Transmission Line

Design
Derek Hutchinson P.Eng.

Context
Overhead Wood Pole Design
Interconnection to BC Hydro Transmission
System
BC Hydro Structures
PLS-CADD design software by Power Line
Systems
Sub-transmission system:
69 kV, 138 kV, 230 kV, 287 kV

Rough Guidelines Uncompensated Lines

Voltage

SIL

Working Load

69 kV

12 MW

400 Amps

138 kV

50 MW

800 Amps

230 kV

150 MW

1000 Amps

Line Capacity

For short lines and a strong system, line capacity is usually

determined by the thermal limit.
IEEE 738 calculation:
- maximum conductor temperature (90 C)
- ambient temperature
- wind
- solar radiation, elevation,
BC Hydro uses:
- Winter
November to April
0 C/10 C
- Summer
May to October
30 C
See Operating Order 5T10 for published line capacities
http://transmission.bchydro.com/NR/rdonlyres/0D7F7A3C-9135-42CA-949B1FEE645E0A1C/0/5T10.pdf

Older lines can be designed at a maximum temperature of 50 C so

can be clearance limited
The line rating is only as strong as its weakest link

Line Turnover to BC Hydro

Do they want the line?
The turn over process has to start at the routing stage rather than
post construction and address:
- Right of way agreements
- Consultation
- Access
- Clearing
- Environmental conditions
- Design
- Materials Quality Control
- As-built information
Patience as its an extended process

LiDAR and Georeferenced Information

Transmission line design software works well with georeferenced
information and LiDAR
The design goal is to maintain a distance (clearance) from features
(eg keep poles out of a riparian area, separate wires from the
ground) so their location needs to be defined
PDF maps can not generally be used for design as they are not
georeferenced
Some mapping data sets are not LiDAR:
Digital Elevation Model DEM - a grid of points
Contours
This filtering removes data that can be used in the design model to
identify and coordinate details.

Transmission Line Terms

Structures:
- Tangent carries conductor weight and wind loads, no tension
- Deflection change in direction, takes a portion of the line tension
- Dead-end holds full tension of the line
- Specials Tap, switch, wave trap
Conductor: ASC/AAC Aluminum Stranded Conductor/All Aluminum Conductor
ACSR
Aluminum Conductor Steel Reinforced
Fibre Optic Communications Cable
ADSS All Dielectric Self Supporting
OPGW Optical Ground Wire
Insulators suspension, strain, post
Sag-Tension
- catenary
- sag
- span
- creep

Design Objectives
Clearances - air insulation
Strength - able to withstand anticipated loads
Weather loads:
- Wind and Ice
- Extreme Ice
- Extreme wind
- Construction and maintenance

Coordination with routing requirements/constraints

Cost effective
Meet or exceed standards
Document the above in a Design Basis

Design Constraints
Visible from maps and orthophotos:
- transmission lines
- pipelines
- roads, buildings, water courses
Not visible (but can be available in georeferenced form):
- legal boundaries: ROW, district lots, park boundaries, reserves
- tenures: forestry, mineral
- other: traditional use, unregistered OGMA, wildlife, recreational
values, flood elevations, terrain hazards, forest cover,
Other items to consider:
- snow depth
- elevation (need to derate and increase clearance > 1000 m)
- ice and wind loadings
Local knowledge of land use
Municipal/Regional District Bylaws underground only policy?

Crossings

Roads:
- Ministry of Transport Utility Policy Manual
http://www.th.gov.bc.ca/permits/Utility%20Permit%20Manual.pdf
http://www.th.gov.bc.ca/publications/eng_publications/electrical/transmission_line_study.htm

- Resource
http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hth/engineering/documents/publications_guidebooks/publications_reports/MOF-IPPDesign-Criteria%28July%2705%29-updated-Aug4-2010.pdf

Railways CSA C22.3 No.1 and railway requirements

Electrical
- Transmission
- Distribution

Pipelines:
equipment clearance, clear zone, marker balls (pipeline specific)

River:
Navigable Waters CSA C22.3 No. Table 2, TP 14596
DFO operational statements
Transport Canada Aviation Safety Standard 621.19 - Standards Obstruction Markings

Right of Way Widths

Depends on:
- Conductor configuration and spacing: horizontal, vertical, delta
- Span
- Swing
- Clearance
Legal Right of way vs Tree Management Zone
Hard to define width at the start of the design as it is dependent on
the design
Make the width surveyor friendly a constant offset from centreline
for the majority of the right of way
Guy boxes can be used to reduce unused area

References

Canadian Standards Association

C22.3 No.1 Overhead Systems
C22.3 No. 60826 Design Criteria of Overhead Transmission Lines
O15 Wood Utility Poles and Reinforcing Stubs
C83 Communication and Power Line Hardware

CIGRE
TB 324 Sag-Tension Calculation Methods for Overhead Lines
TB 273 Overhead Conductor Safe Design Tension with Respect to Aeolian Vibrations

American Society of Civil Engineers

Guidelines for Electrical Transmission Line Structural Loading - Manual 74
Design of Guyed Electrical Transmission Structures Manual 91

IEEE
IEEE 524 Guide to the Installation of Overhead Transmission Line Conductors
IEEE 738 Standard for Calculating the Current-Temperature of Bare Overhead Conductors

BC Hydro Transmission Engineering Standards ES 41 series

Rural Utilities Service http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/RDU_Bulletins_Electric.html

1724E-200 Design Manual for High Voltage Transmission Lines

Power Line Systems PLS-CADD, PLS-POLE manuals