Electric field and electromagnetic environment analyses of a 500 kV composite cross arm

In order to further utilize the transmission line cooridor, meanwhile, achieve a relatively friendly electromagnetic environment, composite cross arm is developed and employed in the transmission system. The electric field distribution as well as the electromagentic environment of composite cross arm deserves a detailed and in-depth study to verify its performance. In this research, the three-dimension (3D) finite element method (FEM) was employed to calculate the electric field distribution of composite cross arm. The electromagnetic environment was characterized by electric field intensity on the ground, radio interference and audible noise and these parameters were investigated and analysed. Calculation results indicated that by using proper metal hardware, composite cross arm could obtain a relatively suitable distribution of electric field and potential. The electromagnetic environment calculation results demonstrated that composite cross arm could meet the standard design requirement. Furthermore, some suggestions were made based on this research to achieve an optimization use of composite cross arm.