A Performance Analysis of Reconductoring an Overhead Line Structure

A holistic computational methodology is employed in this paper to present an analysis of the widely used aluminum alloy conductors (AAAC) performance on a 33-kV wood pole structure. This analysis highlights the basic system properties that influence its mechanical and electrical performance. A comprehensive comparison of the performance of the common AAAC and aluminum conductor steel reinforced (ACSR) conductors erected on the structure is presented, including the study of the increase in operating temperature on the losses, ampacity and sag, in order to identify the most appropriate conductor for the pre-specified structure. Some recently developed high temperature low sag (HTLS) composite conductors are also studied in terms of power transfer uprating on distribution overhead lines. Their performance is examined at normal temperatures instead of the high operating temperatures for which they are specifically designed for, in order to evaluate the benefits they may offer at distribution level voltages.