CHAPTER-TWO

TRANSMISSION LINE PARAMETERS

132 kV Double Circuit 132 KV Single Circuit

Overhead Transmission Line Overhead Transmission Line
Kaliti Substation Kaliti-Substation
2.1
INTRODUCTION
Generators and loads are connected together through transmission lines
transporting electric power from one place to another. Transmission line
must, therefore, take power from generators, transmit it to location where
it will be used, and then distribute it to individual consumers.

Transmission of electric power has been along the years and will still
continue one of the most important elements of today’s electric power
systems. Power transmission from generating stations to industrial sites
and to substations is the fundamental objective of the transmission
systems.
The Transmission line function is accomplished by overhead AC or DC
transmission lines or underground cables that connect the power plants in
to the transmission network, interconnect various areas of transmission
networks, interconnect one electric utility with another, or deliver the
electric power from various areas within the transmission network to the
distribution substations, from which the distribution systems supply
residential and commercial consumers.
INTRODUCTION
CONT’D

The voltage levels of transmission lines; either overhead or cables are

selected according to the power to be transmitted to a certain area or
supplied to a customer. The advantage of higher levels of transmission line
voltage clearly appears when consideration is given to the transmitting
capability of a line, which increases with the square of the voltage.

i.e. P = VI = V2/R

Therefore, very high voltage levels are used to transmit power over long
distances. Once the power reaches the area where it will be used, it is
stepped down to a lower voltages in distribution substations, and then
delivered to customers through distribution lines.
Introduction
Cont’d
There two types of transmission lines: overhead lines and buried cables.

Figure 1
Introduction
Cont’d
 The transmission and distribution of three-phase electrical power on
overhead lines requires the use of at least three-phase conductors.

 Most low voltage lines use three-phase conductors forming a single

three-phase circuit. Many higher voltage lines consist of a single three-
phase circuit or two three-phase circuits strung or suspended from the
same tower structure and usually called a double-circuit line.

 The two circuits may be strung in a variety of configurations such as

vertical, horizontal or triangular configurations.

 Figure 2 illustrates typical single-circuit lines and double-circuit lines

in horizontal, triangular and vertical phase conductor arrangements.
A line may also consist of two circuits running physically in parallel
but on different towers.

 In addition, a few lines have been built with three, four or even six
three-phase circuits strung on the same tower structure in various
horizontal and/or triangular formations.
Introduction
Cont’d

Figure 2
OVERHEAD LINE CONT’D
An overhead transmission line usually consists of three conductors or
bundles of conductors containing the three phases of the power system.
The conductors are usually aluminum cable steel reinforced (ACSR),
which are steel core (for strength) and aluminum wires (having low
resistance) wrapped around the core.
 OVERHEAD LINE CONT’D

In overhead transmission lines, the conductors are suspended from a pole

or a tower via insulators.
OVERHEAD LINE CONT’D

In addition to phase conductors, a transmission line usually includes one

or two steel wires called ground (shield) wires. These wires are electrically
connected to the tower and to the ground, and, therefore, are at ground
potential.

In large transmission lines,

these wires are located
above the phase conductors,
shielding them from lightning.
CONT…

 Bundled phase conductors are usually used on transmission lines at

220 kV and above. These are constructed with more than one
conductor per phase separated at regular intervals along the span
length between two towers by metal spacers.
 Conductor bundles of two, three, four, six and eight are in use in
various countries.
 The purpose of bundled conductors is to reduce the voltage gradients
at the surface of the conductors because the bundle appears as an
equivalent conductor of much larger diameter than that of the
component conductors.
 This minimizes active losses due to corona, reduces noise generation,
e.g. radio interference, reduces the inductive reactance and increases
the capacitive susceptance or capacitance of the line.
 The latter two effects improve the steady state power transfer
capability of the line.
UNDERGROUND CABLES
CONT’D

Cable lines are designed to be placed

underground or under water. The
conductors are insulated from one another
and surrounded by protective sheath.
Cable lines are usually more expensive and
harder to maintain. They also have
capacitance problem – not suitable for long
distance.
2.2 TRANSMISSION LINE PARAMETERS
An electric transmission lines are characterized by four parameters,
namely resistance, inductance, capacitance and shunt conductance. The
electrical design and performance of a line are dependent on these
parameters. These values determine the power-carrying capacity of the
transmission line and the voltage drop across it at full load.

