Transmission Line Parameters

Capacitance Calculation

Capacitance
Capacitance of a transmission line is the result of the potential difference between the conductors; it causes them to be charged in the same manner as the plates of a capacitor. The capacitance is the charge per unit potential difference. For power lines less than 80 km long the effect of capacitance is very small and is normally neglected. The current caused by alternate charging and discharging of a line due to an a.c. voltage is called the charging current. Charging current flows in a line even when it is open-circuited. It affects the voltage drop along the line as well as the efficiency and power factor of the line and the stability of the system of which the line is a part. 2

Electric field of a long straight conductor

Just as the magnetic field is important in considering inductance, so the electric field is important in studying capacitance. Lines of electric flux originate on the positive charges of one conductor and terminate on the negative charges of the other conductor. The total electric flux emanating from a conductor is numerically equal to the number of coulombs of charge on the conductor. Electric flux density is the electric flux per sq. meter and is measured in coulombs/m2. Lines of electric flux originating from an isolated circular conductor are uniformly distributed on equidistant cylindrical surface as shown in Fig. 3.12. The electric flux density at x meters in radius from the conductor and in an axial length of 1 meter is
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q D! 2Tx

C/m2
q+ + x + + + + + +

where, q = total charge The electric filed intensity is then

q E! 2Txk

V/m

where, k = permitivity of the medium

The potential difference between two points due to a charge

Electrical field intensity is a measure of force on a charge in the field. Line integral of force on an unit positive charge is equal to the work done in moving the charge from point of lower potential to the point of higher potential, which is also 4 equal to the potential difference between two points.

Consider a long straight conductor carrying a positive charge of q C/m, as shown in Fig. 3.13. Points P1 and P2 are located at distances D1 and D2 meters from the center of the conductor. P1 is at a higher potential than the point P2. Voltage drop between P1 and P2 = Line integral of field intensity of a radial path between equipotential surfaces passing through points P1 and P2, i.e.,
P1 + q D1 D2 Path of integration P2

v12

D2 q q ! Edx ! dx ! ln 2Txk 2Tk D1 D1 D1

D2

D2

Capacitance of a two-wire line

Capacitance between the two conductors of a two-wire line is the charge per unit of potential difference between the conductors.
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C = q / v F/m where, q = charge in C/m and v = potential difference in volt. The two conductors of the two-wire line are shown in Fig. 3. 14. Consider the charge qa on conductor a and qb on conductor b. By the principle of superposition, the voltage drop from conductor a to conductor b is the sum of voltage drops caused by charges qa and qb considered one at a time.
r r Voltage drop between D conductors a & b = Potential difference between a & b due to charge qa + Potential difference between a & b due to charge qb q D q r
1 2

Vab !

2Tk

ln

ab

ra

2Tk

ln

Dab

Since Dab = D and qa = -qb for a two-wire line,

2 D qa qa rb D ln  ln ! Vab ! r 2Tk ln r r D 2Tk a a b

The capacitance between conductors is

qa 2Tk ! Cab ! 2 Vab D ln ra rb

If ra = rb = r,

F/m

Since qa and qb zero potential plane at point n as shown in Fig.

Tk Cab ! F/m D ln rcharged, there is a are oppositely

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Therefore, potential of each conductor with respect to point n is equal to the half of the potential between points a and b i.e. . Cbn = 2.Cab
a b a

Cab

Can = 2.Cab

Line-to-neutral capacitance is
qa 2Tk Cn ! ! 1 D Vab ln 2 r

0.0556 QF/km (Since k = k0 = F/m = D 8.85 x 10-12 F/m) ln r

Note that Cn =2Cab i.e. Cab is a combination of two equal capacitance (Cn). Capacitive reactance between one conductor and neutral is

1 2.862 D 9 ;-m to neutral ! v 10 ln Xc ! 2TfC f r

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CAPACITANCE OF A THREE-PHASE LINE WITH EQUILATERAL SPACE The three identical conductors of radius r of a three-phase line with equilateral spacing are shown in Fig. Voltage Vab of a 3-phase line, due only to the charges qa and qb on conductors a and b respectively, is a
D

Vab !

D r 1 q a ln ab  qb ln b ra Dab 2Tk

Voltage Vab of a 3-phase line due only to the charge qc on conductor c is

Vab ! D 1 q c ln cb 2Tk Dac
V

For equilateral spacing, Dab = Dbc = Dca = D and ra = rb = rc = r. Therefore Vab due to Qq and qb r 1 D V Vab ! q a ln  q b ln D 2Tk r Vab due to charge qc becomes zero. Therefore Vab for a three-phase line due to all charges is

Vab !

1 D r qa ln  qb ln 2Tk r D

Similarly
Vac ! 1 2Tk D r qa ln  qc ln r D
V

Vab  Vac !

D r 1 2q a ln  q b  q c ln r D 2Tk

For a balanced 3-phase systems qa + qb + qc = 0, i.e. -qa = qb + qc

3q a D Vab  Vac ! ln 2Tk r

Vc

-Vb

Vab

For the balanced three-phase voltages Vab= Van 0 Vbn -120 Vac= Van
0

Va Vab+Vac Vb Vac F/m to neutral

Vcn -240

Vab+Vac = 3 Van

qa D Van ! ln 2Tk r

I charging ! j[C nVan A / m

For single-phase line,

qa 2Tk Cn ! ! D Van ln r

I charging ! j[C abVab

A/m

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CAPACITANCE OF A THREE-PHASE LINE WITH UNSYMMETRICAL SPACE In the usual non-transposed line the capacitance of each phase to neutral is unequal. In a transposed line the average capacitance to neutral of any phase for the complete transposition cycle is the same as the average capacitance to neutral of any other phase
Cond. a a D12 b POS. 2 D31 D23 Cond. c c POS. 3 Cond. b Cond. a Cond. b Cond. a Cond. c POS. 1 Cond. c Cond. b

