CHAPTER 4

CURRENT AND VOLTAGE RELATIONS ON A

TRANSMISSION LINE

We have examined the parameters of a transmission line and are

ready to consider the line as an element of a power system.

Figure 4.1 shows a 500-kV line having bundled conductors.

In overhead lines the conductors are suspended from the tower

and insulated from it and from each other by insulators, the
number of which is determined by the voltage of the line. Each
insulator string in Fig. 6.1 has 22 insulators.

The two shorter arms above the phase conductors support wires
usually made of steel. These wires, much smaller in diameter
than the phase conductors, are not visible in the picture, but they
are electrically connected to the tower and are therefore at
ground potential. These wires are referred to as shield or ground
wires and shield the phase conductors from lightning strokes. A
very important problem in the design and operation of a power
system is the maintenance of the voltage within specified limits
at various points in the system. In this chapter we develop
formulas by which we can calculate the voltage, current, and
power at any point on a transmission line, provided we know
these values at one point, usually at one end of the line.

The purpose of this chapter, however, is not merely to develop

the pertinent equations, but also to provide an opportunity to

[50]
understand the effects of the parameters of the line on bus
voltages and the flow of power.

In this way we can see the importance of the design of the line
and better understand the developments to come in later
chapters. This chapter also provides an introduction to the study
of transients on lossless lines in order to indicate how problems
arise due to surges caused by lightning and switching. In the
modern power system data from all over the system are being
fed continuously in to on-line computers for control and
information purposes. Power-flow studies performed by a
computer readily supply answers to questions concerning the
effect of switching lines into and out of the system or of changes
in line parameters. Equations derived in this chapter remain
important, however, in developing an overall understanding of
what is occurring on a system and in calculating efficiency of
transmission, losses, and Limits of power flow over a line for
both steady state and transient conditions.

4.1 REPRESENTATION OF LINES

The general equations relating voltage recognize the fact that all
four of the parameters of a transmission line discussed in the
two preceding chapters are uniformly distributed along the line.
We derive these general equations later, but first we use lumped
parameters which give good accuracy for short lines and for
lines of medium length. If an overhead line is classified as short,
shunt capacitance is so small that it can be omitted entirely with
little loss of accuracy, and we need to consider only the series
resistance R and the series inductance L for the total length of
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the line. A medium - length line can be represented sufficiently
well by R and L as lumped parameters, as shown in Fig. (4.2),
with half the capacitance to neutral of the line lumped at each
end of the equivalent circuit. Shunt conductance G, as
mentioned previously, is usually neglected in overhead power
transmission lines when calculating voltage and current.

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Fig. (4.1) A 500-kV transmission line. Conductors are 76 /
19 ACSR with aluminum cross section of 2,515,000
mil. Spacing between phases is 30 ft 3 in and the two
con ductors per bundle are 18 in apart.

The same circuit represents the short line if capacitors are

omitted. Insofar as the handling of capacitance is concerned,
open wire 60-Hz lines less than about 80 km (50 mi) long are
short lines. Medium - length lines are roughly km between 80
km (50 mi ) and 240 km (150 mi) long. Lines longer than 240 (
150 mi) require calculations in terms of distributed constants if a
high degree of accuracy is required, although for some purposes
a lumped-parameter representation can be used for lines up to
320 km (200 mi ) long.

Fig. (4.2) Single-phase equivalent of a medium length line.

The capacitors are omitted for a short line.

Normally, transmission lines are operated with balanced three-

phase loads. Although the lines are not spaced equilaterally and

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not transposed, the resulting dissymmetry is slight and the
phases are considered to be balanced. In order to distinguish
between the total series impedance of a line and the series
impedance per unit length, the following nomenclature is
adopted:
z = series impedance per unit length per phase
y = shunt admittance per unit length per phase to neutral
I = length of line
Z = zl = total series impedance per phase
Y = yl = total shunt admittance per phase to neutral

4.2 THE SHORT TRANSMISSION LINE:

The equivalent circuit of a short transmission line is shown in

Fig. (4.3), where Is and IR are the sending - and receiving - end
currents, respectively, and Vs and VR are the sending- and
receiving-end line-to-neutral voltages.

The circuit is solved as a simple series ac circuit.

So,

(4.1)

(4.2)

Where Z is zl, the total series impedance of the line.

[54]
The effect of the variation of the power factor of the load on the
voltage regulation of a line is most easily understood for the
short line and therefore will be considered at this time. Voltage
regulation of a transmission line is the rise in voltage at the
receiving end, expressed in percent of full-load voltage, when
full load at a specified power factor is removed while the
sending – end voltage is held constant. We can write:

Fig. (4.3) Equivalent circuit of a short transmission line

where the resistance R and inductance L are values for
the entire length of the line.

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Fig. (4.4) Pharos diagrams of a short transmission line. All
diagrams are drawn for the same magnitudes of VR and
IR

(4.3)

Where I VR, NL I is the magnitude of receiving - end voltage at no

load and I VR. FL I is the magnitude of receiving - end voltage at
full load with  Vs  constant.

After the load on a short transmission line, represented by the

circuit of Fig. (4.3), is removed, the voltage at the receiving end
is equal to the voltage at the sending end. In Fig.(4.3), with the
load connected, the receiving-end voltage is designated by VR ,

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and  VR = VR. FL. The sending-end voltage is Vs ; and Vs = 
VR. NL.

