Total Transfer Capability Improvement Using High Temperature Low Sag Conductors

Total transfer capability (TTC), which is a key factor in the nowadays deregulated power systems, is usually restricted by the overloaded transmission lines. High temperature low sag (HTLS) conductors can increase transmission lines thermal limits and can be considered as a promising solution for improving TTC. There are several types of HTLS conductors with different characteristics which can be utilized for upgrading existing transmission networks transfer capabilities. This paper presents an algorithm for improving TTC using HTLS conductors. This algorithm identifies the transmission lines that restrict the TTC level and evaluates various HTLS conductors for installation at these lines using analytical hierarchical process (AHP) method by taking into account the economic and technical viewpoints. The process of calculation of TTC is done using optimal power flow (OPF) method in the GAMS software. Numerical studies are conducted using IEEE 9-bus and 24-bus test systems and the results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm in increasing the TTC level.