CHAPTER FIVE

CHARACTERISTIC AND PERFORMANCE OF

POWER TRANSMISSION LINES

❑ Representation of transmission lines

❑ Short, medium and long transmission lines
❑ Power flow through transmission lines
❑ Reactive power compensation of transmission lines
 REPRESENTATION OF TRANSMISSION LINES

• The transmission lines are categorized as three types-

1) Short transmission line:- the line length is up to 80 km and the operating
voltage is < 20 kV.
2) Medium transmission line:- the line length is between 80 km to 160 km
and the operating voltage is > 20 kV and < 100kV
3) Long transmission line :- the line length is more than 160 km and the
operating voltage is >100 kV
 ….CONT’D

• Whatever may be the category of transmission line, the main aim is to transmit
power from one end to another.

• Like other electrical system, the transmission network also will have some power
loss and voltage drop during transmitting power from sending end to receiving
end.

• Hence, performance of transmission line can be determined by its efficiency

and voltage regulation
….CONT’D
 SHORT TRANSMISSION LINE

• The transmission lines which have length less than 80 km are generally referred
as short transmission lines.

• For short length, the shunt capacitance of this type of line is neglected and
other parameters like electrical resistance and inductor of these short lines are
lumped, hence the equivalent circuit and vector diagram is represented as
given below considering receiving end current Ir as reference,

• The sending end and receiving end voltages make angle with that reference
receiving end current, of φs and φr, respectively.
Fig 5.1representation of a short transmission line
 ….CONT’D

• As stated earlier, the effects of line capacitance are neglected for a short
transmission line.

• Therefore, while studying the performance of such a line, only resistance and
inductance of the line are taken into account.

• Here, the total line resistance and inductance are shown as concentrated or
lumped instead of being distributed. The circuit is a simple a.c. series circuit.
 ….CONT’D

• Let
✓I = load current

✓R = loop resistance i.e., resistance of both conductors

✓XL= loop reactance

✓VR = receiving end voltage

✓cos φR = receiving end power factor (lagging)

✓ VS= sending end voltage

✓cos φS= sending end power factor

From the right angled triangle ODC, we get,
….CONT’D
 MEDIUM TRANSMISSION LINES
• In short transmission line calculations, the effects of the line capacitance are
neglected because such lines have smaller lengths and transmit power at
relatively low voltages (< 20 kV).

• However, as the length and voltage of the line increase, the capacitance
gradually becomes of greater importance.
 ….CONT’D
• Since medium transmission lines have sufficient length (50-150 km) and usually
operate at voltages greater than 20 kV, the effects of capacitance cannot be
neglected.

• Therefore, in order to obtain reasonable accuracy in medium transmission line

calculations, the line capacitance must be taken into consideration.
 ….CONT’D

• The capacitance is uniformly distributed over the entire length of the line.

• However, in order to make the calculations simple, the line capacitance is

assumed to be lumped or concentrated in the form of capacitors shunted
across the line at one or more points.

• Such a treatment of localizing the line capacitance gives reasonably accurate

results.

• The most commonly used methods (known as localized capacitance

methods) for the solution of medium transmissions lines are:-
 ….CONT’D
( i) End condenser method
( ii) Nominal T method
( iii) Nominal π method.

• Although the above methods are used for obtaining the performance
calculations of medium lines, they can also be used for short lines if their
line capacitance is given in a particular problem.
 ….CONT’D
(i)End Condenser Method

• In this method, the capacitance of the line is lumped or concentrated at the

receiving or load end as shown in Fig.

• This method of localising the line capacitance at the load end overestimates
the effects of capacitance.

• In Fig, one phase of the 3-phase transmission line is shown as it is more

convenient to work in phase instead of line-to-line values.
….CONT’D
 ….CONT’D
• Let

I R= load current per phase

R = resistance per phase

XL= inductive reactance per phase

C = capacitance per phase

cos φR= receiving end power factor ( lagging)

VS= sending end voltage per phase

• The phasor diagram for the circuit is shown in Fig Taking the receiving end
voltage VR as the reference phasor,
 ….CONT’D

• The sending end current Is is the phasor sum of load current IR and
capacitive current IC i.e. ,
 ….CONT’D
• Limitations
Although end condenser method for the solution of medium lines is simple to
work out calculations, yet it has the following drawbacks :
(i) There is a considerable error (about 10%) in calculations because the
distributed capacitance has been assumed to be lumped or concentrated.

• (ii) This method overestimates the effects of line capacitance.

 II)NOMINAL T METHOD
• In this method, the whole line capacitance is assumed to be concentrated at
the middle point of the line and half the line resistance and reactance are
lumped on its either side as shown in Fig.

• Therefore, in this arrangement, full charging current flows over half the line.

• In Fig. one phase of 3-phase transmission line is shown as it is advantageous to

work in phase instead of line-to-line values.
….CONT’D
 ….CONT’D
• Let
IR = load current per phase ;

R = resistance per phase

XL = inductive reactance per phase ;

C = capacitance per phase

cos φR = receiving end power factor ( lagging) ;

VS= sending end voltage/phase

V1 = voltage across capacitor C
The phasor diagram for the circuit is shown in Fig. Taking the receiving end
voltage VR as the reference phasor, we have,
….CONT’D
….CONT’D
 III) NOMINAL Π METHOD

• In this method, capacitance of each conductor ( i.e., line to neutral) is divided

into two halves; one half being lumped at the sending end and the other half
at the receiving end as shown in Fig.

• It is obvious that capacitance at the sending end has no effect on the line
drop.

• However, its charging current must be added to line current in order to obtain
the total sending end current
….CONT’D
 ….CONT’D
• Let
IR = load current per phase

R = resistance per phase

XL = inductive reactance per phase

C = capacitance per phase

cos φR = receiving end power factor ( lagging)

VS= sending end voltage per phase

The phasor diagram for the circuit is shown in Fig.

