-phase transposed line with
bundle conductors follows the same steps as the procedure in the previous section. The
capacitance per phase is
The effect of bundling is to introduce an equivalent radius r b. The equivalent radius rb is similar
to the GMR (geometric mean radius) calculated earlier for the inductance with the exception that
radius r of each sub-conductor is used instead of D s. If d is the bundle spacing, we obtain for the
two-sub-conductor bundle
for the three-sub-conductor bundle
for the four-sub-conductor bundle
Example 11. A 735 kV three-phase transposed line is composed of four ACSR, 954,000-cmil,
45/7 Rail conductors per phase with horizontal conductor configuration as shown in figure 4.21.
Bundle spacing is 46 cm. The conductor diameter is 2.959 cm and GMR is 1.173 cm. Find the
inductance and capacitance per phase per kilometer of the line.
Page 19 of 22
3.4 Capcitance of Three-phase Double-circuit Lines

Consider a three-phase double-circuit line with relative phase positions a1b1c1 – c2b2a2, as
shown in figure 4.13. Each phase conductor is transposed within its group and with respect to the
parallel three-phase line. The effect of shield wires and the ground are considered to be
negligible for this balanced condition. Following the procedure of previous section, the per phase
equivalent capacitance to neutral is
or capacitance to neutral in μF per kilometer is
The expression for GMD is the same as was found for inductance calculation and is given by
(4.55). The GMRc of each phase group is similar to the GMR L, with the exception that in (4.56)
rb is used instead of Dbs . This will result in the following equations
Page 20 of 22
where rb is the geometric mean radius of the bundled conductors given by (4.88) – (4.90). The
equivalent geometric mean radius for calculating the per-phase capacitance to neutral is
Example 12. A 345 kV double-circuit, three-phase transposed line is composed of one ACSR,
556,500-cmil, 26/7 Dove conductor per phase with horizontal configuration as shown in figure
4.23. The conductors have a diameter of 0.927 in. and a GMR of 0.3768 in. Find the capacitance
per phase per kilometer of the line.
Page 21 of 22
Example 13. A 345 kV, double-circuit three-phase transposed line is composed of two ACSR,
1,431,000-cmil, 45/7 Bobolink conductors per phase with vertical conductor configuration as
shown in figure 4.22. The conductors have a diameter of 1.427 in. and a GMR of 0.564 in. The
bundle spacing is 18 in. Find the capacitance per phase per kilometer of the line.
Page 22 of 22

EE 517 Power System Analysis and Design Lecture 1 Transmission Line Parameters

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

EE 517 Power System Analysis and Design Lecture 1 Transmission Line Parameters

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

EE 517 Power System Analysis and Design

Lecture 1 Transmission Line Parameters

Transmission Line Parameters

1.1 Frequency Effect

1.2 Temperature Effect

The temperature dependence of resistance is quantified by the relation

R2=R 1 [ 1+α ( t 2−t 1 ) ] (3)

1.3 Spiraling Effect

1.4 Bundle Conductor Effect

2.1.1 Internal inductance

Note that Lint is independent of the conductor radius r.

2.1.2 Inductance due to external flux linkage

The inductance between two points external to a conductor is

2.2 Inductance of Single Phase Lines

2.3 Inductance of Three-phase Transmission Lines

The inductance per phase per kilometre length is

2.3.2 Asymmetrical Spacing

2.3.3 Transpose Line

The inductance per phase per kilometre length is

Example 4. A single-circuit three-phase line operated at 60 Hz is arranged as shown in Figure 19.

2.4 Inductance of Composite Conductors

The total inductance of the line is

(a) Three equal strands as shown in Figure 12 (a)

2.4.1 GMR of bundled conductors

2.5 Inductance of three-phase double-circuit lines

The equivalent GMD per phase is then

Similarly, from (4.50), the GMR of each phase group is

The inductance per phase in mH/km is

Example 8. A 345 kV double-circuit, three-phase transposed line is composed of one ACSR,

3.1 Capacitance of Single-phase Lines

The capacitance between conductors is

Recalling Ɛo = 8.85 x 10–12 F/m and converting to μF per kilometer, we have

3.2 Capacitance of Three-phase Lines

The capacitance per phase to neutral is

or capacitance to neutral in μF per kilometer is

3.3 Effect of Bundling

for the three-sub-conductor bundle

for the four-sub-conductor bundle

3.4 Capcitance of Three-phase Double-circuit Lines

or capacitance to neutral in μF per kilometer is

You might also like