These parameters are uniformly distributed along the whole line. Each
line has its own value, and it is not possible to concentrate or lump
them at discrete points on the line. For this reason the line parameters
are known as distributed parameters. Their values are given in per
unit length of line and they are denoted as R, L, C and G respectively.
The line parameters are functions of the line-geometry, construction
material and operational frequency.

The line resistance and inductance form the series impedance of the
line. While the capacitance and conductance form the shunt admittance
of the line.
 CONT…

 The series resistance relies basically on the physical

composition of the conductor at a given temperature.
 The series inductance and shunt capacitance are produced
by the presence of magnetic and electric fields around the
conductors, and depend on their geometrical arrangement.
 The shunt conductance is due to leakage currents flowing
across insulators and air. As leakage current is
considerably small compared to nominal current, it is
usually neglected, and therefore, shunt conductance is
normally not considered for the transmission line modeling
TRANSMISSION LINE PARAMETERS
CONT’D

Transmission lines are classified in to short, medium and long groups

according to the length of the transmission lines. The performance of
one or more of the parameters of a line is governed by its length and
conductor configuration. For overhead lines up to 80 km the
capacitance C and shunt conductance G are negligibly small but for
cable lines where the distance between the conductors is small, the
effect of capacitance can not ignored. All low-voltage overhead lines
having lengths up to 80 km are generally classified as Short lines.
The lines ranging in length from 80 to 240 km are termed as Medium
or moderately long lines. For these lines, the capacitance of the line
cannot be neglected and it’s considered to be lumped at one or more
points of the line. The effect of capacitance is more at higher frequency.
The leakage conductance or leakance is neglected.

The term Long line refers to a line having its length more than 240
km. The long line treatment takes all the four parameters in to
account and allows for the fact that they are distributed uniformly over
the entire length of the line.
 TRANSMISSION LINE PARAMETERS
CONT’D

Short Transmission line Equivalent Medium Transmission line Equivalent

Circuit (Series Impedance Circuit (Series Impedance and Shunt
parameters only) Capacitance

Long Transmission line

Equivalent Circuit ( All the
four TL Parameters)
 2.2.1 RESISTANCE
The AC resistance of a conductor in a transmission line is based on the
calculation of its DC resistance.
If DC current is flowing along a round cylindrical conductor, the current is
uniformly distributed over its cross-section area and its DC resistance is
evaluated by

RDC =  l /A [Ω]

Where l is the length of conductor; A – cross-sectional area,  is the

resistivity of the conductor. Therefore, the DC resistance per meter of the
conductor is

rDC =  /A [Ω/m]

The resistivity of a conductor is a fundamental property of the material that

the conductor is made from. It varies with both type and temperature of
the material. At the same temperature, the resistivity of aluminum is higher
than the resistivity of copper.
 LINE RESISTANCE CONT’D

 If AC current is flowing, rather than DC current, the following factors need

to be considered:
1. Frequency or skin effect 2. Temperature
3. Spiraling of stranded conductors 4. Bundle conductors arrangement
5. Proximity effect
6. Also the resistance of magnetic conductor varies with current
magnitude.

A. Skin Effect
 The frequency of the AC voltage produces effect on the conductor
resistance due to the non uniform distribution of the current. This
phenomenon is known as skin effect or frequency effect.
 As frequency increases, the current tends to go toward the surface of the
conductor and the current density decreases at the center.
 Skin effect reduces the effective cross-section area used by the current, and
thus, the effective resistance increases.
 Also, although in small amount, a further resistance increase occurs when
other current-carrying conductors are present in the immediate vicinity.
 A skin correction factor k, obtained by differential equations and
Bessel functions, is considered to reevaluate the AC resistance.
 For 60 Hz, k is estimated around 1.02
𝑅𝐴𝐶=𝑘𝑅𝐷𝐶

