Umudike Journal of Engineering and Technology

In a transmission line, sag is intentionally provided to relax the tension on the wire when placed between two terminals. However, heat as a result of temperature change when current flows in the conductor and extreme weather conditions can cause increases in transmission line sag, which can eventually damage transmission line infrastructure. In this regard, this paper examines the effect of temperature on conductors used for transmission lines, and ways to reduce the transmission line sags. Conductor improvement techniques have been applied in this context to help improve overhead conductor strength and hence reduce line sag. The performance of these sag reduction technique were compared with the conventional 250/40 ASCR conductor scheme and a developed reinforced ASCR. Transmission line data was used to develop a catenary model for the sag system using Matlab/Simulink. The results presented was able to analyze the effects of temperatures changes of 10, 70, 120 and 170 ^oC on a catenary span of 15m. The results showed that conductor’s resistance to temperature can be improved by lowering the AL/CU composition ratio below the ration 0.78. The study was able to conclude that by adjusting the AL/CU via adjustment of the conductors properties, the sag effects of overhead transmission lines as a result of temperature changes can be reduced.