High Performance Conductors

An International viewpoint

Brian Wareing
Brian Wareing.Tech Ltd
Chester, UK
Overhead Lines & Lightning Protection Consultancy
Phone +44 1244 550578
Mobile +44 7976 123 738
jbwareing@btinternet.com
bwareing@theiet.org
 Introducing myself
Brian Wareing.tech

 Worked in the electricity industry for 48 years

 Vibration measurements on OHL since 1995
 Author of book on „Wood pole Overhead Lines‟
 Deliver OHL courses in UK, Middle East, SE Asia and Australia
 Member of Cigré International committees on OHL design, weather
loads on OHLs and electrical and mechanical aspects of OHLs
– WG29 anti-icing for OHLs
– WG16 weather loads for OHLs
– AG06 Mechanical aspects of OHL design
– WG25 Fittings for OHLs
– WG11/WG46 Vibration of OHLs
– Convenor Cigre AG06 WG48 „Field experience with new conductor types‟
– Secretary Cigre SCB2 WG28 „Meteorological data for assessing climatic loads‟
– SCB2 WG44 „Coatings for protecting power network equipment in winter
conditions‟

IEEMA Seminar High Performance Conductors - An International viewpoint 2

Brian Wareing.tech Topics
 General overview of high performance conductors (HPC)
– Standard conductor materials and choice
– The HPC range of conductors available today
– HPC and the „knee point‟
– Handling of HPC with composite cores
 International perspective on the various technologies
available on HPC
 International experience and economics
 Line Losses - How HPC could help bring down
Transmission losses
 Vibration management on HPC

IEEMA Seminar High Performance Conductors - An International viewpoint 3

 Basic Aluminium Conductors
Brian Wareing.tech
ACSR
Combination of high strength galvanised steel
and aluminium
Can suffer from internal corrosion due to
dissimilar metals
Suffers from salt pollution in coastal areas
AAC
Good conductivity but Low strength conductor
so uses are limited
Not good in coastal areas due to salt pollution
AAAC
High strength/weight ratio conductors with Good
conductivity
Doesn‟t suffer from galvanic corrosion
Differing grades of alloy available (e.g. Al59)
ACAR
High strength/weight ratio conductors
Aluminium core heat treated to give higher
strength but lower conductivity than external
aluminium strands
Doesn‟t suffer from galvanic corrosion but still
suffers from salt corrosion in coastal areas.
4
Brian Wareing.tech AAAC Al59
 Introduced over 40 years ago in Sweden as an
improvement to the conductivity of standard
AAAC.
 Previous AAAC conductivity was ~54%IACS
whereas AL-59 is 59%IACS (hence it‟s name).
 Higher conductivity (~20% more ampacity) is
associated with lower strength (15% lower
UTS) and hence greater sags (~11% lower sag
at 80°C on 350m span at same tension as
standard AAAC)
 So can have same current carrying capacity
with smaller OD than standard AAAC and
ACSR.
 Leads to lower power loss and higher power
transfer capacity.
 Note: Al6201 has far better corrosion
resistance
5
than Al59
IEEMA Seminar High Performance Conductors - An International viewpoint
 New Conductor Types
Brian Wareing.tech

Multi-strand
Polymer matrix (C7)
Invar type ACCR

ACSS

CCC

Gap

6 IEEMA Seminar High Performance Conductors - An International viewpoint

Brian Wareing.tech
Issues with Gap conductor

 Difficult to use mid-span connectors

– If Gap breaks then the internal steel core immediately
contracts down the conductor core and so a mid-span joint
cannot be made.
– The only alternative is re-conductoring the section
 Gap relies on the grease staying put
– Oman, Ireland, UK have all experienced Gap losing its grease
– Sometimes dripping onto people‟s roofs and cars
– Commonly burning off on the surface and causing black marks
– The steel is then not protected.

IEEMA Seminar High Performance Conductors - An International viewpoint 7

Brian Wareing.tech
Issues with Gap conductor

 Gap „knee point‟ is at erection temperature, so if

sections are erected at different temperatures (on
different days) then their sag/temperature behaviour will
be different in the different sections and this can put
stresses on tension towers.
 Because the aluminium is not connected with the steel
core, the whole conductor can be twisted easily by hand
 This means that wet snow can also twist the conductor
and hence Gap accretes higher snow loads than, for
example, CCC.
 It is filthy and very slow to erect as the steel core has to
be stripped bare and pre-tensioned for 12 hours
IEEMA Seminar High Performance Conductors - An International viewpoint 8
 High Temperature Conductors
Brian Wareing.tech