B. Temperature Effect

 The resistivity of any conductive material varies linearly over an

operating temperature, and therefore, the resistance of any conductor
suffers the same variations.
 As temperature rises, the conductor resistance increases linearly, over
normal operating temperatures, according to the following equation:

Where R2 is the resistance at second temperature t2

R1 is the resistance at initial temperature t1
T is the temperature coefficient for the particular material (C°)
RESISTANCE CONT’D
The resistivity increases linearly with temperature over normal range of
temperatures. If the resistivity at one temperature is known, the resistivity
at another temperature can be found from

T2 = (T+t2) /(T+t1)T1

Where t1 and t1 are temperature 1 in oC and the resistivity at that

temperature, t2 and t2 are temperature 2 in oC and the resistivity at that
temperature, and T is the temperature constant.
Resistivity (𝜌) and temperature coefficient (T) constants depend upon the
particular conductor material

Material Resistivity at 20oC Temperature constant

[m] [oC]
Annealed copper 1.7210-8 234.5
Hard-drawn copper 1.7710-8 241.5

Aluminum 2.8310-8 228.1

Iron 10.0010-8 180.0
RESISTANCE CONT’D

We notice that silver and copper would be among the best conductors.
However, aluminum, being much cheaper and lighter, is used to make
most of the transmission line conductors. Conductors made out of
aluminum should have bigger diameter than copper conductors to offset
the higher resistivity of the material and, therefore, support the necessary
currents.

AC resistance of a conductor is always higher than its DC resistance due

to the skin effect forcing more current flow near the outer surface of the
conductor. The higher the frequency of current, the more noticeable skin
effect would be.
At frequencies of our interest (50-60 Hz), however, skin effect is not very
strong.

Wire manufacturers usually supply tables of resistance per unit length at

common frequencies (50 and 60 Hz). Therefore, the resistance can be
determined from such tables.
C. Spiraling and Bundle Conductor Effect

•Overhead conductors, made of naked metal and suspended on insulators,

are preferred over underground conductors because of the lower cost and
easy maintenance. Also, overhead transmission lines use aluminum
conductors, because of the lower cost and lighter weight compared to
copper conductors, although more cross-section area is needed to conduct
the same amount of current.
•There are different types of commercially available aluminum conductors:
aluminum-conductor-steel-reinforced (ACSR), aluminum-conductor-alloy-
reinforced (ACAR), all-aluminum-conductor (AAC), and all-aluminumalloy-
conductor (AAAC).

Figure 3: Stranded aluminum conductor with stranded steel core (ACSR).

 Resistance Cont’d

 ACSR is one of the most used conductors in transmission lines.

• It consists of alternate layers of stranded conductors, spiraled in

opposite directions to hold the strands together, surrounding a core of
steel strands.
 The purpose of introducing a steel core inside the stranded aluminum
conductors is to obtain a high strength-to-weight ratio.
 A stranded conductor offers more flexibility and easier to
manufacture than a solid large conductor. However, the total
resistance is increased because the outside strands are larger than the
inside strands on account of the spiraling.
 The resistance of each wound conductor at any layer, per unit length,
is based on its total length as follows:
 where 𝑅𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑: resistance of wound conductor (Ω)
 : : length of wound conductor (m)

 𝑃𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑=𝑙t𝑢𝑟n /2𝑟𝑙𝑎𝑦𝑒𝑟 relative pitch of wound conductor

 𝑙𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑛 : length of one turn of the spiral (m)

 2𝑟𝑙𝑎𝑦𝑒𝑟: diameter of the layer (m)

 The parallel combination of n conductors, with same

diameter per layer, gives the resistance per layer as
follows:

