The Role of AC Resistance of Bare Stranded Conductors for Developing Dynamic Line Rating Approaches

Overhead transmission line conductors are usually helically stranded. The current-carrying section is made of aluminum and/or aluminum alloys. Several factors affect their electrical resistance, such as the conductivity of the conductor material, the cross-sectional area, the lay length of the different layers of aluminum, and the presence of a steel core used to increase the mechanical strength of the conductor. The direct current (DC) and alternating current (AC) resistances per unit length of stranded conductors are different due to the effect of the eddy currents. In steel-reinforced conductors, there are other effects, such as the transformer effect due to the magnetization of the steel core, which make the AC resistance dependent on the current. Operating temperature also has an important effect on electrical resistance. Resistive losses are the main source of heating in transmission line conductors, so their temperature rise is highly dominated by such power losses, making it critical to know the value of the AC resistance per unit length when applying dynamic line rating (DLR) methods. They are of great interest especially in congested lines, as by applying DLR approaches it is possible to utilize the full line capacity of the line. This paper highlights the difficulty of accurately calculating the electrical resistance of helically stranded conductors, especially those with a magnetic core, and the importance of accurate measurements for the development of conductor models and DLR approaches.