With the ever growing need for more power to be

transmitted along existing lines new types of
conductors have been developed to run at higher
temperatures than traditional materials
According to Cigré, these conductors can be put into 4
basic clarifications
Type 1. Conductors composed of a steel core and
an envelope for which the high temperature
effects are controlled by means of thermal-
resistant aluminium alloys (e.g. GAP, Thermal)
Type 2. Conductors composed of a steel core and
an envelope for which the high temperature
effects are controlled by means of annealed
aluminium or aluminium alloy (e.g. ACSS)
9
 High Temperature Conductors
Brian Wareing.tech

New conductor types

Type 3. Conductors composed of a non-metallic
core, and an envelope for which the high
temperature effects are controlled by means of
thermal resistant aluminium alloys (e.g. ACCR)
Type 4. Conductors composed of a non-metallic
core, and an envelope for which the high
temperature effects are controlled by means of
annealed aluminium or aluminium alloys (e.g.
CCC)

10
Brian Wareing.tech Aluminium – how hot?

 Standard Aluminium and Aluminium Alloys can only

operate continuously at temperatures up to 93ºC without
causing metallurgical decay resulting in lifetime reduction
 TAL and ZTAL aluminium have a lower conductivity but
essentially the same tensile strength as ordinary electrical
conductor grade aluminium but can operate continuously at
temperatures up to 150ºC and 210ºC, respectively, without
any loss of tensile strength over time.
 Fully annealed aluminium is chemically identical to ordinary
hard drawn aluminium and can operate indefinitely at
temperatures at 250ºC (and higher) without any change in
mechanical or electrical properties but has a much reduced
tensile strength.

IEEMA Seminar High Performance Conductors - An International viewpoint 11

Brian Wareing.tech

IEEMA Seminar High Performance Conductors - An International viewpoint 12

Brian Wareing.tech Core Material

 Galvanised steel is the normal core material for standard

ACSR conductors.
 This is subject to corrosion and potential failure when the
galvanising has disappeared due to corrosion – a big
problem in corrosive or coastal areas.
 High Tensile steel is used when stronger conductors with
less sag are required but this is still subject to corrosion.
 Invar steel is used for low sag because of its very low
thermal expansion coefficient but it is very expensive.
 High strength, low conductivity aluminium alloy can be
used as a core material to give improved strength to AAAC
conductors.

IEEMA Seminar High Performance Conductors - An International viewpoint 13

 Core Materials -6
Description
Brian Wareing.tech ASTM MOE (Gpa) TS (Mpa) Cf(x10 /°C Unit wght
Spec (mg/mm³)

HS Steel B498 200 1379-1448 11.5 7.778

EHS Steel B606 200 1517 11.5 7.778
200 1965 11.5 7.778
EXHS Steel
galvanised
Aluminium clad B502 162 1103-1345 13 6.588
20.3% IACS
Galvanised Invar B388 162 1034-1069 1.5-3.0 7.778
alloy ACS B753 ~4
Mischmetal Std A856 200(I)- 1379-1448 11.5 7.778
HS A857 186(F) 1517-1620
Aluminium Oxide B976 210 1380 6.3 3.337
matrix
Carbon fibre B987 112.3 2158 1.61 1.88
IEEMA Seminar High Performance Conductors - An International viewpoint 14
 Knee Point
Brian Wareing.tech

 To take advantage of the high temperatures (and so

Ampacities) for „redundancy‟, low sag is also required and this
uses the technique of the „Knee point‟
 The knee point occurs for all ACSR type conductors when the
tensile load is transferred from the (high expansion
coefficient) aluminium to the (low expansion coefficient) core
 This produces a change of angle in a sag/temperature graph
 The region over which this occurs is known as the „Knee
point‟ although in practice it is not a specific point.
 It has always been there but at too high a temperature for
„standard‟ ACSRs
 The following graph is schematic but shows how the different
expansion coefficients affect sag.

