ABSTRACT
Higher conductor operating temperatures offer an opportunity to reduce the initial cost of a transmission line, at the expense of higher resistive losses, especially when the line loading is high. Power line ratings are generally limited by the thermal capability of the conductor, or by clearance to the ground, other wires, or nearby structures. While conductors with a conventional steel core are still the predominant players in the marketplace, the high-temperature low-sag (HTLS) offerings have established a toehold and have been a valuable addition to the engineers’ menu of choices. The nomenclature used for an HTLS conductor of a given outside diameter has sometimes been selected to match the names used for standard aluminum-conductor-steel-reinforced or aluminum conductor steel supported conductors. In view of the novel make-up of the advanced conductors that are available in the marketplace, certain companies have pressed for more exhaustive tests than have traditionally been conducted on conventional conductors.
