Evaluation of Carbon Fiber Cables in Transmission Lines

Abstract

This article aims to present a technical alternative to improve the electrical conductivity in Transmission Lines (TL) and provide greater energy efficiency by using an Aluminum Conductor Composite Core (ACCC) instead of the most common conductor, the Aluminum Conductor Steel Reinforced (ACSR RAIL). Designated as a simulation line in this article, an existing TL with 500 kV and 181 km in length was considered, in order to study the exchange of four ACSR RAIL conductors per phase. Initially, the physical characteristics of these two types of conductors were compared, and the advantages of the other types of ACCC cables were considered. The technical analyses carried out were the corona effect, electrical parameters, losses by the Joule effect, the increasing of ampacity and reduction in the tower weight. The main contribution of the present manuscript is to perform this study considering all the previously mentioned parameters simultaneously. In general, conductors with a carbon fiber core presented a great potential for energy efficiency; indeed, considering some specific parameters analyzed in this research, the conductor ACCC PRAGUE could achieve an energy efficiency of 48.5%.