Performance Comparison of Using ACSR and HTLS

Conductors for Current Uprating of 230-kV Overhead

Transmission Lines
Somboon Nuchprayoon Artitaya Chaichana
Department of Electrical Engineering Transmission System Engineering Division
Chiang Mai University The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT)
Chiang Mai, Thailand Nonthaburi, Thailand
[email protected] [email protected]

Abstract—This work involves performance evaluation of those of ACSR conductors. Hence, their operating temperature
current uprating of overhead transmission lines by using can be over 200 °C and their ampacity is almost doubled,
Aluminum Conductor Steel Reinforced (ACSR) and High compared with conventional conductors which operating
Temperature Low Sag (HTLS) conductors. The test cases are temperature is less than 100 °C. However, higher resistance as
230-kV, double-circuit, single-bundle and twin-bundle, overhead a consequence of temperature rising may have adverse effects.
transmission lines. The existing conductors are 1272 MCM
Higher operating temperature would cause higher conductor
ACSR, while the candidate conductors are five types of HTLS
losses [1]. So, the main disadvantage of using HTLS
with comparable sizes. The performance comparison is carried
out under a twofold ampacity condition. It can be concluded
conductors are that their conductor costs are considerably
from numerical simulations that HTLS conductors are attractive higher than those of ACSR conductors and their operating
for replacing ACSR conductors in current uprating. By using costs, due to conductor losses, are significant [2].
HTLS conductors, more clearance to ground is gained and it is HTLS conductor have been developed in North America
feasible to reduce right of way. However, it is mentioned that the and Japan since 1970s [3]. There are various types of HTLS
line loadability of HTLS conductors is slightly less than that of conductor commercially available and under development.
ACSR conductors so that steady-state stability limit is of concern.
However, this work considers only five types as follows: 1)
Keywords—ACSR; conductor; current uprating, HTLS;
Aluminum Conductor Composite Core (ACCC) by CTC
overhead transmission line. GLOBAL®, USA, 2) Aluminum Conductor Composite
Reinforced (ACCR) by 3MTM, USA, 3) Aluminum Conductor
Steel Supported (ACSS) by Southwire®, USA, 4) Gap-type
I. INTRODUCTION Thermal-resistant Aluminum Conductor Steel Reinforced
Current carrying capability of overhead transmission line is (GTACSR), by J-Power Systems, Japan, and 5) Zirconium
limited by conductor sag, weather conditions, and right of way. Thermal-resistant Aluminum Alloy Conductor Invar
To be able to operate at higher current (temperature), re- Reinforced (ZTACIR) by J-Power Systems, Japan, LS Cable,
tensioning would be considered as a simple option, while re- Korea, and ZTT, China.
conductoring is another widely accepted option. Existing
Conventional and HTLS conductors have been technically
transmission lines are typically replaced by larger sizes of
compared [4], [5] including their stringent equipment [6]. The
conductors, higher numbers of conductors per phase, or
advantages and disadvantages of using conventional and HTLS
different types of conductors that allow higher ampacity. Note
conductors are also described. In addition, the electrical and
that the ampacity of a transmission line is referred to as the
mechanical characteristics of HTLS conductor are tested to
maximum current that allows the maximum sag to the
investigate ageing behavior [7].
conductor.
High phase order, line compaction, and HTLS conductors
High-Temperature Low-Sag (HTLS) conductors have been
have been considered as alternatives to increase power transfer
increasingly utilized to replace conventional conductors in
without voltage uprating [1], [8]. Thus, these alternatives are
current uprating of transmission network. HTLS conductors
included in transmission expansion planning problem [9], [10].
can carry high current (temperature), while conductor sag is
low, so that using HTLS conductors become an attractive HTLS conductors have been installed and monitored using
option to avoid expanding right of way. The use of HTLS the concept of dynamic line rating [11], [12], [13].
conductors has been assessed and compared with the use of
Aluminum Conductor Steel Reinforced (ACSR) conductors. Performance analyses on 220-kV transmission lines of
The main advantages of using HTLS conductors are that they various types of HTLS conductors have been investigated [14],
are able to dissipate more heat, their thermal expansion [15]. The performance analysis involves both mechanical and
coefficients are lower, and their tensile strength is better than thermal loadings [16]. Commercial software for overhead line
design such as PLS-CADD (www.powline.com), SAG10®
This work is based upon a research project funded by The Electricity
Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) and The National Science and
Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) under grant number P-14-50388.

