US Patent 7516051 Overhead power transmission line conductor selection

In general the invention is directed to systems and methods to identify conductors that may be used as part of a power transmission line system. In one embodiment, the invention is directed to a computer-implemented method of evaluating an electric conductor for an overhead power transmission line, comprising: receiving requirements data defining requirements for an overhead power transmission line; receiving conductor data that define at least two conductors to be evaluated; after receiving conductor data for the plurality of conductors to be evaluated, automatically modeling expected operating performance for at least two conductors using conductor assessment software running on a computer, wherein modeling at least comprises, for at least one of the conductors to be evaluated, calculating the conductor's maximum ampacity within the constraints defined by the requirements data; and, based on the modeling, identifying at least one conductor that meets the requirements for the power transmission line.