15 IEEMA Seminar High Performance Conductors - An International viewpoint

 620 mm2 Matthew GZTACSR
38 kN @ 10 0C
15
Brian Wareing.tech

Original 400 mm 2 Zebra ACSR

14 26.5 kN @10 0C 560 mm 2 ZTACIR
38 kN @ 10 0C
Sag of 366 m Standard L2 Span, m

13 620 mm 2 Matthew GZTACSR

38 kN @ 10 0C
Original design
maximum sag,
1950s
12

11 ACCC Drake 30 kN @ 10 0C

10

Knee points
570 mm2 Sorbus AAAC
9 36.9 kN @ 10 0C

8
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 130 140 150 160 170 180 190 200

Conductor Temperature, 0C

16 IEEMA SeminarHigh Performance Conductors - An International viewpoint

Brian Wareing.tech Fittings

 Most new conductor types require special fittings

 An exception is the ZTAL/Thermal ACSR which
can use existing conventional fittings
 These fittings may run hotter than normal and so
may incur some overheating unless specifically
designed for high temperature operation
 But commonly many HT conductors are run at
<100ºC in normal operation so fittings only have
to withstand high temperatures for short periods
 More information in Cigré Technical Brochure (in
course of publication)
17 IEEMA SeminarHigh Performance Conductors - An International viewpoint
Brian Wareing.tech Cigré WG 48 TB

IEEMA Seminar High Performance Conductors - An International viewpoint 18

 Proposed new WG
Brian Wareing.tech

IEEMA Seminar High Performance Conductors - An International viewpoint 19

Brian Wareing.tech

International perspective on
the various technologies
available on HPC

IEEMA Seminar High Performance Conductors - An International viewpoint 20

 Cigré Survey of
Brian Wareing.tech
experience with HPC
 As part of the Cigré WG48 TB, a survey
was made of suppliers and utilities and
their experience with HPC.
 The following slides are a brief summary
of the utilities‟ views.

IEEMA Seminar High Performance Conductors - An International viewpoint 21

Brian Wareing.tech
Dealing with new conductor types

 These are the views of 35 utilities world-wide

 Why choose new conductor types?
 Types of Installations
 Installation
 Fittings
 Are utilities still putting them up?
 Are they economic?
 Did they perform?
 Is training given?

IEEMA Seminar High Performance Conductors - An International viewpoint 22

 Why choose new conductor types?
Brian Wareing.tech

• Reasons for new conductor use

• 75% said increased ampacity (average 85% increase required)
• 40% said ground clearance problems
• Only 2 utilities mentioned voltage drop
• However 22 utilities (63%) said it was an economic choice
• Two said limited corridor
• Other reasons:
• optimise (n-1) criteria
• Reduce visual impact (replacing bundle)
• Insufficient outage time to rebuild
• Planning permits and outages
• Minimise line losses. Reliable corridor

IEEMA Seminar High Performance Conductors - An International viewpoint 23

 Type of installations of new
Brian Wareing.tech
conductors

• Reconductor upgrade: 48%

• Replacing aged conductor: 12%
• New line: 15%
• Special application (e.g. long crossings,
heavy ice loads, high ambient
temperatures): 10%
• Trial/pilot: 15%

IEEMA Seminar High Performance Conductors - An International viewpoint 24

Brian Wareing.tech Installation
• 77% said special requirements were needed (2
mentioned CCC)
• 70% said special training was required (one mentioned
Gap)
• 40% installed in-house; 67% by contractor (7% did both)
• 100% found following installation instructions easy!
• 35% installed with one circuit live
• 35% said some changes to utilities'
equipment/procedures necessary
• 100% said no problem with different conductor types on
same line
•

IEEMA Seminar High Performance Conductors - An International viewpoint 25

Brian Wareing.tech Installation

 86% said special conductor hardware fittings

were necessary
 87% said these fittings were easy to install
 Conductors with composite cores (CCC, ACCR)
should not be bent round small wheels – normally
a 1 metre diameter bull wheel is fine
 Most conductors can be pulled up as a complete
conductor but Gap requires the steel core to be
pulled separately and tensioned for 12 hours

IEEMA Seminar High Performance Conductors - An International viewpoint 26

Brian Wareing.tech Fittings
 Most new conductor types require special fittings
 Extensive testing has shown that an HTLS conductor
dead-end operates at about ½ the temperature of the
conductor (Slightly higher at the nose, cooler at the
jumper pad).
 The dead-ends and splices were designed with
reliability as paramount
 When CCC conductor is operated at temperatures up
to 215°C the temperature of jumper pads (at dead-
ends) and suspension clamp bolts only reach
temperatures of 60° to 70°C.