978-1-5386-5186-5/18/$31.00 ©2018 IEEE

(www.sag10.com), can be employed for simulation and be [24] and IEEE [25]. In addition, the testing for electromagnetic
helpful in numerical calculations. compatibility of overhead conductor should be complied with
the guideline of The International Commission of Non-Ionizing
While the existing works have evaluated transmission line Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) as well as The International
performance with focus on sag and tension [17], thermal rating Telecommunication Union (ITU).
[18], as well as current-temperature relationship either by
testing [19] or simulation [20], the contribution of this work is
on extending the performance evaluation of ACSR and HTLS III. EVALUATING ACSR AND HTLS CONDUCTORS
conductors in various technical aspects: ampacity, sag and
tension, clearance to ground, right of way, electric and A. Test Case
magnetic fields, line loadability, and steady-state stability limit. The test case is a 230-kV, double-circuit, single-bundle and
twin-bundle, overhead transmission line. The circuit length is
The remaining of this paper is organized as follows:
approximately 11 km. The existing line is 1272 MCM ACSR
Section II provides general properties of ACSR and HTLS
conductors. The right of way is 2x20 m. The current uprating
conductors, Section III describes the test case and evaluating
plan is set for twofold ampacity. According to The Electricity
method, Section IV shows numerical results and provides
Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT), there are 4 tower
discussion, and this work is concluded in Section V.
types for 230-kV: DA1 with I-string insulators for single
bundle, WA1 with I-string insulators for twin bundle, SWAV1
II. PROPERTIES OF ACSR AND HTLS CONDUCTORS with V-string insulators for twin bundle, and DQA1 with I-
This section describes mechanical and electrical properties string insulators for quadruple bundle.
of ACSR conductor and five types of HTLS conductor selected In the base case, the existing line is single bundle and being
as candidate conductors to replace ACSR conductor in current uprated to twin bundle. The conductor is still 1272 MCM
uprating. ACSR. New towers are built, but the right of way is kept. The
ACCC conductor has a composite core (carbon/glass fiber candidates for current uprating are single-bundle, HTLS
polymeric) and trapezoidal wires, made of annealed aluminum. conductors. The conductor sizes of HTLS are selected to be
ACCR conductor also has a composite core (aluminum oxide comparable with single-bundle ACSR. By using HTLS
fiber reinforced metal matrix) and its wires are made of conductors, the existing towers can still be used but new
thermal-resistant aluminum alloy. ACSS conductor has high suspension structure is required. The right of way may be
strength steel core and annealed aluminum trapezoidal wires. reduced, but not less than 2x12 m.
GZTACSR has either galvanized steel core or aluminum clad For the existing line with twin bundle, the base case is
steel core. It has a gap between core and wires so that it is uprated to quadruple-bundle, 1272 MCM ACSR conductors.
called gap-type conductor. The gap is filled with heat-resistant New towers must be built, but the right of way is kept. The
grease. ZTACIR conductor has external characteristics similar candidates are twin-bundle, HTLS conductors. Similarly, the
to ACSR conductor but its core is made of iron-nickel alloy conductor sized of HTLS are selected to be comparable with
and its wires are made of thermal-resistant aluminum alloy. twin-bundle ACSR. By using HTLS conductors, new towers
Given that its linear coefficient of thermal expansion is very are built. The right of way may be reduced, but not less than
low, it is called “invar” conductor which means “invariable 2x12 m.
with heat.”
The comparable sizes of HTLS conductors with respect to
To avoid any conflict or bias over particular type of HTLS 1272 MCM ACSR conductor are as follows: HTLS-1 1431
conductor, these five HTLS conductors are hereafter called MCM, HTLS-2 1224 MCM, HTLS-3 694 MCM, HTLS-4
HTLS-1 to HTLS-5, without sorting in alphabetical order. 1033 MCM, and HTLS-5 1272 MCM. Note that these sizes are
ACSR conductors have been widely used as overhead commercially available.
transmission lines because they are economical and available The current rating of 1272 MCM ACSR conductor is 954
from various manufacturers. ACSR conductors are made of A, defined as the base ampacity. Thus, the maximum powers at
hard-drawn aluminum so that they have low weight-to-strength full loading of a 230-kV, double-circuit, 1272 MCM ACSR
ratio. The knee-point temperature of ACSR conductors is 75 conductor is 760 MW for single bundle and 1,520 MW for
°C and the operating temperature is limited at 90 °C, twin bundle.
approximately. HTLS conductors have been considered to
replace ACSR conductors in current uprating, given that their B. Performance Evaluation
knee-point temperatures are 95-105 °C. Besides, the operating
temperatures of HTLS conductors can be exceeding 150 °C. Performance tests of ACSR and HTLS conductors include
The drawbacks of using HTLS conductors are high sag and ampacity, sag and tension, clearance to ground, right of way,
high line losses, when operating at low temperature (low electric and magnetic fields, line loadability, and steady-state
loading). stability limit.

