Hexa Spacer Damper for Vibration Energy Decaying of 765 kV Transmission Line

Overhead conductors are prone to wind-induced vibrations which further influence transmission line infrastructures. Cascading failures of transmission lines may lead to major power outage. Several analytical and experimental techniques have been evolved across the world in order to nullify the conductors' vibrations. In this experimental work, the ACSR Zebra conductor has been used for power transmission. This paper presents hexa spacer damper for dissipation of vibration energy of 765 kV transmission lines. Exclusively designed and developed damper has been validated based on the field test findings at Hydro Québec Test Station, Canada. These bundled conductors are particularly susceptible to wind-induced vibrations in the recurrence scope of 10-60 Hz because of vortex shedding. A complete set of the field tests have been conducted while installing 27 numbers of hexa spacer dampers at different sub-span lengths across the test line. The aim of this test is to assess the damping property of hexa spacer damper by precise measurement with the help of sensor embedded on the actual model and vibration emulated mechanism for Aeolian vibrations and sub-range motions. The test findings confirm effectiveness of the in-house developed hexa spacer damper.