Taking the receiving end voltage as the reference phasor, we have,

….CONT’D
EXAMPLES
….CONT’D
….CONT’D
 ….CONT’D

3)
EXERCISES1
EXERCISES 2
 POWER FLOW THROUGH TRANSMISSION LINE

• • MW flow on a transmission facility is the result of the resistive component (R)

• Real power is measured in watts (W) and is in-phase with the load
• VAR flow on a transmission facility is the result of the reactive component (X)
• VARs supply magnetizing current for inductive loads and charging current for
capacitive loads
 REACTIVE POWER COMPENSATION IN TRANSMISSION LINE
• Reactive power (VAR) compensation is the control of reactive power to
enhance the performance of AC system.

• The important features are:

I. Load Compensation – The aim of load compensation is to boost the power
factor of the system, to support the real power drawn from the system, to
compensate the voltage regulation and to remove current harmonics.
II. Voltage Support – The aim of voltage support is to reduce the voltage
variations at a given terminal of transmission line.
 NECESSITY OF REACTIVE POWER COMPENSATION
I. AC power source generates the reactive power.

• In the first quarter part of AC cycle, capacitor or reactor stores the reactive
power (VAR) and in the next quarter cycle, the reactive power gets returned
back to the AC power source.

• Thus the reactive power moves back-and-forth between AC source and

capacitor or reactor at a frequency double the rated frequency.

• So in order to prevent to-and-fro movement of reactive power between the

load and source it has to be controlled.
 ….CONT’D
II. To adjust the power factor of the system and to maintain the voltage stability
we need to compensate reactive power

III. Due to reactive power compensation techniques:-

✓The working of HVDC conversion terminal becomes better.

✓The efficiency of transmission increases.

✓Also it regulates the steady state and temporary over voltages and
therefore the disastrous blackouts can be avoided
 METHODS OF REACTIVE POWER SHUNT COMPENSATION
a) Shunt compensation

• Here the device is connected in parallel with the transmission line.

• A shunt compensator is always connected in the middle of the transmission line

[5] along with either a current source, voltage source or a capacitor.

• It supplies reactive power to the system.

 ….CONT’D
• Since the real part of the power is 0, therefore the reactive power in the system
is added by shunt compensator.

• Shunt-connected reactors are connected in the system to control the reactive

power.

• By consuming the reactive power shunt connected reactors decrease the over
voltages in the transmission line.

• The capacitors connected in parallel with transmission line are also used to
regulate the voltage level by controlling the reactive power to the transmission
line.
….CONT’D
 ….CONT’D
b) Series compensation

• Here a device is connected in series with the transmission line.

• Thus it is called a series compensator.

• There are two modes of operation – capacitive mode of operation and

inductive mode of operation.

• A simplified model of a transmission system with series compensation is shown in

Figure 2 .

• The voltage magnitudes of the two buses are assumed equal as V, and the
phase angle between them is δ.
….CONT’D
 ….CONT’D
c) Static VAR compensators

• A static VAR compensator (or SVC) is set of electrical devices for providing fast-
acting reactive power on transmission networks.

• The SVCs are part of flexible AC transmission system device family regulating
voltage,power factor, harmonics and stabilizing the system.

• SVC is a shunt connected static VAR generator or absorber whose output is

adjusted to exchange capacitive or inductive current so as to maintain or
control specific parameters of the electrical power system.
 ….CONT’D
• SVC is based on thyristors without gate turn-off capability.

• The operating characteristics of thyristors shows variable reactive impedance

of SVC.

• It includes 2 main components and their combinations are:

1) Thyristor controlled and thyristor switched reactor ( TCR& TSR)

2) Thyristor switched capacitor(TSC)When TSC is switched on the reactive
power in SVC increases.
 ….CONT’D

• This indicates that SVC supplies reactive power to the AC power source.

• Similarly when TCR firing angle is decreased reactive power in SVC increases.

• This indicates that SVC absorbs more and more reactive power from AC power
source
 ….CONT’D
• Static var compensator
 ….CONT’D
d) Self commutated VAR compensator

• They contain switched valve devices such as GTOs(Gate turn-off thyristor)&

IGBTs(Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors).

• Static synchronous compensators, unified power flow controllers etc. operate

on the principle of self commutated VAR compensator.

• They can generate or absorb reactive power as per requirement in the system.
 ….CONT’D
e) Static Synchronous Compensator(STATCOM)

• It is a member of FACTS family of devices.

• It is a regulating device used on alternating current electricity transmission

network.

• It is based on power electronics voltage source converter and can act as

either a source or sink of reactive AC power to an electricity network.

• A STATCOM is a voltage source converter(VSC) based device with the voltage

source behind a reactor.
 ….CONT’D

• The voltage source is created from a DC capacitor.

• The reactive power at the terminals of the STATCOM depends upon amplitude
of voltage source.

• For example if the terminal voltage of VSC is higher than AC voltage at the
point of connection the STATCOM generates reactive current conversely when
terminal voltage of VSC is lower than AC voltage it absorbs reactive power.
 ….CONT’D
f) Synchronous Condenser
• It is a synchronous machine which runs without prime mover or a mechanical
load and connected to improve the power factor of the electrical system.
• If the field excitation of synchronous condenser is controlled it can generate or
absorb reactive power.
• When they are over-excited they supply reactive power and when under-
excited they absorb reactive power.
• When the reactive power is supplied by synchronous condenser current in the
system is reduced.
• Thus the losses get decreased and it provides a better efficiency.
• Due to this, large amount of power can be delivered to the load.
….CONT’D