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Modeling mid-Span taps, mid-span phase transpositions and phase spacers
Mid-Span taps (Flying taps), mid-span phase transpositions and phase spacers are able to be modeled in PLS-
CADD. To do so PLS-CADD, SAPS and either PLS-POLE or TOWER is required. To model all of these scenarios
structure models are created in PLS-POLE or TOWER that have joints defined that are free to move and rotate.
When insulators are attached to these joints it is possible to create Method 4 structures to represent various
taps or phase transpositions that happen along a span between structures. These Method 4 structures consist of
joints and insulators that can be spotted in a PLS-CADD model and sections can be attached to the insulators of
these Method 4 structure models. To display the interaction between these free joints in the structure models
and the sections in the PLS-CADD model Level 4 SAPS Finite Element assumptions will have to be used. This can
be selected in PLS-CADD within the menu command Criteria/SAPS Finite Element Sag-Tension. None of the
other levels will be able to appropriately display the wire with the interaction between the sections. Please note
that convergence of these specialty scenarios is not guaranteed and can be dependent on the other spans and
structures in the sections and how flexible they are in L4 analysis.

Attached in this technical note is a PLS-CADD model that uses either a PLS-POLE or TOWER model to show mid-
span tap examples, phase transposition examples and interphase spacers. You can switch between the different
examples in PLS-CADD by using the Lines/Edit command..

Mid-Span Taps

Mid-Span taps (Flying taps) are possible in PLS-CADD with the use of PLS-POLE or TOWER structures and Level 4
SAPS analysis. The procedure below describes how Mid-Span tap structures can be created and spotted in a

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PLS-CADD model. Structure models created in PLS-POLE or TOWER can be added to a PLS-CADD model with
clamps for the through section of the span and strain insulators for the taps.

1. The first step in creating this structure is to create joints in the model using Geometry/Joints in PLS-
POLE or Geometry/Primary Joints... in TOWER and setting the displacement and rotations to Free for
the X, Y & Z direction.

2. Next the clamp and strain insulators are attached to the joints created in the previous step by assigning
them to the Structure Attach column within the respective Insulator Connectivity tables. The strain
insulator can have length and/or weight or could be just a point like a clamp insulator.

3. The set and phase numbers will need to be assigned for each of the insulators within PLS-POLE or
TOWER with the menu command Geometry/PLS-CADD/Insulator Link….
4. In PLS-CADD determine the wire condition and temperature at which you want to model the mid-span
tap and display the span at this condition.
5. Add the mid-span structure to the model. This can be done by both snapping to the section at the
location where you want the tap inserted (see 5a) or with the use of survey points created along the
section (see 5b). When inserting the mid-span tap structure into the PLS-CADD model care should be
taken so that the cable attachment points for all phases align with the sections where the tap will occur.
The menu command Drafting/Show Cable Attachment Points can graphically show the attachment
points of the structure.
a. When inserting a mid-tap span structure into a PLS-CADD model it may be helpful to update the
entity snap settings so that the cursor just snaps to wires. This is done with the menu command
View/Entity Info Snap Settings... in PLS-CADD. When the cursor is snapped to a wire the status
bar at the bottom of the screen can be viewed to verify the phase and location. When the
desired location for the mid-span tap is located the user can left-click the mouse and select Add
XY structure….

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 b. An alternative method is to create survey points along the span where the tap is being modeled
so that the conductor attachment points for the mid-span tap structure can be positioned at the
correct location. To do so use the Sections/ Table and use the Create Survey Points Along Wire
command in the Command to Apply column of the table for the section in question.

Then the menu command Structures/Add/XY Structure/At Survey Point can be used to add a
structure to this survey point along the wire. It is also possible to use alignment based tructures
which can be added with the menu command Structures/Add/Along Alignment and then move
the structure to the correct survey point with the command Structures/Move/On Snap....
6. After inserting the mid-span tap structure into the PLS-CADD model the mainline sections will need to
be attached to the clamp insulators. The command Sections/ Swap Attachments will allow the selection
of a wire and allow the user to drag the wire to an attachment point on the mid-span structure. The

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 status bar can help the user to select the set:phase associated with the clamp insulators on the mid-
span structure.