Similarly, the total resistance of the stranded conductor is

evaluated by the parallel combination of resistances per layer.
 In high-voltage transmission lines, there may be more than one
conductor per phase (bundle configuration) to increase the current
capability and to reduce corona effect discharge.
 Corona effect occurs when the surface potential gradient of a
conductor exceeds the dielectric strength of the surrounding air (30
kV/cm during fair weather), producing ionization in the area close to
the conductor, with consequent corona losses, audible noise, and radio
interference.
 As corona effect is a function of conductor diameter, line configuration,
and conductor surface condition, then meteorological conditions play a
key role in its evaluation.
 Corona losses under rain or snow, for instance, are much higher than
in dry weather.
Figure: Stranded conductors arranged in bundles per phase of (a) two, (b)
three, and (c) four.
• Corona, however, can be reduced by increasing the total conductor
surface. Although corona losses rely on meteorological conditions, their
evaluation takes into account the conductance between conductors and
between conductors and ground.
•By increasing the number of conductors per phase, the total cross-section
area increases, the current capacity increases, and the total AC resistance
decreases proportionally to the number of conductors per bundle.
•Conductor bundles may be applied to any voltage but are always used at
345 kV and above to limit corona.
• T o maintain the distance between bundle conductors along the line,
spacers made of steel or aluminum bars are used.
 26

D. PROXIMITY EFFECTS

 In a transmission line there is a non-uniformity of current

distribution caused by a higher current density in the elements of
adjacent conductors nearest each other than in the elements farther
apart. The phenomenon is known as proximity effect.
 It is present for three-phase as well as single-phase circuits.
 For the usual spacing of overhead lines at 60 Hz, the proximity
effect is neglected.
 27
EXAMPLE 1
 A three phase transmission line is designed to deliver 190.5 MVA at
220 kV over a distance of 63 km. the total transmission loss is not to
exceed 2.5 percent of the rated line MVA. If the resistivity of the
conductor material at 20°c is 2.8×10−8Ωm , determine the required
conductor diameter and the conductor size.

Solution
 28

2.2.2 Inductance and Inductive Reactance

 The inductive reactance is by far the most dominating impedance

element.
 A current-carrying conductor produces a magnetic field around the
conductor.
 The magnetic flux lines are concentric closed circles with direction
given by the right hand rule. With the thumb pointing in the direction
of the current, the fingers of the right hand encircled the wire point in
the direction of the magnetic field.
 When the current changes, the flux changes and a voltage is induced
in the circuit.
 By definition, for nonmagnetic material, the inductance L is the ratio
of its total magnetic flux linkage to the current I, given by
CONT’D
The series inductance of a transmission line consists of two components:
internal and external inductances, which are due the magnetic flux inside
and outside the conductor respectively. The inductance of a transmission
line is defined as the number of flux linkages [Wb-turns] produced per
ampere of current flowing through the line:

L =λ/I

1. Internal inductance:
Consider a conductor of radius r carrying a current
I. At a distance x from the center of this conductor,
the magnetic field intensity Hx can be found from
Ampere’s law:
 INDUCTANCE AND INDUCTIVE REACTANCE
CONT’D
I
Where Hx is the magnetic field intensity at each point along a closed path,
dl is a unit vector along that path and Ix is the net current enclosed in the
path. For the homogeneous materials and a circular path of radius x, the
magnitude of Hx is constant, and dl is always parallel to Hx. Therefore:

Assuming next that the current is distributed uniformly in the conductor:

Thus, the magnetic intensity at radius x inside the conductor is

 INDUCTANCE AND INDUCTIVE REACTANCE
CONT’D

The flux density at a distance x from the center of the conductor is

The differential magnetic flux contained in a circular tube of thickness dx

and at a distance x from the center of the conductor is

The flux linkages per meter of length due to flux in the tube is the product
of the differential flux and the fraction of current linked:
INDUCTANCE AND INDUCTIVE REACTANCE
CONT’D

The total internal flux linkages per meter can be found via integration…

Therefore, the internal inductance per meter is: L = λ/I

If the relative permeability of the conductor is 1 (non-ferromagnetic

materials, such as copper and aluminum), the permeability reduces to

Where μ0 = 4л*10-7
2. EXTERNAL INDUCTANCE BETWEEN 2 POINTS OUTSIDE
OF THE LINE

To find the inductance external to a conductor, we

need to calculate the flux linkages of the
conductor due only the portion of flux between two
points P1 and P2 that lie at distances D1 and D2
from the center of the conductor.
In the external to the conductor region, the
magnetic intensity at a distance x from the center
of conductor is

since all the current is within the tube, Ix = I.

