Applications of Optical Fibers for Overhead Transmission Lines

Optical fibers are increasingly in use for overhead transmission lines. Optical fiber cables for overhead transmission lines can be classified into three types; composite type, winding type, and self-supporting type. For the composite type, an FRP-covered optical fiber unit is suitable because of its good thermal and mechanical characteristics. Winding-type fiber cable is least expensive to install on existing overhead transmission lines. A dc arc test showed that the winding type can be applied to a ground wire because of its resistance to lightning. The winding type was applied to the ground wire of a 275-kV line, using a remote-controlled winding machine.