Overhead Line Accessories

Different countries employ various methods to safeguard their low-voltage overhead line networks, but the core challenge remains consistent: preventing power loss during fault conditions. This is why it is essential to have reliable systems in place that minimize potential failures in the low-voltage network, ensuring a continuous and safe supply of electricity.

Wide Range of Accessories for Low Voltage

Ensto offers a wide range of accessories and product packages designed for various Low Voltage ABC (Aerial Bundled Cable) systems such as four core, insulated messenger wire and uninsulated messenger wire. They are distinguished by their insulated conductors and bundled design, offering enhanced protection against external conditions. The choice of solution is influenced by the types of conductors defined in the national network construction requirements.

Mechanical tensioning accessories such as suspension clamps and tension clamps are dependent of the used system, while many other accessories such as insulation piercing connectors and pole fuse switch disconnectors are uniform for all three low-voltage solutions. Ensto has decades of thorough knowledge and experience of building and protecting low voltage overhead line networks in several countries worldwide and together with hundreds of customers.

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LV ABC Handbook for Low Voltage Overhead Line Design

We have compiled our expertise into the LV ABC Handbook, which includes products and ready-made structures for various pole types. It helps to design medium voltage overhead lines efficiently.

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Covered conductors (CC) were designed to enhance the reliability of electricity distribution in medium voltage overhead networks. Time has assured the covered conductor of being an extremely functional and reliable solution. Faults caused by snow, wildfire, ice, or storms have decreased remarkably.

However, ever-changing weather conditions, climate change and growing demand for an uninterrupted network, more is expected of systems. Ensto’s advanced Full Covered Conductor Solution (FCCS) provides even more complete protection for the lines, further improving both the safety and reliability of the network.

Striving for Complete Protection

In addition to covering the conductors, the FCCS also covers other live parts of the line such as insulators, suspension, and tension clamps, as well as insulation piercing connectors. Accessories can either be protected with dedicated bird covers or, in some products, the live parts are integrated within the design, as seen in insulation piercing connector SLW26. While protecting the electricity line against wildlife-related outages, wildlife can also be protected and save them from our infrastructure. 

Is also worth noting, that FCCS's space-saving design reduces the need for large-scale forest clearing and preserves natural habitats. Covered conductor (CC) enables 40% narrower clearances for line corridors through the forest compared to a standard bare line, resulting in significant space savings. With parallel FCCS line structure, the space saving is even bigger.  

Extensive Testing Gives Reliability

Ensto’s accessories to covered conductor lines are electrically and mechanically designed for the best performance and safety. Accessories are tested according to the EN 50397-2 standard which, compared to earlier national standards, is substantially more demanding and covers the accessories designed for such solutions more extensively. This brings a whole lot of reliability for the Covered Conductor Solution. 

Specific Requirements for Covered Conductors

• Only accessories designed and approved for the conductor shall be used:
  • Ensto accessories for FCCS include insulators, tension and suspension clamps, arc protection devices, current limiting devices, connectors, bird protectors and crossarms.
• Arc Protection devices must be used on lines vulnerable to overvoltage:
  • An Arc Protection device safeguards conductors and network components, ensuring disruption-free electricity distribution. These devices should be installed in areas prone to overvoltage, such as fields, hills, buildings, yards, traffic routes, and sports fields. The choice of protection depends on the network's short-circuits values.
• Substations must have tripping earth-fault protection devices and alarming secondary devices.

With FCCS is achieved a stronger and more durable network with a long service life and higher-quality electricity, capable of withstanding even challenging weather conditions such as snow and ice loads, which can strain the line and cause faults or prevent wildfires caused by violent storms and lightning.

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FCCS Handbook for Medium Voltage Overhead Line Design

We have compiled our expertise into the FCCS handbook, where you can find detailed information on specialized pole structures, accessories, crossarm service limitations, and conductor regulation tables. It helps to design medium voltage overhead lines efficiently.

Download the Handbook

The most common common approach for building medium voltage overhead lines involves using bare conductors without additional insulation. Although this system is widely used, bare lines can be exposed to accidental contact and wildlife interference. It can lead to service disruptions and increases the risk of damage to electricity networks and thus the risk of natural disasters such as wildfires. To ensure reliable electricity distribution and prevent disruptions the bare conductors require durable accessories designed for the system.

Wide Range of Accessories to the System

Ensto’s wide range of accessories provides easy and cost-effective solutions for bare conductor system that comply with the most used European standards. With our accessories like insulators, tension and suspension clamps, connectors, wire markers, crossarms, and tools we have built a line for decades all over the world. They are easy to install and have a long service life in extremely hard climatic conditions. Our assortment covers most common conductors.

Covered conductors (CC) give more protection for the overhead lines. Choosing a covered conductor solution with Ensto accessories (FCCS) is guaranteed to pay for itself in the form of fewer faults, lower maintenance costs, and higher-quality electricity. 

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The universal cable offers flexibility in selecting the route of the electricity network, as the cables can be installed in demanding environments, whether underground, in water, or in the air. 

The core principle of the system is that the same cable is used consistently throughout the entire section, only the most suitable placement method is chosen for each part of the line. A simple and cost-efficient solution when changing from the underground to the air.

Special Accessories Designed for the System

Ensto has designed a selection of special overhead line accessories for pole-mounted universal cable systems. Our long experience of demanding circumstances, cold and snowy as well as hot and humid, has helped us to develop reliable and safe accessories for the system. The compatibility of accessories with cables must be checked from the cable manufacturer.

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When the cable is installed underground, Ensto's wide selection of underground cable accessories are naturally appropriate for the installation.

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Ensto’s accessories for low and medium voltage underground cable networks include complete, functional and reliable product packages with heat shrink and cold shrink technologies. Under the ground, the cables are protected against the demanding climate which makes the cable network very durable. The cable accessories are easy to install, safe to use and tested according to international standards’ requirements

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