IEEMA Seminar High Performance Conductors - An International viewpoint 27

Brian Wareing.tech
Fittings
 The added mass of the dead-ends, splices, and
suspension clamps serve to reduce operating
temperatures of these components.
 During EPRI-ANSI testing degradation of the
conductivity between the dead-ends and conductor
did not occur until an CCC conductor was operated
at temperatures to 330°C
 But commonly many HT conductors are run at
<100ºC in normal operation so fittings only have to
withstand high temperatures for short periods
 70% used Stockbridge dampers; 30% no dampers at
all: 90% said no vibration problems
IEEMA Seminar High Performance Conductors - An International viewpoint 28
Brian Wareing.tech
Are utilities still putting them up?
 12 utilities are currently planning new
conductor use
• Planned installations:
• 68 route km<100kV (all single)
• 704 route km 100<200kV (all single)
• 2 route km single, 115 route km bundled at 200<300kV
• 100 route km single, 2761 route km bundled at >300kV
 No concerns expressed about use in bundled
formation

IEEMA Seminar High Performance Conductors - An International viewpoint 29

Brian Wareing.tech
Are they economic?

 Economic justification
• Commonly 20-50% cheaper than a new line
• Benefits 80% (up to 200%) better than new line
• Time advantage 1 to 5 years compared with new line
• 50% of utilities said lack of need for regulatory approval
was a major economic justification
• Tower modifications including change to foundations
require a building licence which means additional project
time and risk; HTLS conductors offered a quick (and so -
economic) solution

IEEMA Seminar High Performance Conductors - An International viewpoint 30

Brian Wareing.tech
Did they perform?
• Performance compared with expectation
• Performance as expected with 100% normal operation levels and
x2 for emergency. Highest noted as 240MVA for CCC
• Reliability given as 100% (but not many answered the question)
• Recorded faults were due to poor
installation or excessive weather loads

IEEMA Seminar High Performance Conductors - An International viewpoint 31

Brian Wareing.tech
Training
 Training up to 3 days provided by
suppliers
 Fittings available from at least 20
manufacturers.

IEEMA Seminar High Performance Conductors - An International viewpoint 32

Brian Wareing.tech
Summary of the survey
 Reasons for new conductor use
 75% said increased ampacity (average 85% increase required)
 40% said ground clearance problems
 Types of installation:
 Reconductor upgrade: 48%
 Replacing aged conductor: 12%
 New line: 15%
 Fittings:
– 86% said special conductor hardware fittings were necessary
– 87% said these fittings were easy to install
 No utility expressed any regrets in their use
 All users said they were an economic choice
 Performed up to expectation
 No problems with installation or fittings
 Adequate training is given
IEEMA Seminar High Performance Conductors - An International viewpoint 33
 HTLS Re-conductoring for upgrade of
Westnetz
Brian Wareing.tech
an OHL in Hunsrück area near Koblenz

IEEMA Seminar High Performance Conductors - An International viewpoint 34

 Grid problems
Brian Wareing.tech

 From 2011 to 2012 the energy generated by wind energy

converters (WEC) in Hunsrück area multiplied by nearly six.
 Particularly in times of poor load for example on Sundays with a
lot of wind and little consumption, more energy has to be
transported into the transmission grid.

Wind farm in Hunsrück near Bl. 0738

IEEMA Seminar High Performance Conductors - An International viewpoint 35

 Reconductoring 110-kV-Overhead
Brian Wareing.tech line Anschluss Simmern, Bl 0738

 Increase of the transmission capacity to 200 MVA

Model 1:
Reconductoring using high temperature conductors
2x3x 264-AT1/34-A20SA (TAL/Stalum 265/35) (ACS core)

150° design temperature

In order to fulfill the requirements regarding ground clearances a
reconstruction of 16 of the 36 towers is required.
Costs:
Conductors: 220.000 €
Insulator strings: 125.000 €
Steel: 260.000 €
Tower installation + foundation: 840.000 €
Circuit installation: 490.000 €
Permission process: 100.000 €
Total: 2.035.000 €

IEEMA Seminar High Performance Conductors - An International viewpoint 36

 Reconductoring 110-kV-Overhead
line Anschluss Simmern, Bl 0738
Brian Wareing.tech

 Increase of the transmission capacity to 200 MVA

Model 2:
Reconstruction of the whole OHL using 110 kV-towers capable to carry twin
bundle circuits and a conductor configuration of
2x3x2x 264-AL1/34-ST1A
80° design temperature
Costs: ca. 6.500.000 €
Long lasting permission procedure has to be considered
Costs were determined within following requirements:
12,3 km line length
Conductor: 264-AL1/34-ST1A, 2er-Bundle
Earth wire: 264-AL1/34-ST1A, Einfachseil
26 Suspension towers, 10 WA, 4 WE Tension tower
Insulator strings: 210 double tension strings, 156 double suspension strings
Temporary road construction: overall 150 m per tower
crossings: federal motorway, 13 other streets
Dismounting existing overhead line: 40 towers and foundation without sump pumping
Permission process
supervision
IEEMA Seminar High Performance Conductors - An International viewpoint 37
 Reconductoring 110-kV-Overhead line
Anschluss Simmern, Bl 0738
Brian Wareing.tech