The flux density at a distance x from the center of conductor is
 The differential magnetic flux contained in a circular tube of thickness dx
and at a distance x from the center of the conductor is

The flux links the full current carried by the conductor, therefore:

The total external flux linkages per meter can be found via integration…

The external inductance per meter is

The inductance between two points external to a conductor For non-ferromagnetic

materials is then
 3. INDUCTANCE OF A SINGLE-PHASE 2-WIRE
TRANSMISSION LINE

We determine next the series inductance of a

single-phase line consisting of two conductors
of radii r spaced by a distance D and both
carrying currents of magnitude I flowing into
the page in the left-hand conductor and out of
the page in the right-hand conductor.

Considering two circular integration paths, we

notice that the line integral along x1 produces
a net magnetic intensity since a non-zero net
current is enclosed by x1. Thus:

Since the path of radius x2 encloses both conductors and the currents are
equal and opposite, the net current enclosed is 0 and, therefore, there are
no contributions to the total inductance from the magnetic fields at
distances greater than D.
INDUCTANCE OF A SINGLE-PHASE 2-WIRE TRANSMISSION LINE
CONT’D
The total inductance of a wire per unit length in this transmission line is a
sum of the internal inductance and the external inductance between the
conductor surface (r) and the separation distance (D):

By symmetry, the total inductance of the other wire is the same, therefore,
the total inductance of a two-wire transmission line is

Where r is the radius of each conductor and D is the distance between

conductors.
The flux beyond D links a net current of zero and does not contribute to
the net magnetic flux linkage in the circuit. Thus, to obtain the inductance
of conductor 1 due to the net external flux linkage, it is necessary to
evaluate external inductance from 𝐷1=𝑟1 to 𝐷2=𝐷.
37
38
39
FLUX LINKAGE IN TERMS OF SELF AND MUTUAL 40

INDUCTANCE
The series inductance per phase for the above single phase two wire line can
be expressed in terms of self inductance of each conductor and their mutual
inductance. Consider one meter length of the single phase circuit represented
by two coils characterized by the self inductances 𝐿11 and 𝐿22 and the mutual
inductance 𝐿12 . The magnetic polarity is indicated by dot symbols as shown
in the following Figure .

The single phase line viewed as two magnetically coupled coils

 41
Comparing the above questions with the external inductance of a conductor
(Lext = 2x10-7ln(D2/D1) H/m), we conclude the following equivalent expressions
for the self and mutual inductances:
 42
4. INDUCTANCE OF THREE PHASE TRANSMISSION LINES -
SYMMETRICAL SPACING

Consider one meter length of a three phase line with three conductors,
each with radius r, symmetrically spaced in a triangular configuration as
shown in the following Figure.
43
 44
5. INDUCTANCE OF THREE PHASE TRANSMISSION LINES -
ASYMMETRICAL SPACING

Practical transmission lines cannot maintain symmetrical spacing of conductors

because of construction considerations. With asymmetrical spacing, even with
balanced currents, the voltage drop due to the line inductance will be
unbalanced. Consider one meter length of a three phase line with three
conductors, each with radius r. the conductors are asymmetrically spaced with
distances shown in the following Figure.

Three phase line with asymmetrical spacing.

 45
Or in matrix form
 46
6. TRANSPOSE LINE
The equilateral triangular spacing configuration is not the only configuration
commonly used in practice. Thus the need exists for equalizing the mutual
inductances. One means for doing this is to construct transpositions or
rotations of overhead line wires. A transposition is a physical rotation of the
conductors, arranged so that each conductor is moved to occupy the next
physical position in a regular sequence such as a-b-c, b-c-a, c-a-b, etc. Such a
transposition arrangement is shown in the following Figure. If a section of line is
divided into three segments of equal length separated by rotations, we say that
the line is “completely transposed.”

