Effects of Segmented Shield Wires on Signal Attenuation of Power-Line Carrier Channels on Overhead Transmission Lines-Part I: Modeling Method

Shield wire segmentation has been used for quite some time as an effective method for reducing transmission-line power losses, with most segmented shield wire applications on extra high-voltage lines utilizing phase-to-phase power-line carrier (PLC) coupling. As transmission system efficiency becomes more of a priority, some utilities may consider applying segmented shield wires to lower voltage lines, such as 115-kV and 230-kV lines, which most often utilize single-phase-to-ground PLC coupling. Thus, knowledge of the effects of segmented shield wires on PLC signal attenuation for various coupling methods would be useful to relay engineers. The purpose of this paper is to present a generalized method to model transmission lines for signal attenuation calculation at PLC frequencies, with special consideration given to shield wire connections. Terminating impedance and phase wire transposition are considered as well. The modeling method presented is validated with field measurements. In a companion paper, signal attenuation results considering the effects of various parameters are analyzed.