Ehv transmission line and shield assembly

Claim 1

A HIGH VOLTAGE TRANSMISSION LINE CABLE ASSEMBLY COMPRISING AN ELONGATED MAIN CURRENT CARRYING CONDUCTOR OF HIGH CONDUCTIVITY ELECTRIC CONDUCTING MATERIAL HAVING A CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA OF A MAGNITUDE DESIGNED PRIMARILY TO CONDUCT A PREDETERMINED DESIRED LOAD CURRENT WITHOUT EXCESSIVE HEATING, A HOLLOW TUBULAR SHIELDING MEMBER SUSPENDED FROM SAID CONDUCTOR IN PARALLEL CLOSELY SPACED NONCONCENTRIC RELATION THROUGHOUT AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE LENGTH OF SAID CONDUCTOR AND HAVING A CONDUCTIVITY OF THE ORDER OF 1-10**4 TO 1/10**8 TIMES THAT OF SAID CONDUCTOR, SAID SHIELDING MEMBER HAVING AN OUTER CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA AT LEAST AS LARGE AS THAT OF SAID CONDUCTOR AND A HOLLOW INTERIOR FREE OF HIGH CONDUCTIVITY MATERIAL OVER AT LEAST A MAJOR PORTION OF ITS INTERIOR CROSS-SECTION AREA, AND MEANS ELECTRICALLY CONNECTING SAID CONDUCTOR AND SHIELDING MEMBER TOGETHER AT A PLURALITY OF POINTS THROUGHOUT THEIR CONTIGUOUS LENGTHS THEREBY TO MAINTAIN SAID CONDUCTOR AND SHIELDING MEMBER AT SUBTANTIALLY EQUAL POTENTIALS AT ADJACENT POINTS THROUGHOUT SAID LENGTHS, WHEREBY SAID SHIELDING MEMBER REDUCES THE ELECTROSTATIC FIELD PRADIENT IN THE REGION OF SAID CONDUCTOR WHILE SAID CONDUCTOR SERVES PRIMARILY TO CONDUCT LOAD CURRENT.