A transposed three phase line

47
 48

INDUCTANCE OF COMPOSITE CONDUCTORS

In the evaluation of inductance, solid round conductors were considered.

However, in practical transmission lines, stranded conductors are used. Also,
for reasons of economy, most EHV lines are constructed with bundled
conductors. In this section an expression is found for the inductance of
composite conductors. The result can be used for evaluating the GMR of
stranded or bundled conductors. It is also useful in finding the equivalent
GMR and GMD of parallel circuits.
49
50
51
52
53
 54

7. INDUCTANCE OF THREE PHASE DOUBLE CIRCUIT LINE

A three double circuit line consists of two identical three phase circuits. The
circuits are opened with 𝑎1−𝑎2,𝑏1−𝑏2 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑐1−𝑐2 in parallel. Because of
geometrical differences between conductors, voltage drop due to line
inductance will be unbalanced. To achieve balance, each phase conductor must
be transposed within its group and with respect to parallel three phase line.
Consider a three phase double circuit line with relative phase positions
𝑎1𝑏1𝑐1−𝑐2𝑏2𝑎2, as shown in the following Figure
55
56
 INDUCTANCE OF A TRANSMISSION LINE
CONT’D

A two-conductor A four-conductor
bundle bundle
 CONCLUSIONS ON INDUCTANCE OF A TRANSMISSION
LINE

Analysis of the above equations show that:

1.The greater the spacing between the phases of a transmission line, the
greater the inductance of the line. Since the phases of a high-voltage
overhead transmission line must be spaced further apart to ensure proper
insulation, a high-voltage line will have a higher inductance than a low-
voltage line. Since the spacing between lines in buried cables is very
small, series inductance of cables is much smaller than the inductance of
overhead lines.

1.The greater the radius of the conductors in a transmission line, the lower
the inductance of the line. In practical transmission lines, instead of using
heavy and inflexible conductors of large radii, two and more conductors
are bundled together to approximate a large diameter conductor. The
more conductors included in the bundle, the better the approximation
becomes. Bundles are often used in the high-voltage transmission lines.
INDUCTIVE REACTANCE OF A LINE
The series inductive reactance of a transmission line depends on both the
inductance of the line and the frequency of the power system. Denoting
the inductance per unit length as l, the inductive reactance per unit length
will be
xI = jωɭ = j2лfɭ

where f is the power system frequency. Therefore, the total series

inductive reactance of a transmission line can be found as

XI = xId

where d is the length of the line.

2.2.3 CAPACITANCE AND CAPACITIVE
REACTANCE
Since a voltage V is applied to a pair of conductors separated by a
dielectric (air), charges of equal magnitude but opposite sign will
accumulate on the conductors.
Transmission line conductors exhibit capacitance with respect to each
other due to the potential difference between them. The amount of
capacitance between conductors is a function of conductor size, spacing,
and height above ground. By definition, the capacitance C is the ratio of
charge q to the voltage v, given by

In AC power systems, a transmission line carries a time-varying voltage

different in each phase. This time-varying voltage causes the changes in
charges stored on conductors. Changing charges produce a changing
current, which will increase the current through the transmission line and
affect the power factor and voltage drop of the line. This changing current
will flow in a transmission line even if it is open circuited.
Consider a long round conductor with radius r, carrying a charge of q coulombs
per meter length as shown in the following Figure.

Electric field around a long round conductor.

The charge on the conductor gives rise to an electric field with radial flux lines. The
total electric flux is numerically equal to the value of charge on the conductor. The
intensity of the field at any point defined as the force per unit charge and is termed
electric field intensity designated as E. Concentric cylinders surrounding the
conductor are equipentential surfaces and have the same electric flux density.
From Gauss’s law for one meter length of the conductor, the electric flux
density at a cylinder of a radius x is given by

where A specifies a closed surface; dA is the unit vector normal to the

surface; q is the charge inside the surface; D is the electric flux density at the
surface:

The electric flux density D may be found from the relation:

where E is the electric field intensity at that point;  is the permittivity of the material:

Ԑ = ԐrԐo

Where r is Relative permittivity of the material

The permittivity of free space 0 = 8.8510-12 F/m
Capacitance and capacitive reactance Cont’d

Electric flux lines radiate uniformly outwards

from the surface of the conductor with a
positive charge on its surface. In this case, the
flux density vector D is always parallel to the
normal vector dA and is constant at all points
around a path of constant radius r. Therefore:

were l is the length of conductor; q is the

charge density; Q is the total charge on the
conductor.

