Batangas State University

EE 517 Power System Analysis and Design

Laboratory Exercise No. 1

Transmission Line Parameters
Balsamo, Jilliane Mae C.1, Maalihan, Karla Clarisse 2
1Batangas State University, Electrical and Computer Engineering Department,
Barangay 22, P. Gomez Street, Batangas City, Philippines, 09561823438
jillianemaeb@gmail.com
2 Batangas State University, Electrical and Computer Engineering Department,
Address of 2nd author, Philippines, 09
author2@email.com

Abstract: This paper will focus on development of better understanding on transmission line parameters. This includes the familiarization
on computation of Geometric Mean Distance and Geometric Mean Radius for different arrangements of conductors of a three-phase single
circuit transmission lines and the RLC parameters of overhead transmission line from its conductor characteristics using the Microsoft Excel.
The results from the MS Excel and manual computation will be compared to identify the differences between them.

Keywords: capacitance, conductance, MS Excel, transmission line

1. Introduction 1.1 Classification of Transmission Lines

Numerical simulation is essential for power system analysis,
operation and control decision making. Accuracy of advanced
applications, such as state estimation, dynamic simulation, and
emergency control, is highly dependent on the accuracy of
equipment models and parameters. Reports of some blackouts
show that the detailed dynamics can hardly be reproduced by
numerical simulation due to the inaccuracy of equipment
parameters. It is crucial to improve the quality of equipment
parameters to ensure stable and secure operation of modern
power systems.
The function of distribution and transmission lines in power
systems is to convey electric energy from its sources of
generation to end users. Electric lines have three parameters that
affect their ability to effectively move large amounts of energy.
These parameters are resistance, inductance, and capacitance.
Although distribution and transmission lines are constructed
from low resistance conductors, power transmission distances
produce significant inductive and capacitive effects even at 60
Hz. Conductor resistance also adds to power losses in the system
which decreases system efficiency. All the electrical parameters
affect the line's ability to transmit power in the same way; they
increase the voltage drop across the system, and limit the active
power that the line can transmit before system stability is
sacrificed.
A transmission line is used for the transmission of electrical
power from generating substation to the various distribution
units. It transmits the wave of voltage and current from one end
to another. The transmission line is made up of a conductor
having a uniform cross-section along the line. Air act as an
insulating or dielectric medium between the conductors.
The performance of transmission line depends on the parameters
of the line. The transmission line has mainly four parameters,
resistance, inductance, capacitance and shunt conductance.
These parameters are uniformly distributed along the line.
Hence, it is also called the distributed parameter of the
transmission line.
The classification of the transmission lines depends on its
voltage and the length of the conductor. The transmission line
is the medium of transferring the power from the generating
station to the load centre. It is mainly classified into two types.
They are the:
1.1.1 AC Transmission Lines
The transmission line has resistance, inductance, capacitance
and the shunt or leakage conductance G. These parameters along
with the load and the transmission line determine the
performance of the line. The term performance means the
sending end voltage, sending end currents, sending end power
factor, power loss in the line, efficiency of the transmission line,
regulate and limit of power flow during efficiency and
transmission, regulation and limits of power during steady state
and transient condition.
1.1.1.1 Short Transmission Line
If the line is not more than 80 KV or if the voltage is not over
than 66 KV then the line is known as the short transmission line.
The capacitance of the line is governed by their length. The
effect of capacitance on the short transmission line is negligible,
but for cable where the distance between the conductor is small,
the effect of capacitance cannot be ignored. While studying the
performance of the short transmission line only resistance and
the inductance of the line is calculated.
1.1.1.2 Medium Transmission Line
The line which is ranging from 80 to 240 km is termed as a
medium transmission line. The capacitance of the medium
transmission line cannot be ignored. The capacitance of the
medium transmission line is considered to be lumped at one or
more point of the lines. The effect of the line is more at high
frequency, and their leakages inductance and capacitance is
considered to be neglected.
1.1.1.3 Long Transmission Line
The line having a length more than 240 km is considered a long
transmission line. All the four parameters (resistance,
inductance, capacitance, and leakage conductance) are found to
be equally distributed along the entire length of the line.

1.1.2 DC Transmission Line

Figure 1.1 Transmission Line Model
The DC transmission is mainly used for the bulk power
transmission. For long distance transmission, the DC is less
expensive and have low electrical losses. The cost of the DC
transmission systems is higher for short distance transmission
line because it requires more convertible equipment as
compared to an AC system.

