Transmission at Medium Voltage 4160V
Transmission at Medium Voltage 4160V
(OP)
Hi,
I have a proposal to upgrade a distribution line 4 km long that is now loaded up. The load has increased from the design load of 600 kVA to around 1.3 MW (almost 2X) so that they opted to install gensets to the newer buildings.
Other than going into a higher transmission voltage (13.8), is there any other economical ways to meet a load of around 1.3 MW (do away with the gensets)?
Any comment would be helpful.
Respectfully,
burnt2x
I have a proposal to upgrade a distribution line 4 km long that is now loaded up. The load has increased from the design load of 600 kVA to around 1.3 MW (almost 2X) so that they opted to install gensets to the newer buildings.
Other than going into a higher transmission voltage (13.8), is there any other economical ways to meet a load of around 1.3 MW (do away with the gensets)?
Any comment would be helpful.
Respectfully,
burnt2x






RE: Transmission at Medium Voltage 4160V
Keith Cress
kcress - http://www.flaminsystems.com
RE: Transmission at Medium Voltage 4160V
RE: Transmission at Medium Voltage 4160V
Thanks for the response.
Transmission voltage is currently at 4160V. Existing OH line is #4 ACSR, spaced 0.6 m horizontal. I have done initial investigations and the receving voltage at the 4 km end is at 3740V corresponding to a load of 76A/line. Any more load and the voltage goes down further. I was thinking upgrading to 13.8 kV. Just want to know if somebody has done similar upgrades.
RE: Transmission at Medium Voltage 4160V
But this is probably still a good idea.
4160 is usually a wye system with 2400V transformers.
If you are using 4160 transformers in delta, you can increase the power by a factor of 1.73 by going to a wye connection, but I doubt that you are in delta.
As I understand it, the origin of the 4160 voltage was the reconnection of 2400 volt delta systems to increase capacity.
From experience, if you go to 12.7kV, 13.2kV, 13.8kV or any of the other voltages that you may find in the 15kV class, buy 7 transformers. You may have trouble finding an exact voltage match if you lose a transformer and need a replacement in a hurry. Have a replacement on hand and you will have time to shop for a reasonably priced replacement at the correct voltage if you lose a transformer.
Again, after consulting for a small independent utility that ran 13.2kV in a country that used 13.8kV on the main grid, I would first check what voltages are in use by surrounding utilities and I would check with the local distributors as to what voltage transformers are in stock.
Bill
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"Why not the best?"
Jimmy Carter
RE: Transmission at Medium Voltage 4160V
And thanks a lot!
RE: Transmission at Medium Voltage 4160V
RE: Transmission at Medium Voltage 4160V
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