Mechanical design of the line

Ultimate tensile strength is measured by the maximum stress that a material can
withstand while being stretched or pulled before breaking.
Line Sag:
(=433xg/1000); g=9.8 assume H=T
Conductor length between 2-supports:
Parabolic approximation for Sag formula:
ଷ ହ
‫ܪ‬ ‫ܮݓ‬ ‫ ܮ‬1 ‫ܮݓ‬ 1 ‫ܮݓ‬ 1 ‫ܮݓ‬
݀= ܿ‫݄ݏ݋‬ െ1 = + + +‫ڮ‬
‫ݓ‬ ʹ‫ܪ‬ 2 2 ʹ‫ܪ‬ 4! ʹ‫ܪ‬ 6! ʹ‫ܪ‬
Hence, the sag equation can be approximated to:

H is assumed = T
 Using the approximate parabolic formula

Solution:
 DESIGN SPANS, CLEARANCES AND LOADINGS

Design Spans:
In order to design suitable tower dimensions for an overhead line it is necessary to calculate
the conductor sags and tensions.
The maximum conductor tension (which will occur at minimum temperature) is evaluated
in order to ensure a sufficient mechanical strength margin for the particular conductor. The
sag is calculated to fix the tower height.
ɲ=Shield angle=tan-1 (x1/y1)
The overall height of the tower ɲ
y1
x1
Basic Span The basic span is the horizontal distance between centres of adjacent supports
on level ground.
The wind span is half the sum of adjacent horizontal span lengths supported on any one
tower.
The weight span is the distance between the lowest points on adjacent sag
curves on either side of the tower.
Catenary Equations for Sloping Spans (supports at different levels)

d1

d2

X1=L/2 – T*h/w*L ; X2= L-X1

d1 =wL2/8X1 d2=wL2/8X2
R= ac Resistance
 NPV: the sum of the *present values (PVs) of incoming and outgoing cash flows

NPV

*Ifyou were to receive $100 in 20 time periods (e.g. weeks, months, or years) from now, that $100.00 would be worth
only $31.18 today. So, if today you were to invest the $31.18 at a rate of 6.00%, you would have $100.00 at the end of 20
time periods.
Select a suitable conductor and Use a 1 km section to find H and K
Three
Most economical conductor
 Insulation:
භThe insulators for overhead lines provide insulation
to the power conductor from ground.

භThe insulators are connected to the cross arm of

the tower and the power conductor passes through
the clamp of the insulator.
Cross arm

Insulator
 Characteristics of Solid Insulators

1. High Mechanical strength.

2. High Electric strength.
3. High insulation resistance.
4. Free from impurities and moisture.
5. Air and gas free (decrease the dielectric strength)
6. Withstand the flashover phenomenon.
 Insulator Materials
1- Glass
භ Glass is cheaper than porcelain
භ Electric Strength is 140 kV/cm
භ It has lower coefficient of thermal expansion
which reduces the strains due to temperature
changes
භ Moisture condenses on the surface increases
the leakage current
භ Glass insulators are used up to 33 kV lines.
 Single –unit
Glass Insulator
2- Porcelain
භ Mechanical strength is higher than glass
භ Low leakage current
භ Less affected by temperature
භ Electric strength is 60 kV/cm
භ Used with any number of units to increase the
insulation level
 Insulation Failure
• High Mechanical stress on insulator.
• Defects in insulator material (air, gases,
impurities)
• Flashover of insulator (due to over voltages):
The flashover voltage is the voltage which will
cause an arc through the air surrounding the
insulator. The arc heat can damage the insulator
( the insulators are fitted with arcing horns to
keep the arc away from the insulator).
භ Faults (short circuits)
 Types of Insulators

1- Pin Type Insulators

භ Pin type insulator consists of a single or
multiple units.
භ They are used only up to 33 kV.
භ For higher voltages the pin type insulators
are very heavy and more costly.
Single- unit pin Double- unit pin
Metal pin
insulator 11 kV insulator 33 kV
2- Suspension Insulators:
භ Suspension insulator consists of porcelain
disc units mounted one above each other.
භ Each disc is provided with a metal cap at the
top and a metal pin under.
භ a string of any number of units can be built
according to the line operating voltage .
භ The conductor is suspended below the point
of support by means of insulator string
• The number of discs in a string depends on
the line voltage and the atmospheric
conditions (degree of pollution).

• The usual number of discs are:

Voltage (kV) : 66 132 220 400

Number of discs: 4-5 9-10 15-16 22-23

Insulator disc (unit) Insulator string