Laboratory Exercise No. 1, February 2019 1

 Batangas State University
EE 517 Power System Analysis and Design
Figure 1.2 HVDC Transmission Line
The converter station converts the AC to DC at the sending end
and DC to AC at the load end of the line. One of the major
advantage of the DC system is that it allows the power
transmission between two unsynchronized AC system.
The inductance and resistance form series impedance whereas
the capacitance and conductance form the shunt admittance.
Some critical parameters of transmission line are explained
below in detail:
The line inductance means current flow in the transmission line
induces the magnetic flux. When the current in the transmission
line changes, the magnetic flux also varies due to which emf
induces in the circuit. The magnitude of inducing emf depends
on the rate of change of flux. Emf produces in the transmission
line resist the flow of current in the conductor, and this
parameter is known as the inductance of the line.
The capacitance of a transmission or distribution line is due to
the potential difference between conductors. The conductors of
a line are charged just like the plates of a capacitor, a result of
the different potentials of the phases in the line. Another
capacitance is due to the potential difference between the
conductor and the ground. The capacitance is a constant for a
given conductor type and spacing.
Ac voltage applied to a transmission line causes a time
varying electric field. The varying field produces a current to
flow in the line even when the load is disconnected. This current
is called charging current. A single-phase capacitive reactance
between the ground reference and the conductor models the
charging current on a per phase basis.
While line capacitance in the transmission lines, air acts as a
dielectric medium. This dielectric medium constitutes the
capacitor between the conductors, which store the electrical
energy, or increase the capacitance of the line. The capacitance
of the conductor is defined as the present of charge per unit of
potential difference.
Capacitance is negligible in short transmission lines whereas in
long transmission; it is the most important parameter. It affects
the efficiency, voltage regulation, power factor and stability of
the system.
Skin effect increases the ac resistance of conductors. The skin
effect refers to a non - uniform current distribution in a
conductor cross section, causing more current to flow on the
outer area, or skin, of the conductor. This effect usually occurs
at high frequencies. The skin effect in power systems results
from the frequency of operation caused by internal magnetic
effects and large conductor areas. The magnetic flux in the
conductor causes a non-uniform current distribution in the
conductor cross-section. The skin effect at 60 Hz becomes
significant when the conductor size is larger than 566 million
circular mils (MCM).
Conductance between conductors or between conductors and
the ground accounts for the leakage current at the insulators of
overhead lines and through the insulation of cables. The leakage
at insulators of overhead lines is negligible, the conductance of
an overhead line is assumed to be zero.
Laboratory Exercise No. 1, February 2019
In shunt conductance, air act as a dielectric medium between the
conductors. When the alternating voltage applies in a conductor,
some current flow in the dielectric medium because of dielectric
imperfections. Such current is called leakage current. Leakage
current depends on the atmospheric condition and pollution like
moisture and surface deposits.
Shunt conductance is defined as the flow of leakage current
between the conductors. It is distributed uniformly along the
whole length of the line. The symbol Y represented it, and it is
measured in Siemens. [1]
However, we can often see the transmission lines where instead
of a single conductor per phase multiple conductors per phase
are being used. A metallic structure called spacers groups the
conductors of a phase. The spacers help maintaining a constant
distance between the conductors throughout the length, avoid
clashing of conductors among themselves and also connect them
in parallel. Each phase has two or three or four conductors.
Each conductor joined by the spacer belongs to the same phase,
and we will have three such group of conductors in a single
circuit transmission or six such groups in double circuit
transmission. We generally use such a configuration when a
bulk power is being transmitted to long distances at very high
voltage level.
The advantages of bundled conductor include bundling of
conductors leads to reduction in line inductance. The most
important advantage of bundled conductors is its ability to
reduce corona discharge. When power is being transferred at
very high voltages using a single conductor, the voltage gradient
around it is high, and there is a high chance that the corona effect
will occur – especially in bad weather conditions. However,
using several conductors nearby instead of one conductor,
forming a bundled conductor which leads to a reduction of
voltage gradient and hence the possibility of corona formation.
The increase in critical corona voltage depends upon the
following: number of conductors in the group, clearance
between them, and the distance between the groups forming
separate phases.
It has been found out that the optimum spacing between the
conductors in a group is of the order of 8-10 times the diameter
of each conductor, irrespective of the number of conductors in
the bundle.
Additionally, bundled conductor causes reduction in the
formation of corona discharge leads to less power loss and hence
improved transmission efficiency of the line. Reduction in
communication line interference due to reduction in corona. The
ampacity i.e. the current carrying capacity of bundled
conductors is much increased in comparison to single large
conductor owing to reduced skin effect. As the bundled
conductors have more effective surface area exposed to air, it
has better and efficient cooling and hence better performance
compared to a single conductor. [2]
Moreover, Geometrical Mean Distance (GMD) is the equivalent
distance between conductors. GMD comes into picture when
there are two or more conductors per phase used as in bundled
conductors. While Geometric Mean Radius (GMR) is calculated
for each phase separately. Each of the phases may have different
GMR values depending upon the conductor size and
arrangement. [4]
1.1 Resistance
Resistance is the property of a material by virtue of which it
opposes the flow of electrons through the material. It restricts
the flow of electron through the material. It is denoted by (R)
and is measured in ohms (Ω). When the voltage is applied across
the resistor the free electrons starts accelerating. These moving
2
 Batangas State University
EE 517 Power System Analysis and Design

