Capacitance of Overhead Transmission Lines

Demonstrative Video


Overview

  • Lecture-12: Capacitance of Single-Phase TL

  • Lecture-13: Capacitance of a Three-Phase TL

  • Lecture-14: Effect of Earth on Capacitance of the TL

  • Lecture-15: Capacitance Calculations for Bundle Conductors


Introduction to Capacitance of a TL

  • Due to potential difference between the conductor

    \[C = \dfrac{q}{V}\]
  • Gauss’s law for electric field:

    • total \(q\) within a closed surface equal total electric flux emerging from the surface

  • Between parallel conductors

    • \(C\) is a constant

    • depends on the size and spacing of the conductors

  • Power lines less than 80 Km \(\Longrightarrow\) \(C\) is slight and neglected

  • For longer HV lines \(C\) becomes important

  • AC voltage \(\Longrightarrow\) charge \(\Longrightarrow\) Charging current \((I_c)\)

  • \(I_c\) flows even when the TL is open-circuited

    1. affects the voltage drop along the lines

    2. Efficiency and power factor

    3. Stability of the system


Electric field of a long straight conductor

  • If the conductor lies in uniform medium such as air and isolated from other charges then \(q\) is uniformly distributed around its periphery and the flux is radial

image
Lines of electric flux originating from positive charge
  • \[D_f = \dfrac{q}{2 \pi x}~C/m^2\]
    m from the conductor: flux leaving the conductor per m of length divided by the area of the surface in an axial length of 1m The electric flux density at
  • \[E = \dfrac{q}{2 \pi x \epsilon}~V/m\]
    \(\epsilon =\)
    \(q =\)The electric field intensity

Potential difference between two points due to a charge

  • \(V = W/q\) and \(E = F/q\)

  • \(+ve\) charge on the conductor exerts a repelling force on a \(+ve\) charge placed in the field

image
path of integration between two points external to the conductor
  • \(P_1\) is at higher potential than \(P_2\)

  • work must be done to move from \(P_2\) to \(P_1\)

  • \[v_{12}=\intop_{D_{1}}^{D_{2}}E\cdot dx=\intop_{D_{1}}^{D_{2}}\dfrac{q}{2\pi\varepsilon x}\cdot dx=\dfrac{q}{2\pi\varepsilon}ln\dfrac{D_{2}}{D_{1}}~V\]
    and Instantaneous voltage drop between
  • Voltage drop may be +ve or -ve, depends on

    • \(q\) is +ve or -ve

    • voltage drop is computed near to far or vice versa


Capacitance of a two-wire line

image
cross-section of a parallel wire line
  • \[v_{ab}=\begin{array}{c} \underbrace{\dfrac{q_{a}}{2\pi\varepsilon}ln\dfrac{D}{r_{a}}}\\ \mbox{due to }q_{a} \end{array}+\begin{array}{c} \underbrace{\dfrac{q_{b}}{2\pi\varepsilon}ln\dfrac{r_{b}}{D}}\\ \mbox{due to }q_{b} \end{array}~V\]
    is the sum of each charge on the conductor alone to By principle of superposition the voltage drop from
  • \[v_{ab} =\dfrac{q_{a}}{2\pi\varepsilon}\left(ln\dfrac{D}{r_{a}}-ln\dfrac{r_{b}}{D}\right)=\dfrac{q_{a}}{2\pi\varepsilon}ln\dfrac{D^{2}}{r_{a}r_{b}}~V\]
    for a two-wire line Since,
  • \[C_{ab}=\dfrac{q_{a}}{V_{ab}}=\dfrac{2\pi\varepsilon}{ln\left(D^{2}/r_{a}r_{b}\right)}~F/m\]
    The capacitance between conductors

If \(r_{a}=r_{b}=r\)

equation* C_ab= F/m

equation* C_n=C_an=C_bn== F/m

NOTE: \(r\) used in \(C\) calculation is actual radius of the conductor, unlike use of GMR in \(L\)

  • \[X_{c}=\dfrac{1}{2\pi fC_{n}}=\dfrac{2.862}{f}\times10^{9}ln\dfrac{D}{r}~\Omega m\]
    The capacitive reactance between one conductor and neutral