Then the flux density is

The electric field intensity is

CAPACITANCE AND CAPACITIVE REACTANCE
CONT’D

The potential difference between two points P1 and P2 can be found as

where dl is a differential element tangential to the integration path

between P1 and P2. The path is irrelevant.

Selection of path can simplify calculations.

For P1 - Pint, vectors E and dl are parallel;
therefore, Edl = Edx. For Pint – P2 vectors
are orthogonal, therefore Edl = 0.\
 3.2.3.1 CAPACITANCE OF A SINGLE PHASE TWO-WIRE
TRANSMISSION LINE

The potential difference due to the

charge on conductor a can be
found as

Similarly, the potential difference due to the charge on conductor b is

or
CAPACITANCE OF A SINGLE PHASE TWO-WIRE TRANSMISSION
LINE CONT’D

The total voltage between the lines is

Since q1 = q2 = q, the equation reduces to

The capacitance per unit length between the two conductors of the line is
 CAPACITANCE OF A SINGLE PHASE TWO-WIRE TRANSMISSION
LINE CONT’D

Thus:

Which is the capacitance per unit length of a single-phase two-wire

transmission line.
The above Equation gives the line to line capacitance between
conductors. For the purpose of transmission line modeling, it is convenient
to define a capacitance C between each conductor and a neural as
illustrated in below.

The potential difference between each conductor and the ground (or
neutral) is one half of the potential difference between the two conductors.
Therefore, the capacitance to ground of this single-phase transmission
line will be
Recalling 𝜖0=8.85×10−12 𝐹/𝑚 and converting to 𝜇𝐹 per kilometer, we have

Analysis of the above final equation shows that:

1.The greater the spacing between the phases of a transmission line, the
lower the capacitance of the line. Since the phases of a high-voltage
overhead transmission line must be spaced further apart to ensure proper
insulation, a high-voltage line will have a lower capacitance than a low-
voltage line. Since the spacing between lines in buried cables is very
small, shunt capacitance of cables is much larger than the capacitance of
overhead lines. Cable lines are normally used for short transmission lines
(to min capacitance) in urban areas.
2.The greater the radius of the conductors in a transmission line, the
higher the capacitance of the line. Therefore, bundling increases the
capacitance. Good transmission line is a compromise among the
requirements for low series inductance, low shunt capacitance, and a
large enough separation to provide insulation between the phases.
 SHUNT CAPACITIVE ADMITTANCE
The shunt capacitive admittance of a transmission line depends on both
the capacitance of the line and the frequency of the power system.
Denoting the capacitance per unit length as c, the shunt admittance per
unit length will be

The total shunt capacitive admittance therefore is

where d is the length of the line. The corresponding capacitive reactance

is the reciprocal to the admittance:

1 1
ZC  j
YC 2 fcd
POTENTIAL DIFFERENCE IN A MULTICONDUCTOR CONFIGURATION

Consider n parallel long conductors with charges 𝑞1,𝑞2,…,𝑞𝑛 coulombs/meter as

shown in

Multi-conductor configuration.
Assume that the distortion effect is negligible and charge is uniformly distributed
around the conductor, with the following constraint
Using superposition, the potential difference between conductor I and j due to
the presence of all charges is given by:

When k=I, 𝐷𝑖𝑖 is the distance between the surface of the conductor and its
center, namely its radius r.