electrons collide with each other and hence opposes the flow of
electrons. The opposition of electrons is known as the resistance.
The heat is generated when the atom or molecules are colliding
with each other.
Resistance of a material depends on shape of the material and
material type (what material it is made up of).
1.2 Inductance
In the medium and long transmission lines inductance
(reactance) is more effective than resistance. The current flow in
the transmission line interacts with the other parameter, i.e the
Inductance. We know that when current flow within a
conductor, magnetic flux is set up. With the variation of current
in the conductor, the number of lines of flux also changes, and
an emf is induced in it (Faraday’s Law). This induced emf is
represented by the parameter known as inductance.
The flux linking with the conductor consist of two parts, namely,
the internal flux and the external flux. The internal flux is
induced due to the current flow in the conductor. The external
flux produced around the conductor is due to its own current and
the current of the other conductors place around it. The total
inductance of the conductor is determined by the calculation of
the internal and external flux.
Microsoft Excel is a spreadsheet program included in
the Microsoft Office suite of applications. Spreadsheets present
tables of values arranged in rows and columns that can be
manipulated mathematically using both basic and complex
arithmetic operations and functions. The “Engineering
Functions” that was used in the laboratory exercise include:
IMSUM(_,_), which calculates the complex sum of two
complex numbers
IMSUB(_,_), which calculates the complex difference of two
complex numbers
IMPRODUCT(_,_), which calculates the complex product of
two complex numbers
IMDIV(_,_), which calculates the complex quotient of two
complex numbers Also useful are
DEGREES(_), which converts a radian angle to degrees
RADIANS(_), which converts a degree angle to radians
LN( ), natural logarithm, is a built in function in Excel that is
categorized as a Math/Trigonometry function

In symmetrical three-phase line, all the conductors are placed at
the corners of the equilateral triangle. Such an arrangement of
conductors is also referred to as equilateral spacing.
A three-phase line is said to be unsymmetrical when its
conductors are situated at different distances. Such arrangement
of conductors is most common in practice because of their
cheapness and convenience in design and construction.
The complex numbers in Excel carry a large number of decimal
places, so require a wide column to avoid truncating the number.
There are additional functions that can calculate powers and trig
functions of complex numbers. [3]
4. Equations
The following equation was used to obtain answer in the MS
excel and in manual computation:

1.3 Capacitance 4.1 Temperature Effect

Transmission line conductors constitute a capacitor between The temperature dependence of resistance is quantified by the
them. The conductors of the transmission line act as a parallel relation:
plate of the capacitor and the air is just like a dielectric medium
between them. The capacitance of a line gives rise to the leading 𝑹𝟐 = 𝑹𝟏 [ 𝟏 + 𝜶(𝒕𝟐 − 𝒕𝟏 )]
current between the conductors. It depends on the length of the Where R1 and R2 are the resistances at temperatures t1 and t2,
conductor. respectively, and 𝛼 is called the temperature coefficient of
resistance.
The capacitance of the line is proportional to the length of the
transmission line. Their effect is negligible on the performance 4.2 Geometric Mean Distance
of short (having a length less than 80 km) and low voltage
transmission line. In the case of high voltage and long lines, it is 𝑮𝑴𝑫 = 𝟑√𝑫𝟏𝟐 𝑫𝟐𝟑 𝑫𝟏𝟑
considered as one of the most important parameters.
4.3 Inductance of Transmission Line
The capacitance of the transmission line along with the The inductance per phase per kilometer length is
conductance forms the shunt admittance. The conductance in the
transmission line is because of the leakage over the surface of 𝑮𝑴𝑫
the conductor. [1] 𝑳 = 𝟎. 𝟐𝒍𝒏 ( )
𝑮𝑴𝑹