The testing methods of ACSR and HTLS conductors can In this work, the calculations of current-carrying capability
referred to CIGRE reports [21], [22], [23]. The thermal rating of a conductor is based on the heat balance equation using the
of an overhead conductor can be determined from the current- IEEE method [25]. Then, line losses are computed by using DC
temperature relationship, which is available from both CIGRE power flow. Sag and tension of overhead conductor depends on
physical characteristics of the transmission line, operating and
weather conditions. The conductor sag can be described by IV. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
using a catenary curve and estimated by using a parabolic Sag, clearance to ground, and right of way of using ACSR
curve. The clearance to ground is then computed from the and HTLS conductors are compared in Tables I and II in case
maximum sag. The testing conditions for sag and tension are of single bundle and twin bundle, respectively. HTLS-2,
based on both the IEEE standard [25] and the EGAT testing HTLS-4, and HTLS-5 conductors can be uprated to twofold
protocol. ampacity. HTLS-1 and HTLS-3 conductors can be uprated to
The right of way is computed from spotting height, a swing 1.8 and 1.6 times higher than the ampacity of ACSR conductor.
caused by wind loading, and electrical clearance. Note that the By using HTLS conductors, conductor sag decreases and
electrical clearance is set to prevent a line-to-ground flashover clearance to ground increases. It is quite obvious that HTLS-1
between conductor and tower. conductor can reduce the right of way more than other HTLS
conductors, although its sag is slightly higher than that of
According to the guideline of ICNIRP, ITU, and EGAT ACSR conductor. However, the reduction of right of way is not
testing protocol; by measuring at 1 m above the ground, the significant in case of twin bundle.
strengths of electric field and magnetic field should not exceed
2 kV/m and 200 mG (or 15.89 A/m), respectively. Figs. 2 and 3 compare the current-temperature relationship
and the sag-temperature relationship of five HTLS conductors,
The line loadability under consideration is limited to only respectively. It can be mentioned that HTLS-3 conductor has
active power. The line loadability is decreasing with line length substantially higher temperature than other HTLS conductors.
and usually normalized by Surge Impedance Loading (SIL). It HTLS-2 and HTLS-4 conductors have very similar operating
has three limits: thermal limit is binding for short line, voltage temperatures. Likewise, HTLS-1 and HTLS-5 conductors have
limit is binding for medium line, and steady-state stability limit very similar operating temperatures
is binding for long line. It has been found that the advantage of
using HTLS conductors is limited to short line [26] because it The knee-point temperatures of HTLS-1 and HTLS-3
can increase line ampacity and thermal limit. conductors are at 146 and 100 °C, respectively, which are
higher than that of ACSR conductor. The knee-point
As the R/X ratio of a conductor varies with conductor type temperatures of HTLS-4 and HTLS-5 conductors are at 74 and
and operating conditions, it can be expected that the line 66 °C, respectively, which are closed to that of ACSR
loadability would decrease with the increasing of R/X ratio. conductor. It is interesting that the knee-point temperature of
Meanwhile, the steady-state stability limit would also decrease.
HTLS-2 conductor is at 27 °C, equal to the temperature when
It is concerned that, by using HTLS conductors, the line
stringing.
loadability would be decreasing because HTLS conductors
may have higher R/X ratio, especially when operating at very Although the knee-point temperature of HTLS-1 is high,
high temperature. but its operating temperature is limited at 134 °C due to sag
Fig. 1 illustrates active power flow to the receiving end, constraint (17.48 m). Similarly, the sag constraints of other
given that k = R/X ratio is varied from 0 to 1. The active power HTLS conductors in Table I can be projected for maximum
at the receiving end is normalized by the static transmission operating temperatures as shown in Fig. 3. As such, it is shown
capacity, defined in [27]. When k = 0 (R = 0), the maximum that the maximum operating temperatures of HTlS-2, HTLS-3,
active power is 1.0 p.u. when phase angle at the sending end is HTLS-4, and HTLS-5 conductors are 197, 210, 204, and, 175
90°. As k increases, both the active power at the receiving end °C, respectively.
and the phase angle at the sending end decrease, implying that
line loadability is lower. When k = 1 (R = X), the maximum TABLE I. COMPARISON OF SAG, CLEARANCE TO GROUND, AND RIGHT OF
active power reduces to 0.25 when phase angle at the sending WAY (SINGLE BUNBLE)
end is 45° and the active power is negative when the phase Conductor Sag Clearance to ground Right of way
angle at the sending end exceeds 90°. Note that the phase angle (m) (m) (m)
at maximum active power can be obtained from tan–1(1/k) [27]. ACSR 17.34 11.56 38.09
HTLS-1 17.48 11.44 32.49
HTLS-2 15.84 13.06 34.02
HTLS-3 15.26 13.64 35.55
HTLS-4 15.45 13.45 35.53
HTLS-5 15.48 13.42 34.46

