Bundle conductors in

transmission line

By: Chandna kumar

What is Transmission Line

Transmission Line cont.

Electric-power transmission is the bulk transfer of
electrical energy, from generating power plants to
electrical substations located near demand centers.
Historically, transmission and distribution lines were owned by
the same company, but starting in the 1990s, many countries
have liberalized the regulation of the electricity market in
ways that have led to the separation of the electricity
transmission business from the distribution business.
Transmission lines, when interconnected with each other,
become transmission networks. The combined transmission
and distribution network is known as the "power grid"

Problem In Transmission Line

Electricity is transmitted at high voltages (120kV or above) to
reduce the energy losses in long-distance transmission.
One of the key concerns in the transmission of electricity is
the power loss in transmission lines, dissipated as heat due to
the resistance of the conductors.

High-voltage transmission lines are used to transmit electric

power over long distances. Normally, high voltage (HV)
transmission power lines are made of high voltage (between
138 and 765 kilovolts) conducting lines of copper and/or
aluminum.

Bundle Conductors
Bundled Conductors are used in transmission
lines where the voltage exceeds 230 kV.
At such high voltages, ordinary conductors will
result in excessive corona and noise which may
affect communication lines.
The increased corona will result in significant
power loss. Bundle conductors consist of three
or four conductors for each phase.
The conductors are separated from each other
by means of spacers at regular intervals. Thus,
they do not touch each other.

How Bundle Conductor Work.

for extra high voltage lines corona causes a large problem if the
conductor has only one conductor per phase. Corona occurs
when the surface potential gradient of a conductor exceeds the
dielectric strength of the surrounding air.
This causes ionization of the area near the conductor. Corona
produces power loss. It also causes interference with
communication channels. Corona manifests itself with a hissing
sound and ozone discharge. Since most long distance power
lines in India are either 220 kV or 400 kV, avoidance of the
occurrence of corona is desirable.

 The high voltage surface gradient is reduced considerably by

having two or more conductors per phase in close proximity.
This is called conductor bundling .
The conductors are bundled in groups of two, three or four .
The conductors of a bundle are separated at regular intervals
with spacer dampers that prevent clashing of the conductors
and prevent them from swaying in the wind. They also
connect the conductors in parallel.

Advantage Of Bundle Conductor

Bundled conductors are primarily employed to reduce the corona loss and
radio interference. However they have several advantages:
Bundled conductors per phase reduces the voltage gradient in the vicinity of
the line. Thus reduces the possibility of the corona discharge. (Corona effect
will be observed when the air medium present between the phases charged
up and start toionizeand acts as a conducting medium. This is avoided by
employing bundled conductors)
Improvement in the transmissionefficiencyas loss due to corona effect is
countered.

Advantage Cont..
Bundled conductor lines will have higher capacitance to neutral
incomparisonwith single lines. Thus they will havehighercharging
currents which helps in improving the power factor.
Bundled conductor lines will have higher capacitance and lower
inductance than ordinary lines they will have higher Surge
Impedance Loading (Z=(L/C)1/2). Higher Surge Impedance Loading
(SIL) will have higher maximum power transfer ability.
With increase in self GMD or GMR inductance per phase will be
reduced compared to single conductor line. This results in lesser
reactance per phase compared to ordinary single line. Hence lesser
loss due to reactance drop.

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