2. Objectives of the Study where GMR is the geometric mean radius. The GMD is the
This laboratory exercise aims to become familiar with Geometric Mean distance
computing the Geometric Mean Distance (GMD) and
Geometric Mean Radius (GMR) of a three – phase single circuit 4.4 Capacitance of Transmission Lines
transmission lines for different arrangement.
𝟎. 𝟎𝟓𝟓𝟔
Additionally, to consider the effective use of Microsoft Excel in 𝑪=
𝑮𝑴𝑫
computing the given problem on transmission line parameters. 𝒍𝒏 ( )
𝒓

Lastly, to compare the results of simulation with the manual 4.5 GMR of Bundled Conductors
computation. For the four-sub-conductor bundle:

𝟒
3. Materials and Methods 𝑫𝒃𝒔 = 𝟏. 𝟎𝟗 √𝑫𝒔 𝒅𝟑
The materials used in the laboratory exercise is an installed MS
Excel to perform the computation of RLC parameters of Where Ds is the GMR of each sub-conductor and d is the bundle
overhead transmission line from its conductor characteristics spacing.
and tower geometry.

Laboratory Exercise No. 1, February 2019 3

 Batangas State University
EE 517 Power System Analysis and Design

The effect of bundling is to introduce an equivalent radius r b. Given:

The equivalent rb is similar to the GMR (Geometric Mean
Radius) calculated for the inductance with the exception that
radius r of each sub-conductor is used instead of Ds. If d is the
bundle spacing.

We obtain for the four-sub-conductor bundle:

𝟒
𝒓𝒃 = 𝟏. 𝟎𝟗 √𝒓𝒅𝟑

5. Problem and Solution Solution

Problem 1
A sample of copper wire has a resistance of 50Ω at 10 ˚C. Take
the temperature coefficient at 10°C to be α=0.00409/°C. What
must be the maximum operating temperature of the wire if its
resistance is to increase by at most 10 percent? Take the
temperature coefficient at 10°c to be α=0.00409°C-1.

Given:

Solution:

Answer:

L= 1.380183 mH/km

Problem 3
A 735 kV three-phase transposed line is composed of four
ACSR, 954,000 c-mil, 45/7 Rail conductors per phase with
horizontal conductor configuration as shown in figure 4.21.
Bundle spacing is 46 cm. The conductor diameter is 2.959 cm
and GMR is 1.173 cm. Find the inductance and capacitance per
phase per kilometer of the line.

Answer:
t2 = 34.44988 °C

Given:
Problem 2
A 500 kV, three phase transposed line is composed of one ACSR
1,272, 000-cmil, 45/7 Bittern conductor per phase with
horizontal conductor configuration as shown in figure 4.19. The
conductors have a diameter of 1.345 in. and a GMR of 0.5328
in. Find the inductance and capacitance per phase per kilometer
of the line

Laboratory Exercise No. 1, February 2019 4

 Batangas State University
EE 517 Power System Analysis and Design

Solution: II, Alangilan, Batangas City. She is residing at Barangay 22, P. Gomez,
Street, Batangas City.

Answers:
L= 0.889212 mH/km

C= 0.012671 µF/km

6. Results and Discussion

7. Conclusion and Recommendation

References
[1] https://circuitglobe.com/transmission-lines.html

[2]https://www.electrical4u.com/advantages-of-bundled-
conductors/

[3]https://www.webopedia.com/TERM/M/microsoft_excel.htm
l

[4]https://www.quora.com/What-
is%E2%80%9CGMD%E2%80%9D-
and%E2%80%9CGMR%E2%80%9D-in-transmission-lines

Author Profile

Balsamo, Jilliane Mae C. graduated at Batangas National High

School. She is 20 years old, born on May 7, 1998. She is currently a 5th
year Electrical Engineering student at Batangas State University Main

Laboratory Exercise No. 1, February 2019 5

 Batangas State University
EE 517 Power System Analysis and Design

Laboratory Exercise No. 1, February 2019 6