Investigating the potential of re-conductoring a lattice tower overhead line structure

In order to evaluate the potential from re-conductoring existing overhead power systems (OHL), the paper employs a holistic computational methodology that allows sag-ampacity-tension calculations considering electro-mechanical properties of arbitrary OHL systems. The focus of analysis is a 275 kV lattice tower system. Initial investigation of the performance of the widely used aluminum alloy conductors (AAAC) on this system and the comparison with the corresponding performance of the conductors on a 33-kV wood pole structure supports the conclusion that the OHL structure is an essential part of the system performance. Further analysis and results involve the mechanical and electrical performance of standard as well as some recently developed high temperature low sag (HTLS) composite conductors in order to identify the optimal conductor size and type for the investigated lattice tower system.