Line Design and Staking (LDS)

Certificate Program

The Line Design & Staking Certification, presented by TVPPA and Utility Training Services (UTS), provides the essential tools necessary for engineering and line design personnel to become experts in their field and advance in the utility industry. Four levels of study guide participants through the understanding and application of engineering design for electric distribution systems.

New line designers will achieve the strong foundation necessary to move forward in a career in line design, while experienced designers will gain the ability to prove their decisions on paper. You will learn engineering concepts and formulas specific to power line design and relevant to the field technician’s responsibilities, providing immediate on-the-job benefits. Many courses in the program are appropriate and relevant for engineering, operations and management personnel.

About this Certificate:

Things You Will Learn

- Basic engineering of overhead services
- Distribution system components
- NESC requirements
- Line design concepts
- Single-phase line design
- Advanced mechanical line design

Curriculum:

- Level 1
- Level 2
- Level 3
- Level 4

Additional Information:

Format: In Person
Duration: 12 days

Individual Coursework

The LDS Certificate program contains four levels of coursework.

Level 1

Students learn basic engineering of overhead services typically expected of beginning line design personnel. They learn conductor sizing, how to calculate accurate guy leads for both angle and dead-end situations, calculate voltage drop on residential transformers and services, and will be able to navigate the NESC in order to locate important rules and tables necessary for safe design. The certification test for this course will be given online the week following in-class instruction.

Level 2

3 Days: Students learn to complete layout and design of most overhead projects, understand and utilize the NESC, evaluate and design make ready/remedy for joint use facilities, calculate conductor swing angle and blow out, and calculate total ground line moment. The certification test for this course will be given online the week following in-class instruction.

Level 3

3 Days: Students continue study of overhead design and learn layout and design of underground projects. Students learn how to calculate cross arm bending moment, construct a string chart and calculate sag for inclined spans. The certification test for this course will be given online the week following in-class instruction.

Level 4

3 Days: Students wrap up the core series with a comprehensive overview of line design. They learn multi-circuit three-phase mechanical loading, commercial load sizing and vertical pole-loading calculations. Students will also discuss storm preparation and recovery. The certification test for this course will be given online the week following in-class instruction.

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Line Design and Staking (LDS)