The phasor diagrams of Fig. (4.4) are drawn for the same
magnitudes of the receiving end voltage and current and show
that a larger value of the sending-end voltage is required to
maintain a given receiving-end voltage When the receiving- end
current is lagging the voltage than when the same current and
voltage are in phase.

A still smaller sending-end voltage is required to maintain the

given receiving-end voltage when the receiving-end current
leads the voltage. The voltage drop is the same in the series
impedance of the line in all cases; because of the different power
factors, however, the voltage drop is added to the receiving - end
voltage at a different angle in each case.

The regulation is greatest for lagging power factors and least, or

even negative, for leading power factors.

The inductive reactance of a transmission line is larger than the

resistance, and the principle of regulation illustrated in Fig. (4.4)
is true for any load supplied by a predominantly inductive
circuit. The magnitudes of the voltage drops IR R and lR XL for a
short line have been exaggerated with respect to VR in drawing
the phasor diagrams in order to illustrate the point more clearly.
The relation between power factor and regulation for longer
lines is similar to that for short lines but is not visualized so
easily.

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Example (4.1)

A 300-MVA 20·kV of three-phase generator has a sub

transient reactance 20%. The generator supplies a number
of synchronous motors over 64-km transmission line having
transformers at both ends as shown one-line diagram of
Fig.(4.5). The motors, all rated 132 kV, are represented by
just two equivalent motors.

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Fig. (4.5) One-line diagram for Example (4.1)

The neutral of one motor M1, is ground reactance. The

neutral of the second motor M2 is not connected to ground
(an unusual condition). Rated inputs to the motors are 200
MVA 100 kV for M1 and M2 respectively. For both motors
= 20 %. The three phase transformer T1 is rated 350
MVA, 230/20 kV with leakage reactance of 10%.
Transformer T2 is composed of three single-phase
transformers, each rated 127/13.2 kV, 1 00 MVA with
leakage reactance of 10 %. Series reactance of the
transmission line is 0.5 Ω / km. Draw the reactance diagram
with all reactance marked in per unit. Select the generator
rating as base in the generator circuit.

Solution:
The three-phase rating of transformer T2 is 3 X 100 = 300
KVA
and its line-to-line voltage ratio is

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A base of 300 MVA, 20 KV in the generator circuit requires a
300-MVA base in all parts of the system and the following
voltage bases:

These bases are shown in parent on the on - line diagram of Fig.

(4.5). The reactance of the transformer converted to the proper
base are

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 Fig. (4.6) Reactance diagram for Example (4.1) Reactance are in per
unit on the specified base.

The base impedance of the transmission line is

and the reactance of the line is

[67]
Figure (4.6) is the required reactance diagram when transformer
phase shifts are omitted.

Example (4.2)

If the motors M1 and M2 of Example (4.1) have inputs of 120

and 60 MW respectively, at 13.2 kV, and both operate at
unity power factor, find the voltage terminals of the
generator and the voltage regulation of the line.

Solution:

Together the motors take 180 MW, or

Therefore, with V and I at the motors in per unit,

With phase-a voltage at the motor terminals as reference, we

have

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Phase-a per unit voltages at other points of Fig. (4.6) are

The voltage regulation of the line is

And the magnitude of the voltage at the generator terminals is

If it is desired to show the phase shifts due to the Y - 

transformers, the angles the phase-a voltages at m and I should
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be increased by 30°. Then the angle of phase-a current in the
line should also be increased by 30° from 0°.

4.3 THE MEDIUM-LENGTH LINE

The shunt admittance, usually pure capacitance, is included in

the calculations for a line of medium length. If the total shunt
admittance of the line is divided into two equal parts placed at
the sending and receiving ends of the line, the circuit is called a
nominal π.

We refer to Fig. 4.7 to derive equations.

To obtain an expression for Vs we note that the current in the

capacitance at the receiving end is VRY / 2 and the current in the
series arm is IR + VRY /2. Then,

(4.4)

(4.5)

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 Fig. (4.7) Nominal π circuit of a medium-length transmission
line.

To derive Is, we note that the current in the shunt capacitance at

the sending end is Vs Y / 2, which added to the current in the
series arm gives

(4.6)

Substituting Vs, as given by Eq. (4.5), in Eq. (4.6) yields

(4.7)

Equations (4.5) and (4.7) may be expressed in the general form

(4.8)

(4.9)
Where

(4.10)

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These ABCD constants are sometimes called the generalized
circuit constants of the transmission line.

In general, they are complex numbers. A and D are

dimensionless and equal each other if the line is the same when
viewed from either end.

The dimensions of B and C are ohms and mhos or Siemens

respectively. The constants apply to any linear, passive, and
bilateral four- terminal network having two pairs of terminals.
Such a network is called a two-port network.

A physical meaning is easily assigned to the constants. By

letting IR be zero in Eq. (4.8), we see that A is the ratio VS / VR
at no load.

Similarly, B is the ratio Vs / IR when the receiving end is short-

circuited.

The constant A is useful in computing regulation. If is the

receiving-end voltage at full load for a sending-end voltage of
VS., Eq. (4.3) becomes

(4.11)

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Table (A.6) in the Appendix lists ABCD constants for various
networks and combinations of networks.

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Nominal T – method:

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Generalized Circuit Constants of a Transmission Line:

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