TABLE II. COMPARISON OF SAG, CLEARANCE TO GROUND, AND RIGHT OF

WAY (TWIN BUNBLE)
Conductor Sag Clearance to ground Right of way
(m) (m) (m)
ACSR 9.27 8.43 20.97
HTLS-1 9.82 7.88 18.26
HTLS-2 8.52 9.18 19.03
HTLS-3 8.36 9.34 19.56
HTLS-4 8.55 9.15 19.63
HTLS-5 7.88 9.82 19.22
Fig. 1. Relationship between active power at receving end and phase angle at
sending end.
 deserves more attention for being a candidate. It is observed
that HTLS-2, HTLS-3, and HTLS-4 conductors have high
operating temperatures (197, 210, 204 °C), while the operating
temperature of HTLS-1 and HTLS-5 conductors are much
lower (134 and 175 °C). The operating temperature has a
substantial impact on line loadability by increasing the R/X
ratio.

Fig. 2. Current-Temperature relationship of HTLS conductors.

Fig. 4. Electric and magnetics fields of twin-bundle ACSR conductor.

Fig. 3. Sag-Temperature relationship of HTLS conductors.

Figs. 4 and 5 illustrates the electric and magnetic fields of

ACSR conductor in case of twin bundle and HTLS conductor
is case of single bundle, respectively. It is found that the
electric and magnetic fields are bounded in their limits. So,
HTLS conductor can replace ACSR conductor in current
uprating with no effect on electromagnetic compatibility.
It is noted that the electric and magnetic fields of ACSR
conductor in case of quadruple bundle and HTLS conductor in
case of twin bundle have also been evaluated but have not
shown. It is necessary to raise the tower height higher for 4 m
in case of using twin-bundle HTLS conductor, otherwise the
magnetic field would exceed the limit.
Fig. 6 compares the power-angle curves of ACSR and
HTLS conductors. The power-angle curve of ACSR conductor Fig. 5. Electric and magnetics fields of single-bundle HTLS conductor.
is the highest, implying that it has maximum line loadability.
The power-angle curves of HTLS-1 and HTLS-5 conductors
are closed to each other and closed to that of ACSR conductor.
The phase angle at maximum active power of ACSR conductor
is at 80-85°, while those of HTLS-1 and HTLS-5 conductors
are at 70-80°. The power-angle curves of HTLS-2 and HTLS-4
conductors are closed to each other and lower than that of
ACSR conductor. The phase angles at maximum active power
are at 65-75°. The power-angle curve of HTLS-3 conductor is
much lower than the others. The phase angle at maximum
active power is at 60-65°. Thus, it should be cautioned when
using HTLS-3 conductor, given that its maximum active power
and phase angle are much lower than the others.
Fig. 6. Comparison of power-angle curves of ACSR and HTLS conductors.
Upon technical evaluation, HTLS conductor may be
employed to replace ACSR conductor in current uprating.
HTLS-1 and HTLS-5 conductors are good candidates, HTLS-2
and HTLS-4 conductors are fair candidates, HTLS-3 conductor
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