 Increase of the transmission capacity to 200 MVA

Model 3:
Reconductoring using HTLS-conductors CCC 317/60 (Oslo)
130° design temperature (1050 A)
In order to fulfill the requirements regarding ground clearances a
reconstruction of only one of the 36 towers is required. Verifications of
the distance calculations were done with the programme “FM-Profil“
(EPE-Model)

Costs 264-AT1/34A20SA
Costs: Conductors: 220.000 €
Conductors: 1.032.000 € Insulator strings : 125.000 €
Insulator strings : 260.000 € Steel: 260.000 €
Steel: 19.850 € Tower installation + foundation: 840.000 €
Tower installation +foundation: 50.500 € Curcuit installation : 490.000 €
Circuit installation : 731.250 € Permission process: 100.000 €
Total: 2.093.600 € Total: 2.035.000 €

IEEMA Seminar High Performance Conductors - An International viewpoint 38

 Line losses - how HPC could help
Brian Wareing.tech
bring down Transmission losses

 Radiative losses
 Thermal losses
 Corona losses
 Reactive power gains and losses
 Optimising SIL
 BUT – all the time the sag requirements
and power capacity (including n-1) should
be kept in mind

IEEMA Seminar High Performance Conductors - An International viewpoint 39

Brian Wareing.tech
Network Requirements
 Affordable re-conductoring or new-build
 Efficient (low loss) conductor
 High capacity
 Low Sag
– The carbon fibre composite core has lowest electrical sag of all HT
conductors
– Invar steel has a much lower coefficient of thermal expansion than
other steels
 Running cooler – a conductor that delivers high
ampacity at a lower temperature has
– Lower line losses
– Longer fitting life
– Less chance of breaking regulatory clearances
40 IEEMA Seminar High Performance Conductors - An International viewpoint
 Real power losses -
Brian Wareing.tech
radiative and thermal losses

 All conductors gain and lose real power

(excluding reactive power) by I²R, solar
gain, radiation and convection.
 Heat Balance Equation:

 Where
– PS = Solar Heat gain
– PC = Convective Heat Loss
– PR = Radiative Heat Loss

IEEMA Seminar High Performance Conductors - An International viewpoint 41

 How does conductor choice help?
Brian Wareing.tech - Standard aluminium alloys (54-59%IACS)

 Main input/output power

– Wind speed
– Radiation losses (emissivity)
– Solar gain
– Current
 Typically the largest power input is due to the
current.
 Current limited by keeping the aluminium below
93°C or the electrical sag.
 Higher current may therefore require larger
diameter which may result in sag or structure
problems.
IEEMA Seminar High Performance Conductors - An International viewpoint 42
 How does conductor choice help?
Brian Wareing.tech
- Zirconium aluminium alloys (58-60%IACS)

 The limitation on temperature is not as severe

with Zirconium alloys as they can reach between
150 and 210°C.
 Sag limitations are dictated by the core material if
they can be operated above the knee point.
 The generally higher conductivity means that for
increasing currents, the diameter can be kept low
depending on the core size
 However, the higher temperature mean increased
thermal radiation losses

IEEMA Seminar High Performance Conductors - An International viewpoint 43

 How does conductor choice help?
Brian Wareing.tech
- Annealed aluminium alloys (63%IACS)
 The limitation on temperature is generally even better
than Zirconium alloys as annealed aluminium can
reach between 250°C.
 Sag limitations are dictated by the core material if
they can be operated above the knee point – this is a
limitation for ACSS but generally not for CCC.
 The significantly higher conductivity means that for
similar currents, the conductor temperature will be
lower than the equivalent ACSR and so thermal power
losses will be smaller.
 The savings can compensate for the more expensive
conductor within a few years.
IEEMA Seminar High Performance Conductors - An International viewpoint 44
Brian Wareing.tech Explanation!
 Using annealed aluminium generally means that, compared with
AAAC, the conductor will operate at a lower temperature for the
same ampacity and so have lower thermal losses.
 It is quite common for high temperature conductors to operate at
similar ampacities to standard conductors and to use their high
temperature capability only for n-1 situations.
 In the tables in the next few slides it can be seen that operating an
ACSR Panther (21mm OD) will have a thermal power loss (at 75°C)
of 5231MWh per 10km at the rated current of 473A.
 Switching to AL-59 241 (20.1mm OD) at 473A operates at a lower
temperature and so lower losses of 4488MWh, a saving of
743MWHr/10km of line.
 However, using CCC (21.8mm OD) has a loss of just 3222MWh – a
saving of over 2000MWh/pa/10km.
IEEMA Seminar High Performance Conductors - An International viewpoint 45
Brian Wareing.tech Conductor comparisons