7. Then use the Sections/ Add Graphical to string between the mid-span structure and the structure the
tap will connect to. This new section should attach to the strain insulators at the mid-span tap structure.
When adding this tap the horizontal tension of the sections that make up the tap will need to be
defined. PLS-CADD is not capable of stringing vertical wires, so if the tap is vertical a small offset is
needed so the wire attachments are not in a vertical plane.
8. Then you can use the Sections/ Table to clip all the sections so they are displayed in FE cable condition.
9. Finally the only way to display the interaction between these sections is to go to the Criteria/SAPS Finite
Element Sag-Tension and choose to display the sections in L4. None of the other levels will be able to
appropriately display the wire with the interaction between the sections. Do not select Use Level 2
modeling for display and insulator swing calculations or the display weather conditions will not show L4
display options.

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Phase Transpositions

Phase transpositions can be modeled in PLS-CADD with the use of PLS-POLE or TOWER structures and jumpers in
PLS-CADD. Modeling these transpositions requires SAPS for the finite element capabilities to model jumpers and
Level 4 SAPS analysis to attach insulators to structure files with free joints. To model a phase transposition you
can use the following method:

1. The first step in creating this phase transposition structure is to create joints in the model using
Geometry/Joints in PLS-POLE or Geometry/Primary Joints... in TOWER. These joints will need to be
positioned in such a way that they represent the distance between the phases of the overhead line. The
displacement and rotations for these joints should be set to Free for the X, Y & Z direction.

2. Properties for clamps and strain insulators need to be defined. For the strain insulators the length,
weight and wind area will represent the insulators used to separate the phases at the transposition. The
clamp and strain insulators are attached to the joint created in the previous step by assigning them to
the Structure Attach column within the respective Insulator Connectivity tables.

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 3. Next, the set and phase will need to be assigned for each of the insulators with the command
Geometry/PLS-CADD/Insulator Link.... When assigning the set & phase for the clamps and strain
insulators select YES for the Dead-End column. The insulators are required to be classified as Dead-End
attachment points because to model jumpers they must begin and end on a dead-end attachment point.
This mid-span transposition structure also needs to have all three phases included in a set and will not
work with three individual mid-span structures compromised with one set: one phase for each
structure.
4. Save your phase transposition structure within PLS-POLE or TOWER.
5. Insert the phase transposition structure into the PLS-CADD model. It is helpful to update the entity snap
settings to just Wires using the menu command View/Entity Info Snap Settings.... When your cursor is
snapped to the correct location left-click on the mouse and select add XY Structure…

It is also possible to add this structure as an alignment based structure but the user will have to adjust
the height of the structure so that is attached at the proper height of the wires.
6. When an XY structure is inserted its orientation angle is zero. Verify the orientation and location of the
phase transposition structure after it has been inserted so that the attachment points correspond and
update if necessary. The command Drafting/Show Cable Attachment Points can help graphically show
the location of the phase transposition structure attachment points. For the screenshot below the
orientation angle had to be updated.

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 7. Attach the sections to the phase transposition structure with the command Sections/Swap Attachments
and left-click on a wire and drag it to the appropriate attachment point on the structure. You should
receive the warning below telling you the software will now split the sections to attach to the dead-end
attachment points on the phase transposition structure.

8. Next update the stringing so that the sections attach to the set:phases associated with the strain
insulators on one side of the phase transposition structure and the clamp insulators on the other side of
the phase transposition structure. The menu command Sections/Modify and using the Edit Stringing
button or menu command Sections/Swap Attachments can help achieve this stringing configuration
shown below.

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 9. The next step is to add jumpers to model the phase transposition. First activate the jumpers within
Criteria/SAPS Finite Element Sag-Tension....

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 10. Next use the menu command Structures/Jumpers/Add or the Jumpers button within the Structure
Modify dialog. When creating the jumpers make sure to enter the proper sag or length for the jumper.

11. Finally the circuits and phases can be updated. To do so the graphical methods with the menu command
Sections/Electric/Edit Circuit Connection or tabular method Sections/Electric/Define Circuits and
Phases/Table... can be used to update the circuit and phase. The jumpers will help link the phase labels
between the back and ahead spans at the phase transposition structure.

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Phase Spacers

Phase spacers can be modeled in PLS-CADD using two methods. A simplistic approach is to add concentrated
loads at the locations of the phase spacers to represent the weight and wind area of the phase spacers. This
does not account for the interaction of the phases being tied together, but this simplification of the interphase
spacers will be quicker to model, and allows the use of ruling span assumptions or L2 SAPS finite element
analysis options.

