Optimal MV overhead line arrangement for improvement of the shear-accelerated aging of the H-type concrete power poles

Pourahmadinakhli, Meisam; Firouzabadi, Hamizreza; Harifi, Abbas

doi:10.22034/ijicmes.2026.564348.1006

Optimal MV overhead line arrangement for improvement of the shear-accelerated aging of the H-type concrete power poles

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Meisam Pourahmadinakhli ¹

Hamizreza Firouzabadi ²

Abbas Harifi ¹

¹ Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of Hormozgan, BandarAbbas, Iran.

² Hormozgan Electric Distribution Company, Bandar Abbas, Iran

10.22034/ijicmes.2026.564348.1006

Abstract

Experiences and evidence show that power poles installed in provinces around Persian Gulf are more exposed to prematured concrete failures. Specifically, severe concrete fractures and cracks occur around the pole anchor due to less elasticity, adding to the porosity and speeding up the attack of the chemical agents. In this study, various factors contributing to the wind-caused shear at the anchor are investigated using Finite Element Method (FEM). On this basis, the most optimal power line arrangement and pole installation are proposed compared to the available standards and procedures in Iran. Using FEM analyzing tools of PLS-Pole and Abaqus, the stress incurred by the wind force is investigated for different available scenarios of Medium Voltage (MV) overhead line designs. Results show that the effects of the conventional power pole implementations and arrangements on pole fatigue have been neglected in design and from this viewpoint, standards in Hormozgan need to be dramatically changed to reduce the wind-driven stress up to 40%. Have negligible influences on other power line performances, these changes include the use of suspension insulators instead of pin insulators, 1.5 m instead of 2 or 2.44 m crossarms, 12m or even 9m instead of 15 or 14 m poles, 400 KgF instead of 600 KgF poles, 40 m instead of 50 or 60 m line spans, one instead of two overhead circuits, and soil backfill instead of concrete backfill.

Keywords

FEM

Concrete power poles

wind force

overhead line arrangements

pole backfill