Assessment of Magnetic Field Mitigation and Electrical Environmental Effects for Commercially Operating 154kV Transmission Lines with Passive Loop

Power frequency magnetic field is still a critical problem for new construction of overhead power transmission lines in Korea because most people have been concerned about possibly carcinogenic effects of it. Although reference level of power frequency(60Hz) magnetic field has been set to 200uT in ICNIRP guidelines published in 2010, Korean government has no intention of adjusting 83.3uT specified by law in 2006 to this new reference level in consideration of people's concerns for the time being. Regardless of the current regulated magnetic field value, electric utility company has been trying to reduce magnetic field in the residential area in the vicinity of overhead power transmission lines to take into account of public concerns on the long-term effect of magnetic fields. In an effort to reduce magnetic field, engineering side has made considerable efforts to develop passive loop based, cost-effective mitigation technique of power frequency magnetic field more than ten years. In order to verify developed power frequency magnetic field mitigation technique based on passive loop, a horizontal type of passive loop was designed and installed for commercially operating 154kV overhead power transmission line for the first time in Korea. The measurement results before and after the installation of passive loop showed that magnetic field could be reduced to about 20%. The electrical environmental effects such as AN, RI and TVI were assessed before and after the installation of passive loop and these values were complied with the requirements specified by electric utility. It has been confirmed from the field test results that passive loop could be commercially and cost-effectively utilized to mitigate power frequency magnetic field.