Another method is with the use of PLS-POLE or TOWER structures and Level 4 SAPS Finite-Element analysis. This
requires adding method 4 structures that consist of insulators tied to free joints within a PLS-POLE or TOWER
file. The steps below describe the process to construct and add method 4 PLS-POLE or TOWER structures that
represent the phase spacers and effectively tie phases together. The effect of tying the phases of a circuit
together can be graphically seen by toggling between different display weather cases and the weight of the
spacers are accounted for in sag-tension calculations and in clearance checks. However, one report where these
spacers cannot account for the effect of the phases being tied together is the galloping report. This is because
the galloping ellipses that simulate the theoretical envelopes of a galloping conductor are based on nominal
methods using span lengths and modeling the interphase spacers will effectively shorten span lengths between
structures.

When creating a method 4 structure in PLS-POLE or TOWER there are two methods that can be used:

a) The first method uses clamp insulators attached to joints that are free to move and rotate and then
model the phase spacer as a brace in PLS-POLE or a member in TOWER. This will effectively tie the
phases together for sag-tension calculations and clearance calculations. However, because PLS-CADD

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 defaults to displaying the undeformed geometry of structures and the brace and angle are structural
members, so this type of phase spacer does not graphically move with the wires. The effective wire
position will be shown correctly accounting for the spacer, but the brace will remain in its original
position.
b) The second method involves attaching a clamp and rigid suspension insulators to a single free joint that
is free to move and rotate. The suspension insulators are used to represent the phase spacer. This will
effectively tie the phases together for sag-tension calculations and clearance calculations. With this sort
of structure the insulators will move with the wires and can be seen graphically when different weather
cases are displayed. However, with this method there are some small differences in the unstressed
lengths of cables between the phases. So the sag and tension values between the phases are similar but
not exactly the same like they would be using the first method.
Both of these methods are described below and contained within the bak file associated with the technical note.
The method using braces will be under the a. bullets and the suspension insulator method will be under the b.
bullets.
1) The first step in creating this structure is to create joints in the model using Geometry/Joints in PLS-
POLE or Geometry/Primary Joints... in TOWER and setting the displacement and rotations to Free for
the X, Y & Z direction.
a) Three joints should be created so that they are spaced in the Y direction the same distance as the
phases are separated.

b) One joint should be created.

2) Attach insulators to the joints created in the previous step by assigning them to the Structure Attach
column within the respective Insulator Connectivity tables.
a) Create properties for a clamp insulator. Attach a clamp insulator at each of the three joints created
in the previous step. Next, for a model using PLS-POLE create a brace with a length, weight and
dimensions representing a phase spacer.

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 Attach the brace between the joints created in the previous step.

In TOWER a member representing the phase spacer will need to be created. The Steel Material and
Angle Properties will need to be completed in the Components menu.

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 Next add members between the joints created in the previous steps with the menu command
Geometry/Members/Add...

b) Create properties for a clamp insulator and a suspension insulator. The suspension insulator will
represent the phase spacer and the length, weight, and wind area will represent the physical
characteristics of the spacer. The suspension insulator should also be defined as a rigid insulator.

Attach all three insulators to the single joint created in the previous step.
3) Next, the set and phase will need to be assigned for each of the insulators with the command
Geometry/PLS-CADD/Insulator Link.... When assigning the set & phase for the clamps and suspension
insulators select NO for the Dead-End column. For a reference see the example structures named
interphase spacer for both PLS-POLE and TOWER for the within the bak file associated with the technical
note.
4) In PLS-CADD determine the wire condition and temperature at which you want to tap the span and
display the span at this condition.
5) Go to the Sections/ Table and clip the insulators.
6) Add the interphase structures to the model on sections and locations where interphase spacers are
required.
a) It also may be helpful to go to the Sections/ Table use the Create Survey Points Along Wire
command in the Command to Apply column of the table for the sections in question. Then add
interphase spacers with the menu command Structures/Add/XY Structure/At Survey Point.

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 b) Insert the phase spacer structure into the PLS-CADD model. It is helpful to update the entity snap
settings to just Wires using the menu command View/Entity Info Snap Settings.... When your cursor
is snapped to the correct location left-click on the mouse and select add XY Structure…
c) It’s also possible to use alignment based structures to represent interphase spacers which can be
added with the menu command Structures/Add/Along Alignment.
7) After inserting the interphase spacer structures into the PLS-CADD model the menu command
Sections/Swap Attachments can be used to connect the sections to the proper set:phase of the phase
spacer.
8) Finally the only way to display the interaction between these sections is to go to the Criteria/SAPS Finite
Element Sag-Tension and choose to display the sections in L4. None of the other levels will be able to
appropriately display the wire with the interaction between the sections and structures. Do not select
Use Level 2 modeling for display and insulator swing calculations or the display weather conditions will
not show L4 analysis results.

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