Conductor

The Conductor class holds all physical, electrical, and cost properties of a bare overhead conductor.

Fields

Physical

Field	Unit	Description
`type`	—	Conductor family: `ACSR`, `ACSS`, etc.
`code`	—	Identifier (e.g., `795.0_DRAKE`)
`area_mm2`	mm²	Cross-sectional area
`diameter_mm`	mm	Outer diameter
`weight_n_per_m`	N/m	Linear weight
`conductor_rts_kn`	kN	Rated tensile strength
`elastic_modulus_gpa`	GPa	Young's modulus (for sag-tension)
`coeff_thermal_expan_per_c`	1/°C	Coefficient of thermal expansion

Electrical

Field	Unit	Description
`temp_dc_c`	°C	Reference temperature for DC resistance
`temp_low_c`	°C	Low reference temperature (typically 25°C)
`temp_high_c`	°C	High reference temperature (typically 75°C)
`max_temperature_c`	°C	Maximum operating temperature
`res_dc_ohm_per_m`	Ω/m	DC resistance at `temp_dc_c`
`res_low_ohm_per_m`	Ω/m	AC resistance at `temp_low_c`
`res_high_ohm_per_m`	Ω/m	AC resistance at `temp_high_c`
`emissivity`	—	Thermal emissivity (0–1)
`solar_absorptivity`	—	Solar absorptivity (0–1)

Cost

Field	Unit	Description
`cost_dol_per_km`	$/km	Conductor material cost
`installation_dol_per_km`	$/km	Installation labour cost
`accessories_dol_per_km`	$/km	Hardware and accessories cost

Individual factory functions

Frequently used conductors are also importable directly:

from refa.defaults import (
    acsr_795_0_drake,
    acss_795_0_cuckoo,
    accc_1035_dublin,
    default_conductor,   # ACSR 556.5 DOVE
)

drake = acsr_795_0_drake()

Using a conductor database

The package contains examples of conductors in src/refa/data/conductors.csv.

Load them all at once:

from refa.defaults import load_conductors_from_csv

conductors = load_conductors_from_csv()

# Dot-notation access — each entry is a zero-argument factory function
drake   = conductors.acsr_795_0_drake()
cuckoo  = conductors.acss_795_0_cuckoo()
pelican = conductors.acsr_477_0_pelican()

Key names follow the pattern {type}_{kcmil}_{name} in lowercase with dots and spaces replaced by underscores.

Loading from a custom CSV

Bring your own conductor data in the same column format as the provided CSV:

from refa.defaults import load_conductors_from_csv

my_conductors = load_conductors_from_csv("path/to/my_conductors.csv")
custom = my_conductors.acsr_500_0_hawk()

Required CSV columns:

code, type, cost_dol_per_km, installation_dol_per_km, accessories_dol_per_km, str_costs_dol, area_mm2, diameter_mm, weight_n_per_m, conductor_rts_kn, temp_low_c, temp_high_c, max_temperature_c, res_low_ohm_per_m, res_high_ohm_per_m, elastic_modulus_gpa, coeff_thermal_expan_per_c, temp_dc_c, res_dc_ohm_per_m, emissivity, solar_absorptivity

Manual Construction

from refa import Conductor

c = Conductor(
    type="ACSR",
    code="266.8_PARTRIDGE",
    area_mm2=157.0,
    diameter_mm=16.0,
    weight_n_per_m=5.36,
    conductor_rts_kn=50.26,
    cost_dol_per_km=735.0,
    installation_dol_per_km=1027.0,
    accessories_dol_per_km=263.0,
    temp_dc_c=20.0,
    temp_low_c=25.0,
    temp_high_c=75.0,
    max_temperature_c=100.0,
    res_dc_ohm_per_m=0.000209,
    res_low_ohm_per_m=0.000209,
    res_high_ohm_per_m=0.000256,
    elastic_modulus_gpa=75.5,
    coeff_thermal_expan_per_c=1.92e-05,
    emissivity=0.5,
    solar_absorptivity=0.5,
)

Conductor Types

Type	Core material	Max temp	Notes
ACSR	Steel	100°C	Standard aluminium conductor steel reinforced
ACSS	Steel (annealed)	200°C	High-temperature, self-damping
ACCC	Carbon composite	180–200°C	Lightweight, low sag
AECC	Carbon composite	—	Extended capacity composite core
ACCR	Aluminium matrix composite	210°C	High-strength composite core
ACCS	Steel	—	Compact stranding variant