Report #5

OVERVOLTAGE PHENOMENON AND

INSULATION COORDINATION IN ELECTRIC
POWER SYSTEM

Reported by:

Cheurnevee F. Ramirez

Bryn Ivan P. Ortiguerra

GRADE
 OVERVOLTAGE PHENOMENON AND INSULATION COORDINATION IN
ELECTRIC POWER SYSTEM

LIGHTING PHENOMENON

– is a peak discharge in which charge accumulated in the

clouds discharges into a neighbouring cloud or to the

ground.

Charge Formation in the Clouds

SIMPSON’S THEORY

MASON’S THEORY

 The ice splinters should carry only positive charge upwards.

 Therefore, the lower portion (warmer) will have a negative charge density and

positive charge for upper portion (cooler).

REYNOLD’S THEORY

 The hail packets get negatively charged when interrupted by warmer ice

crystals.

 When the temperature conditions are reversed, the charging polarity reverses.

Mechanism of Lightning Stroke

Direct Strokes

• When a thunder cloud directly discharges onto a transmission line tower or line

wires.

• Most severe form of the stroke.

Induced Strokes

• When thunderstorm generates negative charge at its ground end, the earth

objects develop induced positive charges.

Overvoltage Due to Indirect Strokes

The transmission line and the ground will act as a huge capacitor charged with a positive

charge and hence overvoltages occur due to these induced charges. This would result in a

stroke.

• Shielding wire (ground wire)

• Tower

• Phase Conductor of a overhead powerline

More About Lightning

 The electric field developed within clouds before lightning strike occurs is

10kV/cm

 Maximum voltage gradient at the ground level due to a charged cloud before

lightning strikes, can be as high as 300V/cm, while the fair weather gradients due to

charge is 1V/cm

 The velocity of wind currents reqd. for charged separation inside the moving

clouds is 10 to 20 m/s

 5x107 m/s – velocity of leader stroke lightning discharge

 C – velocity of return or main stroke

 10 to 100 kA – peak value of lightning stroke currents

 0.6 – accumulative probability of a 10kA lightning stroke

 100kA/us – rate of rise of current

Mathematical Model for Lightning

When a streamer discharge occurs to ground by first a leader stroke, followed by main strokes

with considerable currents flowing. If the stroke strikes an object, the voltage built across it

may be taken as:

where:

I0 = lightning stroke current

Z0 = source impedance discharging to earth

≈ 1000 to 3000

Z = line surge impedance

*less than 500

*overhead lines = 300 to 500

*towers = 10 to 50

* ground wires = 100 to 150

Z/Z0 <0.1, hence can be neglected

“Thunderstorm days” (TD) known as “Isokeraunic Level”

• The number of days in a year when thunder is heard or recorded in a particular

location.
 • The number of ground flashovers can be computed from the TD level. From the

past records and past experience,

Ng = (0.1 to 0.2) TD / strokes / km2

-year

 Lightning accounts for most of the power interruption.

Ground Flashover Density

Ng = K1 (TD)b

where:

K1 = 0.04 and b = 1.25 (Anderson) or

K1 = 0.054 and b = 1.1 (Mac Gorman)

Induced voltage computation

Where:

Vi= induced voltage

Ø= electric potential caused by static charges (electrostatic)

A = electromagnetic

h = height of conductor above the ground

Typical lightning parameters are given as

Total Charge = 80 C

Front duration = 20 us

Max dI/dt = 2.4kA/us

Stroke duration = 230 us

Travelling Waves on Transmission Lines

Usually these travelling waves are high frequency disturbances and travel as waves. They

may be reflected, transmitted, attenuated or distorted during propagation until the energy is

absorbed.
Classification of Transmission Lines

a. IDEAL LINES b. DISTORTIONLESS LINES

R=0 and G=0

 Surge Impedance
 Surge Impedance

 Velocity of Propagation
c. LINE WITH SMALL

LOASSES

Rectangular Travelling Wave

Case (I): Open Ended Transmission Line Of Surge Impedance Z:

 Voltage of the reflected wave,

e′ = Γe = e = EU(t)
  Voltage of the transmitted wave,

e” = (1+Γ)e = 2e = 2EU(t)

OVERVOLTAGE DUE TO SWITCHING SURGES, SYSTEM FAULTS AND OTHER

ABNORMAL CONDITIONS

ORIGIN OF SWITCHING SURGES

 Overvoltage may go as high as six times the normal power frequency voltage.

 In circuit breaking operation, switching surges with a high rate of rise of voltage

may cause repeated restriking of the arc between the contacts of a circuit breaker,

thereby causing destruction of the circuit breaker contacts.

 The switching surges may include high natural frequencies of the system, a

damped normal frequency voltage component, or restriking and recovery voltage of

the system.

CHARACTERISTICS OF SWITCHING SURGES

• De-energizing of transmission lines, cables, shunt capacitor, capacitor banks,

banks, etc.

• Disconnection of unloaded transformers, reactors, etc.

• Energization or reclosing of lines and reactive loads

• Sudden switching of loads

• Short circuits and fault clearances

• Resonance phenomenon like ferro-resonance, arcing grounds, etc.

Protection against Lightning Overvoltage and Switch Surges

 a. Protection Using Shielded Wires or Ground Wires

b. Protection using Ground Rods and Counter – Poise Wires

c. Protective Devices

PRINCIPLES OF INSULATION COORDINATION ON HIGH-VOLTAGE

Basic Impulse Level (BIL)

 The minimum insulation impulse withstand voltage of any equipment.

 Usually, 25% to 30% more than the protective level

Switching Impulse Level (SIL)

 The standard switching impulse at a specific standard atmospheric condition.

Remember!

 Surge arrester – devices that provide low resistance path for overvoltages

through an alternate ground path.

 Spark gap – act as fast acting switch

 Non-linear arrester - provide low impedance ground path

Sample Problem

1. A 3-phase single circuit transmission line is 400 km long. If the line is rated for 220 kV

and has the parameters, R = 0.1 ohms/km, L = 1.26 mH/km, C = 0.009 μF/km, and G = 0,

find (a) The surge impedance and (b) The velocity of propagation neglecting the

resistance of the line. (c) If a surge of 150 kV and infinitely long tail strikes at one end of

the line, what is the time taken for the surge to travel to the other end of the line?

2. A transmission line of surge impedance 500 ohm is connected to a cable of surge

impedance 60 ohm at the other end. If a surge of 500 kV travels along the line to the

junction point, find the voltage build-up at the junction?