Eskom Power Series - Volume 1- The Planning, Design and Construction of Overhead Power Lines
South Africa has an electrical transmission grid, largely designed and built by the power utility Eskom, of over 25 000 km of overhead power lines with voltages of 132 kV to 765 kV. The Planning, Design and Construction of Overhead Power Lines (Volume 1 in the Eskom Power Series) embodies the planning philosophies, design principles and construction practices of Eskom. It is the culmination of decades of thought, study, research and the practical experience of many overhead power line engineers and researchers.
The book covers the main aspects of overhead power line design and construction from electrical first principals, system planning, insulation co-ordination (including live-line working) and mechanical design through to environmental impact management and power line communications. The content emphasises the need for close interaction between all technical disciplines involved and the importance of optimising designs for economy and performance.
Additional challenges in South Africa are the relatively high altitude of the interior plateau, severe lightning in some areas and long transmission distances. This volume explains how these factors are accommodated in modern designs. Other work covered includes the use and understanding of polymeric insulators, the judicious reduction of phase-to-phase spacings and the extensive adoption of guyed structures.