 Consider a 350m span with ACSR Panther

(201mm² aluminium area) and 21mm OD.
 At 75°C this has current carrying capacity of 473A
and a sag of 10.06m (tension of 3.8kN at 32°C at
25%UTS).
 Assumptions:
– Ambient temp: 40°C, Wind 0.6m/s, Sun Radiation 1045 W/m²,
Elevation 350 m; Solar/Emissivity 0.5.
 Compare CCC , AL59, ACCR, ACSS, Invar and
Gap (all Hawk equivalent).
 Look at 473A and doubling capacity to 946A

IEEMA Seminar High Performance Conductors - An International viewpoint 46

 Brian Wareing.tech Power losses (Thermal)
Conductor Units CCC CCC Lisbon ACSR AL59 241 ACCR/TW - ACSS/TW- INVAR GAP 240
Name Casablanca PANTHER HAWK HAWK HAWK HAWK
Max DC ohm/km 0.1024 0.0887 0.132 0.123 0.1153 0.1136 0.111 0.119
Resistance @
20°C
Overall mm 20.5 21.79 20.98 20.1 21.64 21.79 19.66 20.60
Diameter of
Conductor
Rated Tensile kg 10,312 10,554 9,708 5,659 8,708 7,077 8,515 8,851
Strength of
Conductor
Maximum A 548 598 473 503 518 517 477 515
Working
Current @ 75°C
Line Losses MWh 3756 3,222 5,231 4,488 4,197 4,214 4,979 4,323
per 10 km line
length @ 473
Amps
Line Losses MWh 18,613 15,390 N/A N/A 21,432 21,641 26,507 21,532
per 10 km line
length @ 946
Amps
Conductor °C 139°C 122°C N/A N/A 153°C 154°C 176°C 152°C
Temperatures
@ 946 Amps

IEEMA Seminar High Performance Conductors - An International viewpoint 47

 But what about sags at high
Brian Wareing.tech ampacity levels?

The two Invar conductors and ACSS

cannot make the sag if >90°C
ACCR is OK up to 130°C
CCC and Gap are OK throughout their range

IEEMA Seminar High Performance Conductors - An International viewpoint 48

Brian Wareing.tech And ampacity?

CCC Lisbon needs just 122°C

and can make the sag
CCC Casablanca needs 139°C
And can make the sag

The two INVAR need 162 and 176°C

to reach 946A but break sag at <90°C
ACSS needs 154°C but breaks sag at <90°C
ACCR needs 153°C but breaks sag at 130°C
GAP needs 152°C and can make the sag

IEEMA Seminar High Performance Conductors - An International viewpoint 49

Brian Wareing.tech Conductor capability

 It can be seen that the sag limitation reduces the

capability of INVAR, ACSS and ACCR by restricting
their temperature and hence ampacity.
 Both CCC and Gap can make the full capability (946A)
and maintain sag but Gap loses 21,532MWh/10km
compared with 15,390MWh for CCC Lisbon and
18,613MWh for CCC Casablanca due to their lower
temperatures and hence lower thermal power losses.
 Whilst these conductors are more expensive than, say,
AL59, the savings in power losses can pay back these
higher capital costs in just a few years.

IEEMA Seminar High Performance Conductors - An International viewpoint 50

Brian Wareing.tech Corona losses
 Corona occurs when the electric field at the conductor surface is
strong enough to break down the air.
 It is very noticeable in damp weather and is often associated with
audible crackling or fizzing.
 Although sometimes occurring at voltages down to 33kV it is
more of a problem at EHV voltages.
 However, it is generally a fairly small component of the losses
overall.
 Surface electric fields are related to conductor and sub-conductor
diameter and bundling but not conductor type, as they are a
surface area, surface condition, voltage and weather related
phenomenon.
 Corona losses should not normally be a factor in selecting the
type of conductor
IEEMA Seminar High Performance Conductors - An International viewpoint 51
 Re-conductoring and
Brian Wareing.tech
increasing power transfer
 For this it is necessary also to look at reactive power losses and
the ability to achieve a high SIL - Is this conductor dependent?
 Replacing conductors such as ACSR or AAAC with an HPC such
as CCC or ACSS of the same diameter can be a cost effective way
to increase the transfer capacity of transmission lines.
 Maintaining the same conductor diameter/weight/tension makes it
likely that existing structures can be used and with proper
conductor selection and application ground clearances can
normally be maintained.
 But increasing power transfer will impact reactive power
consumption, and therefore voltage, as well as real power losses.
 Voltage drop and reactive power flow are related and
interdependent and to understand how these are affected by
conductor choice, a brief explanation is required.

