High Voltage AC Overhead Lines (OHL) are most commonly used for the transmission of energy. Thereby, the current flows through conductors that are fixed through insulators to crossarms of the towers. The conductors are spanned between two towers. To increase the amount of energy transmitted, the conductors are frequently bundled. The conventional conductors are characterised by linear dependence be-tween current, conductor temperature and sag of the conductor.
The major technology variations relate to the material used and build-up of conductor:
The conductors are characterised by:
N/A
Aluminium-based conductors on HVAC overhead lines are a proven technology that is a century old. The first three-phase AC overhead line using conventional conductors was built in 1891 connecting the cities of Lauffen and Frankfurt in Germany. Today, the largest part of the transmission lines (exceeding 220 kV) on land are HVAC overhead lines and, even with the many new developments to be realised using HVDC technology and / or underground cables, its relative share will remain fairly stable over the following decade in Europe.
The main advantage of the technology is its clear standardisation process and extended supply chain, which are optimised in terms of material, transportation, erection, maintenance, costs, lifetime and appearance, and minimises the risk of bottlenecks.
TRL 9 - System ready for full scale deployment
Current fields of research:
Reduction of the corona (noise emission):
Anti-icing by surface treatment
Maximum capacity per circuit: 2600 MW
Current rating: 4.0 kA per phase of quad bundled conductor (AL/ST 550/70)
Maximal operating voltage: 420 kV
Description
A specific AAAC conductor is used, which is considered to be the best technical optimization technique using Aluminium Alloy.
Design
Two three-phase circuits on the same tower and four conductor bundle for each phase.
Results
The energy losses are the lowest recorded for AAAC lines.
Description
Commissioning of the 380 kV transmission line Dӧtinchem-Wesel which supports the expansion of the north-west European electricity market.
Design
22 km of 380 kV OHL with 54 innovative tube wind-track pylons and an interconnector capacity of 2600 MW.
Results
Not described.
[1] e-Highway 2050. Modular Development Plan of the Pan-European Transmission System 2050. [Link]
[2] ABB. Feasibility study for converting 380 kV AC lines to hybrid AC/DC lines. [Link]
[3] TYNDP Project list. [Link]
[4] FNN (2014): FNN-Hinweis: Störungs- und Verfügbarkeitsstatistik Berichtsjahr 2013. [Link]
[5] TenneT. Doetinchem-Wesel 380 kV. [Link]
[6] Nexans. Bare Compact Overhead Aero-Z Conductors. [Link]