POWER March 2022 - 33

TRANSMISSION & DISTRIBUTION
crease
phase-to-ground clearances,
2. This image provides a comparison of the
Double-V CICA to a traditional steel cross
arm configuration. Courtesy: SHEMAR Power
Solving Technical Challenges
Whether considering
greenfield/new
build, voltage/current uprating, and/or
solving ground clearance issues, the
Double-V CICA should be considered as
a solution to these technical challenges.
When applying a CICA solution in a
greenfield/new build project, benefits to
consider include:
■ Insulation Weight. Composite insulators
have a significant impact on
weight reduction compared to the
conventional insulator. This weight reduction
drives down costs associated
with tower size and concrete needed
for the tower pad. Not to forget reduction
in labor and equipment utilization
for the duration of the entire project.
■ Compaction. Since CICA can reduce
phase-to-phase clearances and inthe
ease of right-of-way becomes of
less concern while also lowering the
visual impact of residential concerns
with large structures. In addition, the
overall electromagnetic field observed
on the ground is reduced while surge
impedance loading is increased.
For voltage/current uprating, consider:
■ Voltage Uprates. Replacing traditional
cross arms with CICA while considering
the re-use of towers/conductor, a
voltage uprate can be realized as the
necessary clearances from the insulator
to tower structure and phase(s)
to ground meet or exceed standard
design requirements. For example, a
138 kV to 230 kV, or 230 kV to 345 kV
uprate is possible.
■ Current Uprates. Since CICA increases
the vertical distance between conductor
and ground due to the elimination of
the suspension insulator on conventional
designs, the utility owner can effectively
take advantage of the additional accommodation
of wire sag. As noted earlier,
the CICA is a combination of a composite
line and suspension insulator, which,
when designed accordingly, sees an increase
in mechanical limits compared to
the traditional cross arm design, allowing
for an option to increase conductor sizes.
With regard to ground clearance, consider:
■ Ground Clearance. Similar to the benefits
of current uprating, the traditional
suspension insulator is eliminated,
which effectively raises the conductor
from ground. If the original wire sag is
not increased (current or wire size is not
adjusted), then an increase from the
conductor to the ground will take place.
This increase (radial and axial) can also
provide benefit during special circumstances
such as fire/vegetation mitigation,
and clearance to bodies of water.
Consider the application of the DoubleV
Composite Insulated Cross Arm as a
novel approach for overhead transmission
line engineers, and U.S. grid operators, to
solve current and future engineering challenges
associated with the year-over-year
load growth on the power grid, and issues
related to the interconnection of new generation
sources such as wind and solar. ■
-Favad Janjua (Favad.Janjua@
SMARepcna.com) is director of
Sales at SHEMAR Power USA.
March 2022 | POWER
www.powermag.com
33
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POWER March 2022

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