IEEMA Seminar High Performance Conductors - An International viewpoint 52

Brian Wareing.tech Reactive power
 Reactive power is either trapped in the capacitive (electric field) or
inductive (magnetic field) elements of an AC system, or is in transit
between the capacitive and inductive elements of the system.
 Reactive power flow does affect system voltage and can be
managed by application of equipment which will offset or
supplement reactive power flow occurring in the electrical system.
 Reactive power is normally described as being:
– “consumed” or “lost” in inductive circuit elements, typically the series
inductive impedance in electric transmission lines or shunt connected inductors
(shunt reactors). Inductive elements store energy in magnetic fields.
– “supplied” by capacitive circuit elements, typically the shunt capacitive
impedance in electric transmission lines or shunt connected capacitors.
Capacitive elements store energy in electric fields.

IEEMA Seminar High Performance Conductors - An International viewpoint 53

 Reactive power consumed (energy
Brian Wareing.tech
loss) and supplied (energy gain)
 The reactive power consumed in an inductor every cycle, Q=
V²/XL= I². XL, where XL the inductive reactance (in Ω).
 So if the power capacity is increased by doubling the current, I,
the real power, P, will double but the reactive power loss, Q, will
quadruple.

 The reactive power supplied by a capacitor and released every

cycle, Q = I². XC = V²/XC where XC the capacitive reactance (in Ω).
1/ XC is known as susceptance (BC).
 So the reactive power supplied, Q, varies as the square of the
voltage across the capacitance or the square of the current
through the capacitance.

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Brian Wareing.tech
Reactive power loss

 Reactive power loss is dependent on the inductive

reactance of the circuit which varies with conductor
diameter for single conductor designs
 Larger diameter conductors reduce inductive reactance of
the line e.g. for example going from single conductor
170mm² ACSR to 800mm² (large change) will reduce
reactive power loss by ~10% (relatively low).
 But going from 800mm² single ACSR to 2x400mm² bundle
will reduce reactive power loss by ~25% - so geometric
conductor spacing is more important than conductor
choice.

IEEMA Seminar High Performance Conductors - An International viewpoint 55

Brian Wareing.tech Reactive power gain
 Reactive power gain is dependent on the shunt capacitance of the
circuit
 Larger diameter conductors increase the susceptance of the line
e.g. for example going from single conductor 170mm² ACSR to
800mm² will increase reactive power gain by ~13%.
 But going from 800mm² single ACSR to 2x400mm² bundle will
increase reactive power gain by ~30% - so again geometric
conductor spacing is more important.
 Both reactive power gains and losses vary with line length.

IEEMA Seminar High Performance Conductors - An International viewpoint 56

 Brian Wareing.tech SIL

 Surge Impedance Loading (SIL) is the point at which the Q supplied

by the shunt capacitance of the line equals the Q lost in the series
inductance of the line.
 Changes in line design that increase susceptance (BC) and
consequently increase the Q supplied (more sub-conductors, larger
bundle spacing, and closer phase spacing) move the red “Q
Supplied” curve up.
 These same changes in line design also reduce series inductive
reactance (XL) and the Q losses moving the blue “Q Lost” curve to
the right.
 The net effect is to increase the SIL point, located at the intersection
of these two curves, thereby allowing increased power levels whilst
maintaining the line voltage within acceptable levels.
IEEMA Seminar High Performance Conductors - An International viewpoint 57
Brian Wareing.tech What effect do conductors have?

It can be seen that conductor diameter makes very little difference.