CAPACITANCE OF THREE PHASE LINES

Consider one meter length of a three phase line with three long conductors, each
with radius r, with conductor spacing as shown in the following figure:
 For a balanced three phase system

We shall neglect the effect of ground and the shield wires. Assume that the lines
is transposed. We proceed with the calculation of the potential difference
between a and b for each section of transposition. Applying ( 80) to the first
section of the transposition, 𝑉_𝑎𝑏 is
 EFFECT OF EARTH ON THE CAPACITANCE

For an isolated charged conductor the electric flux lines are radial and are
orthogonal to the cylindrical equipotential surfaces. The presence of earth will
alter the distribution of electric flux lines and equipotential surfaces, which will
change the effective capacitance of the line.

The earth level is an equipotential surface, therefore the flux lines are forced to
cut the surface of the earth orthogonally. The effect of the presence of earth can
be accounted for by the method of image charges introduced by Kelvin.
To illustrate this method, consider a conductor with a charge q coulombs/meter at a
high H above ground. Also, imagine a charge –q at a depth –H below the surface of
earth. This configuration without the presence of the earth surface will produce the
same field distribution as a single charge and the earth surface. Thus, the earth can
be replaced for the calculation of electric field potential by a fictitious charged
conductor with charge equal and opposite to the charge on the actual conductor and
at a depth below the surface of the earth the same as the height of the actual
conductor above earth. This, imaginary conductor is called the image of the actual
conductor.
The effect of the earth is to increase the capacitance. But normally the height of
the conductor is large as compared to the distance between the conductors, and
the earth effect is negligible. Therefore, for all line models used for balanced
steady state analysis, the effect of earth on the capacitance can be neglected.
However, for unbalanced analysis such as unbalanced faults, the earth’s effect as
well as the shield wires should be considered.

Example 1:
If a single phase line has parameters D=5ft, r=0.023 ft, and a flat horizontal spacing
H=18ft average line height, determine the effect of the earth on capacitance.
Assume a perfectly conducting earth plane.
Solution:
The earth plane is replaced by a separate image for each overhead conductor, and
the conductors are charged as shown in the above figure. The voltages between
conductors x and y is:
Example 2:
A 500kV three phase transposed line is composed of one ACSR 1,272,000 cmil,
45/7 Bittern conductor per phase with horizontal conductor configuration as shown
in the following Figure. The conductors have a diameter of 1.345 in and a GMR of
0.5328 in. find the inductance and capacitance per phase per kilometer of the line.

Figure: conductor layout for the three phase transmission line

EXAMPLE 3:
An 8000 V, 60 Hz, single-phase, transmission line consists of two hard-
drawn aluminum conductors with a radius of 2 cm spaced 1.2 m apart. If
the transmission line is 30 km long and the temperature of the conductors
is 200C,
a.What is the series resistance per kilometer of this line?
b.What is the series inductance per kilometer of this line?
c.What is the shunt capacitance per kilometer of this line?
d.What is the total series reactance of this line?
e.What is the total shunt admittance of this line?
Solution:
a. The series resistance of the transmission line is
l
R
A
Ignoring the skin effect, the resistivity of the line at 200 will be 2.8310-8 -
m and the resistance per kilometer of the line is
l2.83 108 1000
r   0.0225 km
A   0.02 2
 SOLUTION CONT’D

b. The series inductance per kilometer of the transmission line is

1 D 1 1.2  3

l   ln   1000    ln   1000  1.738  10 H km
 4 r  4 0.02 
c. The shunt capacitance per kilometer of the transmission line is

   8.854 1012
cab  1000  1000  6.794 109 F km
D 1.2
ln ln
r 0.02
d. The series impedance per kilometer of the transmission line is

zse  r  jx  r  j 2 fl  0.0225  j 2  60 1.738 103  0.0225  j0.655 km

Then the total series impedance of the line is

Z se   0.0225  j 0.655  30  0.675  j19.7

 SOLUTION CONT’D

e. The shunt admittance per kilometer of the transmission line is

yC  j 2 fc  j 2  60  6.794 109  j 2.561106 S m

The total shunt admittance will be

Yse   j 2.561106   30  j 7.684 105 S

The corresponding shunt capacitive reactance is

1 1
Z sh   5
  j13.0k 
Ysh j 7.684 10