SMOOTH BODY CONDUCTORS

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Conventional conductors type ACSR is more popular and being used extensively in transmission lines
because of their simplicity in design , reliability and cost effectiveness. However one of the main
disadvantages of this type of conductor is their bulkiness. For getting the required current carrying
capacity, the overall diameter of the conductor goes up as compared to other alternates like ACAR. This
is due to the presence of the strength contributing steel member within the conductor which does not
play much role in the electrical characteristics of the conductor. On the other hand the higher physical
dimensions ends up in heavy wind and ice load related issues in the field. Nevertheless the inherent
advantages overweigh all these drawbacks and ACSR still remains as one of the favorite choices of
transmission line designers due to its ruggedness.
Concept of Smooth Body Low Drag Factor conductors : Conventional conductor designs have
traditionally used round wires. The use of technology to design and produce trapezoidal wires (TW)
provides conductor designers with an alternative to conventional round strand conductor designs. The
use of trapezoidal wire designs yields compact conductors with less void area and a reduced outside
diameter.
With conventional ACSR stranding, the number of aluminum and steel strands uniquely define the ratio
of steel area to aluminum area. For example, all 26/7 ACSR constructions have the same ratio of steel
area to aluminum area of about 16%. However, with TW strands the number of aluminum and steel
strands do not necessarily define a unique steel to aluminum ratio. Therefore the designation of "type"
has replaced the stranding designation to more accurately identify TW conductors. For example a 795
kcmil-26/7 ACSR "Drake" has a TW counterpart designated 795 kcmil Type 16, ACSR/TW. The aluminum
area and steel area of both conductors are identical. The use of TW shaped aluminum strands will cause
the ACSR/TW to have a smaller diameter.
Advantages of ACSR/TW An equivalent area ACSR/TW has the same aluminum cross-sectional area
as the conventional conductor, but with a smaller overall diameter. The smaller diameter means lower
ice and wind loading factors. This enables a reduction in the design strength requirements for the
towers and poles, which for new line construction will save money in construction costs. The equivalent
area ACSR/TW is approximately 10% smaller in OD.

SMOOTH BODY CONDUCTORS

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Another option is to have equivalent diameter ACSR/TW that has the same diameter as the
conventional conductor, but with a much larger aluminum cross-sectional area. You can increase the
aluminum content by 20-25%, decrease the AC resistance by 15-20% and significantly increase the
current-carrying capacity of the line. Equivalent diameter TW conductors can provide energy-saving
advantages for consideration in reconductoring projects.
ACSR/TW conductors are recognized for their record of economy, dependability and favorable
strength-to-weight ratio. ACSR/TW conductors constructed of equivalent aluminum circular mil cross
sectional area provide a conductor that is smaller in overall diameter than the equivalent conventional
round wire ACSR conductor. The reduced conductor diameter is advantageous in reducing the effects of
ice and wind loading on the conductor. ACSR/TW conductors constructed to equivalent overall diameter
enable a greater circular mil cross-sectional area of aluminum within the conductor, allowing a
significant increase in conductor current-carrying capacity.
The use of trapezoidal wires provides a more compact conductor design with mechanical properties
equal to that of conventional ACSR. Since ACSR/TW designs have the same steel-to-aluminum ratios as
their equivalent ACSR constructions, stress-strain and creep data developed for conventional stranding
of ACSR can be used to predict sag and tension design data for ACSR/TW conductor constructions.
ACSR/TW installation requires no special tools, equipment or training.