With phase a in position 1, b in position 2, and c in position 3

Vab ! D D23 1 r q a ln 12  q b ln  q c ln 2Tk r D12 D31
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With a in position 2, b in position 3, and c in position 1

Pos1 Pos2 Pos3

D31 D23 1 r V q a ln  qb ln  q c ln Vab ! 2Tk D23 D12 r

With a in position 3, b in position 1, and c in position 2,

c a b b

Pos1

D31 D12 r 1 q a ln V Vab !  qb ln  q c ln r D31 2Tk D23

The average voltage between conductors a and b
1 D12 D23 D31 r3 D12 D23 D31 qa ln Vab !  qb ln  qc ln 3 3 v 2Tk r D12 D23 D31 D12 D23 D31 D 1 qa ln eq  qb ln r ! 2Tk r Deq

Pos2 Pos3

c a

where Deq ! 3 D12 D23 D31

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Similarly, the average voltage drop from conductor a to conductor c is

Deq 1 r q a ln V Vac !  q c ln 2Tk r Deq

We know Vab + Vac = 3Van

Deq 1 r r 2q a ln V  qb ln  q c ln 3Van ! Vab  Vac ! 2Tk r Deq Deq

Since qa + qb + qc = 0 or, -qa = qb + qc in a balanced three-phase circuit

Deq 1 r 2qa ln 3Van !  qa ln 2Tk r Deq

Deq 1 @ Van ! V q a ln 2Tk r

qa 2Tk ! F/m to neutral Cn ! Deq Van ln 13 r

EFFECT OF EARTH ON THE CAPACITANCE

For an isolated charged conductor, the electric flux lines are radial. The presence of earth affects the capacitance of a line because it alters the distribution of electric flux lines. For the purpose of calculation, the earth may be replaced by a fictitious charged conductor below the surface of the earth by a distance equal to that of the over head conductor above earth with charge equal and opposite to the charge on the actual conductor. The effect of earth is to increase the capacitance. But normally the height of the conductor is large as compared to the distance between the conductors, and the earth effect is negligible.(for balanced analysis).

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Bundled Conductors
D31 D12 a d a' b d b' D23 c d c'

If we let DsCb stand for the modified GMR to be used in capacitance calculations, we have

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2Tk Cn = Deq ln b Dsc

For two-strand bundle

F/m

2 b DsC ! 4 r v d ! rd

b For three-strand bundle DsC ! 9 r v d v d 3 ! 3 rd 2

For four-strand bundle D

b sC

16

r v d v d v d v 2

1/ 2 4

! 1094 rd 3 .

Note that in the expression for DsCb is the same as Dsb derived in the inductance calculations for bundled conductors except that r has replaced Ds
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Example 4 A 500-kV three-phase transposed line composed of one ACSR conductor with a diameter of 0.0341 m per phase as shown in the figure. Find the capacitance per phase per kilometer of the line.
a 10.67 m b 10.67 m c

Solution Conductor radius, r = 0.0341/2 = 0.01705 m

10 Deq3= .67 v 10.67 v 21.34 = 13.44 m
0.0556 The capacitance per phase is C ! ! 0.0083 QF/km 13.44 ln 0.01705
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Example 5 The line in Example 4 is replaced by a bundled conductor consisting of two conductors with diameter of 2.48 cm. The distance between the conductors in the bundle is 45.72 cm. Calculate the capacitance per phase per kilometer. Solution

b sC

! rd ! 1.24 v 45.72 cm ! 7.53 cm.

0.0556 ! 0.0107 QF/km The capacitance per phase is, C ! 13.44 ln 0.0753.
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Parallel circuit of three-phase lines

If two three-phase circuits that are identical in construction and operating in parallel are so close together that coupling exists between them, the GMD method can be used to calculate the capacitance of their equivalent circuit. The lines will probably not be transposed. However, we assume that the lines are transposed for the purpose of calculation. The error in this assumption is very small. The calculation of equivalent GMD and GMR is similar to the calculation of inductance for double-circuit lines discussed earlier. But the term Dsb is replaced by the term DsCb .

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Example 6 A three-phase double-circuit line is composed of stranded ostrich conductors arranged as shown. Calculate the capacitance per km. Solution For ostrich conductors, the GMR is (from manufacturers data) Ds = 0.0229 ft The outer radius of a conductor is 0.0283 ft. The distance a to b :
10 2  1.5 2

a 18' 10'

c'

21'

b'

a' c 18'

=10.1 ft
20

The distance a to b =

10 2  19.52 = 21.9 ft
(10.1x 21.9) 2 ! 14.88 ft

The GMDs between phases are: DAB = DBC = DAC = GMDeq =

4
4

(20.x18) 2 ! 18.97

ft

14.88 x14.88 x18.97 ! 16.1 ft

Distance between a and a is = 26.9 ft For capacitance calculation DsCb =

3

26.9 x0.0283 21x0.0283 26.9 x0.0283 ! 0.837 ft

2T x8.85 x10 12 Cn ! !18.807 x10 12 16.1 ln 0.837

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Corona
Corona is caused by the breakdown of the air (ionization) around a transmission line when the surface potential gradient exceeds the dielectric strength. The dielectric strength of the air during fair weather and NTP (25o C and 76 cm of Hg) is about 30 kV/cm. The effect is most severe around small conductors and at sharp points and corners. Corona produces power loss, audible hissing sound in the vicinity of the line, ozone and radio and television interference. Bundling of high voltage conductors, separating conductors with spacers placed periodically along the line reduces corona effect.

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