The Impact of Interphase Spacers on Galloping Control of Three-Phase Iced Eight-Bundled Transmission Lines: An Experimental Study

Abstract

This study aims to conduct galloping experiments using a full aeroelastic model to investigate the galloping controlling effects of interphase spacers with different kinds of arrangements on three-phase iced eight-bundled transmission lines. A low-speed wind tunnel was designed and built to assess the compact transmission lines on a single span. The similarity conditions between the aeroelastic model and the prototype were determined by the similarity theory and the proposed modification method. Four common arrangements of interphase spacers were considered. Compared with the situation without interphase spacers, the composite amplitude reduction rate of the first two modes and amplitude reduction rate varying with wind speed were evaluated. Then, the anti-galloping effects of interphase spacers were investigated and the controlling effects of interphase spacers on the interphase distance were analyzed. Besides, the corresponding arrangements under different conditions were determined. In addition, the galloping phenomena varying with wind speed were explored. The results suggested that their galloping phenomena were changed because of the effects of interphase spacers, and coupling effects of interphase spacers with different arrangements were different. This research could be used to estimate the positions of interphase spacers and offered a theoretical foundation for the anti-galloping design of transmission lines.