The biggest effect is the reduced SIL from the INVAR conductor.
This is due to the increase inductive losses due to the smaller diameter and
the magnetic core of this conductor but the effect is still minor.
As loading increases above the SIL reactive power losses quickly increase and
so larger amounts of reactive power compensation (typically shunt capacitors)
will need to be applied to maintain system voltage (at a cost).
Data for 150kV 100km line.
IEEMA Seminar High Performance Conductors - An International viewpoint 58
 Power losses overall
Lower resistance means lower electrical
Brian Wareing.tech
losses whilst higher power flow
increases reactive losses. For a single
conductor line at:
100MW power flow: reactive losses are
12MVAR whilst electrical losses vary
from 8.5MW (CCC) to 12MW (INVAR)
150MW power flow: reactive losses are
37MVAR whilst electrical losses vary
from 12.8MW (CCC) to 18MW (INVAR)

IEEMA Seminar High Performance Conductors - An International viewpoint 59

Brian Wareing.tech Conductor type

 The previous slides illustrate that real power

losses are dependent upon internal conductor
construction, and that conductors with smaller
cores and trapezoidal stranding, such the
CCC/TW Amsterdam, can provide more
aluminium cross sectional area in the same
diameter significantly reducing resistance and
real power losses.
 However, reactive losses show very little change
with conductor diameter or type

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 Aeolian vibration
Brian Wareing.tech

 In standard conductors, line design is influenced by

the erection tension and maintaining an Every Day
Stress (EDS) so that Aeolian vibration does not cause
vibration fatigue and shorten the conductor life.
 Such failures are caused by dynamic stresses
resulting from reverse bending by wind-induced
conductor motions such as wake-induced oscillations

IEEMA Seminar High Performance Conductors

61 - An International viewpoint
Brian Wareing.tech New and Old
 Vibration damage occurs when the energy input (from
wind) is not matched by self-damping (from the
conductor)
 It is accepted that, for conventional ACSR and AAAC,
vibration levels are higher as the conductors age due
to long term geometrical compaction which stop the
strands sliding (and hence self-damping decreases and
damage potential increases).
 In contrast, HTLS conductors, when operated above
the knee point, have much slacker strands which can
move and so increase self-damping and reduce
damage potential.
IEEMA Seminar High Performance Conductors - An International viewpoint 62
Brian Wareing.tech Self damping
 The self damping characteristics of a conductor are basically
related to the freedom of movement or “looseness” between the
individual strands or layers of the overall construction.
 In standard conductors the freedom of movement (self damping)
will be reduced as the conductor ages or tension is increased.
 It is for this reason that vibration activity is most severe in the
coldest months of the year when the tensions are the highest.
 Conductors with trapezoidal shaped outer strands have higher
self damping performance due to the gaps between layers.
 Conductors, such as ACSS and CCC, utilise fully annealed
aluminium strands that become inherently looser when the
conductor progresses from initial to final operating tension.
 So the best self-damping HTLS conductors are those that use fully
annealed aluminium with trapezoidal strands.
IEEMA Seminar High Performance Conductors - An International viewpoint 63
Brian Wareing.tech
Vibration Monitor installations

Deadwater Fell tests

UK
IEEMA Seminar High Performance Conductors - An International viewpoint 64
Brian Wareing.tech Load shifting

 Conductors such as CCC exhibit load

shifting after a tension is applied.
 This tension can occur naturally (e.g. after
a snow/ice incident) or be applied on
erection (pre-tensioning).
 The load shift moves (permanently)
tension from the aluminium to the core,
thereby reducing aluminium stress levels.
 It also reduces the knee point temperature

IEEMA Seminar High Performance Conductors - An International viewpoint 65

Brian Wareing.tech Effect of Load shifting
 Lisbon CCC with no pre-tension was tested at the
Deadwater in comparison with a load-shifted version
(load share ~80% core ~20% on the aluminium) to see
how load shifting affected the vibration level.
 The data showed that new HT conductor types which
depend on the core above their knee point do not follow
the same vibration pattern as standard conductors where
the load is mainly on the aluminium
 With little load on the aluminium, it is only there for the
ride and the data indicates that vibration levels are
reduced significantly above the knee point
 So – are there benefits to pre-tensioning?
IEEMA Seminar High Performance Conductors - An International viewpoint 66
Brian Wareing.tech

Comparison of load-
shifted and new Lisbon „Load shifted‟ Lisbon
ACCC at the same tension

The vibration level is

reduced substantially as
the conductor goes
through load shift.

Load shifting can be

achieved at erection by
pre-tensioning.
„New‟ Lisbon
This may require the use
of back stays on the
crossarms
67
IEEMA Seminar High Performance Conductors - An International viewpoint
Brian Wareing.tech Summary

 Brief description of HPC including the

component materials
 Showed how power losses can be reduced
by the use of HTLS conductors
 International perspective:
– Results of world-wide survey
– Specific example of economic choice from Germany
 Bit about vibration levels on new
conductor types.

IEEMA Seminar High Performance Conductors - An International viewpoint 68

Brian Wareing.tech That‟s it!

Thank you!

IEEMA Seminar High Performance Conductors - An International viewpoint 69