Since the completion of the first EPRI advanced conductor demonstration project, several different advanced conductors have been installed in the United States and overseas. This report includes several case studies, providing the readers with a source of reference and insights into the rationale that justified the selection of a particular advanced conductor. The basis for the selection of an advanced conductor could vary from technical, economical, time restraint, and other merits. Table 1 gives an overview of the case studies in this report.
Table 1. Overview of the conductor case studies
| Section | Utility | Conductor Used | Voltages | What Was Done |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | BPA | ACCR (3M) | 500 kV | Replaced a single conductor with a bundled system without modifying towers. |
| 3 | Southern Company | ACCR (3M) | 115 kV 230 kV | Uprated the single circuit while maintaining mechanical loadings and clearances. Uprated one circuit of the double-circuit towers while maintaining the mechanical loading and clearances. |
| 4 | Western Area Power Administration (WAPA) | ACCR (3M) | 230 kV strain bus bar | Uprated the substation strain bus bar using same diameter conductor meeting the original mechanical and sag requirements. |
| 5 | AECC | ACCR (3M) | 161 kV | Uprated the line meeting the clearance requirements on a river crossing using the existing structures. |
| 6 | Entergy | ACCR (3M) | 230 kV | Uprated the line using the existing steel poles maintaining the sag profile. |
| 7 | Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) | ACCR/TW (3M) | 138 kV | Uprated four spans of a line over of a lake crossing, meeting required clearance for sailing, considering extra ice loading on conductors. |
| 8 | CenterPoint Energy | ACCR/TW | 345 kV | New line constructed, replacing existing twin bundle conductor on lattice towers line using new structures with a single conductor. |
| 9 | American Electric Power (AEP) | ACCC/TW (CTC Global) | 138 kV 161 kV 345 kV | Uprated existing lines on constrained right of way, minimizing structure modifications and keeping the required clearance. |
| 10 | Cheyenne Light, Fuel and Power Transmission | ACCC E3X (CTC Global, E3X Prysmian) | 115 kV | Uprated one circuit of a double-circuit line due to a large and unexpected load increase, keeping original structures and mechanical load limits. |
| 11 | Nevada Power | ACCC (CTC Global) | 220 kV | Uprated the line capacity requirement from 300 A to 1000 A, keeping the existing structures and the desired clearances. |
| 12 | Cross Timbers | ACSS ACCR (3M) | 345 kV | ACSS was used for lower sag at maximum operating temperature. Used ACCR at higher tension to avoid in-river structures on a river crossing with flat terrain. |
| 13 | Southern California Edison | ACCC (CTC Global) | 115 kV | Eliminated sag restrictions and made use of the existing towers. |
| 14 | Avista | ACSS E3X (General Cable) | 115 kV | Uprated existing line on constrained right of way while minimizing structural changes. |
| 15 | Arizona Public Service | ACCS-C7 (Southwire) | 69 kV | Increased the number of 69-kV underbuilt circuits in a 230-kV double-circuit structure to meet the load growth. |
| 16 | AES Eletropaulo (Brazil) | ACPR Lo-Sag (Nexans) | 138 kV | Built a new double-circuit line with meeting the mechanical, thermal, and and right-of-way restrictions. |
| 17 | Elia | ACPR Lo-Sag (Nexans) | 380 kV | Uprated the single conductor double-circuit with a twin bundle configuration. One circuit adopted used the lo-sag conductor. |
| 18 | Northern Ireland Electricity | ZTACIR G(Z)TACSR | Double circuit 110 kV Single circuit 110 kV | Uprated a double-circuit using invar conductors, as well as a single-circuit H wood frame with Gap conductors, without any structural modification. |
| 19 | Tenaga Nasional Berhad (Malaysia) | ACCC (CTC Global) | 275 kV | Built a new line allowing increased capacity and lower line losses over baseline ACSR design. |
| 20 | City Power (Johannesburg, South Africa) | HVCRC (Mercury Cable and Energy) | 88 kV | Doubled the capacity of the network under peak loading conditions, keeping the existing towers and maintaining clearances. |
| 21 | TIWAG-Netz AG | ZTACIR | 220 kV | Increased the line capacity required for meeting N-1 constraints during outages while maintaining clearances. |
| 22 | State Grid (Ningxia) | TS (TS Conductor) | 330 kV | Increased the ratings of a 10-mi (16.1-km) section of the line, using the existing structures. |
| 23 | CEMIG (Brazil) | ACFR (Alubar) GZTACSR (Sumitomo) ACCC (CTC Global) | 138 kV | Uprated urban double-circuit urban lines to 138 kV. |
ACCC = aluminum conductor composite core; ACCR = aluminum conductor composite reinforced; ACFR = aluminum conductor carbon fiber reinforced; ACPR = aluminum conductor polymer reinforced; ACSR = aluminum conductor steel reinforced; ACSS = aluminum conductor steel supported; E3X = high emissivity coating applied to the outer aluminum strands of overhead conductors; G(Z)TACSR = zirconium aluminum alloy ACSR conductor; and (Z)TACIR (Invar) = zirconium alloy aluminum conductor invar steel-reinforced conductor.