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Types
Waist-type tower
This is the most common type of transmission tower. It's used for voltages ranging from 110 to
735 kV. Because they're easily assembled, these towers are suitable for power lines that cross
very uneven terrain.
Double-circuit tower
This small-footprint tower is used for voltages ranging from 110 to 315 kV. Its height ranges
from 25 to 60 metres.
Guyed-V tower
This tower is designed for voltages ranging from 230 to 735 kV. It's used mainly for power lines
leaving the La Grande and Manic-Outardes hydroelectric complexes. The guyed-V tower is more
economical than the double-circuit and waist-type towers.
Featuring a streamlined, aesthetic shape, this structure is less massive than other towers, allowing
it to blend easily into the environment. For this reason, it's being used more and more in urban
centres. Measuring between 27 and 45 metres in height, it's suitable for voltages ranging from
110 to 315 kV.
Figure 10. Guyed cross-rope suspension tower Figure 11. Guyed cross-rope suspension tower
With its simple design, this tower is easy to assemble. It's used on some sections of power lines
leaving the La Grande complex and supports 735-kV conductors. This type of structure requires
less galvanized steel than the guyed-V tower, making it lighter and less costly.
Crossings
An overhead line crossing is the crossing of an obstaclesuch as a traffic route, a river, a valley
or a straitby an overhead power line. The style of crossing depends on the local conditions and
regulations at the time the power line is constructed. Overhead line crossings can sometimes
require extensive construction and can also have operational issues. In such cases, those in
charge of construction should consider whether a crossing of the obstacle would be better
accomplished by an underground or submarine cable.
Conductors
Conductors transmit electric power. Usually conductors are made of aluminum with a steel core
that gives the cable its required strength.
Curiously, these conductors are bare: the air around them provides insulation. Each conductor is
stranded, meaning it consists of several wires twisted together. This makes a conductor more
flexible and more exposed to air, a feature that helps cool the conductor and therefore increase its
conductivity. Electricity meets resistance when passing through hot metal, a phenomenon that
transforms part of the electrical energy into thermal energy, a type of energy loss.
A conductor bundle is a series of two, three or four conductors always kept apart by spacers.
Spacer dampers separate bundled conductors and control vibrations caused by wind and ice
buildup.
Alternating current, which is generated by power stations and transmitted on high-voltage cables,
is made up of three parts, or phases. High-voltage towers carry three conductor bundles, one per
current phase.
Bundled conductors are used on high-voltage power lines to help reduce energy losses (due to
the corona effect1), audible noise and radio interference. As a result, they improve the power
transmission process. For example, four small conductors with a 3-cm diameter are just as
effective asand much lighter thanone single conductor with a 46-cm diameter.
Ground wires protect the line against lightning.
Guy wires are anchor cables which ensure the mechanical strength of the support structure.
1
The corona effect, intensifies when impurities fall on the wires and when the air is very humid.
The crackling sound is loudest when it snows or rains. Electrons moving between the wires and
the air cause the corona effect. This back-and-forth movement creates a multitude of tiny
electrical discharges, which we perceive as a crackling sound. The higher the voltage, the greater
the chance this phenomenon will occur.
Line installation
Step 1: Land clearing The power line right-of-way is cleared of vegetation to allow operation of
a i.e. 735-kV line according to the established standards.
Step 2: Temporary access Temporary access roads are used to build the line. A crew sets up the
equipment and structures necessary to protect rivers and streams, cultivated lands and other
sensitive components.
Step 3: Stockpiling The various tower parts are manufactured and delivered by type. The
stockpile managers take care to organize the hundreds of parts in the order in which they'll be
used to assemble each tower. In fact, each tower has different characteristics based on angle,
topography and soil capacity.
Step 4: Delivery of steel The steel parts needed for the placement of the foundations are
delivered by semi-trailer at the edge of the right-of-way and are usually transported to the
jobsites by crawler carrier. Then the steel tower parts and hardware are delivered to their sites by
the same method.
Step 5: Establishing the foundations A work crew excavates the foundations using bulldozers and
hydraulic shovels. Depending on the nature of the soil, the foundation may be made of fill
delivered by truck or crawler carrier, or of concrete, which may be delivered or prepared on-site.
Once the foundation is in place, the excavation is backfilled.
Step 6: Tower assembly and erection A crew assembles the towers using cranes and bulldozers.
The tower is then erected by means of a telescopic crane.
Step 7: Conductor stringing The conductor stringing is done segment by segment. The conductor
is paid out from a cable drum at one end of the segment and run through stringing blocks at the
tops of the towers. At the other end of the segment are a puller and a take-up reel. Line crews are
on hand to ensure that the operation runs smoothly.
Finally, for tower grounding and protection from lightning, "counterpoises" or anchor rods are
installed in the ground.
Step 8: Inspection A compliance monitoring plan is prepared for each project according to the
specific requirements of the engineering team.
Step 9: Site restoration At the end of the project, work begins on restoring the right-of-way and
dismantling temporary access roads. A tour of the site with the landowner ensures that the
restoration work meets his expectations. Compensation is also provided for any losses incurred.
Step 10: Preparing land for cultivation Restoring to the initial state of the damaged agricultural
field (dependable).
It depends on voltage,no. of circuits(SC or DC) and type (A,B,C,D),In India.for 400Kv
DC ,it is 46.0 to46.3 mt.For SC it is 31mt. For 220KV DC -32.6 to33.1 ,220KV SC
-27.0 to27.9 ..so..on. .The above are for standard towers.If topography does not
Transmission Nominal
Voltage: +/- 400 kV
HVDC
Type: Tower
Typical Tower Height:
145-180 feet
Typical Right-of-Way
Width:
160-180 feet
Transmission Nominal
Voltage: 500 kV
Type: Tower
Typical Tower Height:
90-150 feet
Typical Right-of-Way
Width:
160-200 feet
Transmission Nominal
Transmission
Voltage: 345 kV
Nominal Voltage: 230
Type: Double Ckt Pole
kV
Typical Tower Height:
Type: H-Frame
115-150 feet
Typical Tower
Typical Right-of-Way
Height:
Width:
60-90 feet
140-160 feet
Typical Right-of-Way
Width:
100-160 feet
Transmission Nominal
Voltage: 161 kV
Type: Single Pole
Typical Tower Height:
70-95 feet
Typical Right-of-Way
Width:
100-150 feet
Transmission Nominal
Voltage: 115 kV
Type: Single Pole
Typical Tower Height:
55-80 feet
Typical Right-of-Way
Width:
90-130 feet
Transmission Nominal
Voltage: 69 kV
Type: Single Pole
Typical Tower Height:
50-70 feet
Typical Right-of-Way
Width:
70-100 feet
High-voltage
transmission lines
Transformers at the generating plant increase the voltage up to a transmission voltage (69 kV, 115 kV,
230 kV, 500 kV, 765 kV), so it can travel long distances over high-voltage transmission lines. G&Ts
operate these lines, which carry the electric energy from the generating stations to the places where
electricity is used.
TRANSMISSION SUBSTATION
Transformers reduce the electric energy
down to a lower voltage (69 kV, 34 kV)
making it suitable for high-volume delivery
over short distances.
Distribution lines
Lines belonging to local electric co-ops carry electricity
Large industrial user
Most industries need 2,400 to 4,160 to transformers that reduce power levels to 120/240 or
120/208 volts for use in schools, farms, small
volts to run heavy machinery. They
businesses and homes.
usually have their own substation at the
facility.