AUTOMATED ANALYSIS OF ELECTROMAGNETIC INTERFERENCE BETWEEN POWER LINES AND NEIGHBORING RAILWAYS

Yexu Li, Farid Paul Dawalibi and Robert D. Southey Safe Engineering Services & technologies ltd. 1544 Viel, Montreal, PQ, Canada, H3M 1G4 Tel.: (514) 336-2511 Fax: (514) 336-6144 E-mail: info@sestech.com Web: http://www.sestech.com Robert Stevenson C.H.R.S. Associates 1435 Peerless Crt. Oakville, ON, Canada, L6H 3A4 Tel.: (905) 844-5434 Fax: (514) 844-8957 E-mail: stevensn@skylinc.net I. ABSTRACT Electromagnetic interference caused by high voltage power lines sharing the same corridor with railways can endanger the proper operation of the signal and protection systems of the railways under both load and fault conditions. The computation of interference effects in a typical right-of-way is a complex and time-consuming procedure. This paper discusses an automated approach to analyze AC induced interference. All relevant parameters used for modeling the right-of-way are taken into account in computing the line parameters, building the circuit model, and automatically determining the maximum interference levels under steady-state and fault conditions at all specified locations. A case study of inductive interference between a railway and a transmission line under steadystate and fault conditions is presented and the effectiveness of the automated process in computing interference levels involving complicated rights-of-way is demonstrated. Keywords: Inductive interference, circuit approach, touch voltage, step voltage, railways, induced voltages II. INTRODUCTION Electromagnetic interference caused by electric power lines on railways has been a major concern because the increasing load currents in the high voltage line induce increasing voltages in the circuits formed by the rails and earth. As the rails are considered to be well earthed, especially in wet weather, the induced currents will flow and influence the normal operation of the signal and protection system. As a result, they can cause train accidents or other damages. Numerous studies in this area have been carried out [1-10]. The interference levels can generally be computed using either a field approach or a circuit approach. For long rights-of-way shared by power lines and utilities, the circuit approach usually offers more flexibility. It is well known that the computation of interference

effects in a typical right-of-way is a complex procedure. Factors such as conductor layout, power line and railway electrical characteristics, electrical system parameters, and soil structures along the right-of-way must be taken into account. Also, the presence of ballast in different weather conditions, the track relays and signal lights, rail fracture (broken rails) and insulation joints have to be considered. The circuit approach consists of three main modeling steps: line parameter calculations, circuit model setup, and circuit analysis. For a typical right-of-way, the distances between all conductors, soil structures, and/or conductor characteristics generally vary along the right-of-way. Therefore a great number of line parameter calculations need to be performed in order to build a circuit model. This is a very time-consuming process. Moreover, analysis of overall interference levels for the whole right-of-way under fault conditions requires simulation of a fault on each tower along the right-of-way, which again is a time-consuming process. To facilitate such processes, an automated approach has been developed and is discussed in this paper. All relevant parameters used for modeling the right-of-way are taken into consideration in computing the line parameters, building the circuit model, and automatically determining the maximum interference levels under steadystate and fault conditions at all specified locations. This paper discusses this approach, which is well suited for studying the inductive interference between power lines and neighboring utilities. It is especially used to simplify and to automate the modeling of complex right-of-way configurations involving transmission lines and other utilities such as railways. Furthermore, it can automatically create phase-to-ground faults along any transmission line at regular intervals throughout the right-of-way corridor as specified by the user. This automation process yields the envelope (curve of the maxima) of quantities such as rail ground potential rise, rail longitudinal currents, rail-to-rail voltages, transmission line tower potentials and earth injection currents, etc., along the right-of-way. A case study of inductive interference between a railway and a power line under steady-state and fault conditions is also presented and the effectiveness of the automated process in computing interference levels involving complicated rights-of-way is demonstrated. III. INTERFERENCE MECHANISMS Railways sharing a right-of-way with power lines may be subject to electric or magnetic field coupling. The principal coupling mechanisms are: Inductive: Railway tracks and circuits can exhibit significant mutual inductive coupling with parallel power circuits due to the long length of exposure. This level of interference increases with decreasing separation and angle between the railways and the power lines, with increasing soil resistivity, as well as with increasing current magnitude and

frequency in the power lines. It can result in significant rail-to-earth and rail-to-rail voltages, which represent a possible direct electrical shock hazard and can jeopardize the proper operation of the signal and protection system of the railway systems. Conductive: Conductive coupling due to currents flowing in the soil is of particular concern at locations where railways are close to power line structures, which may inject large amount of currents into the soil during power line fault conditions. Such structures include power line towers and substation grounding systems. This coupling can result in large touch and step voltages, especially when the ballast is dry. This is because the soil potential rises due to the injected current. Railways located near the faulted structure, however, will remain at a relatively low potential since the dry ballast has a high resistance and offers poor grounding. The magnitude of the conductive coupling is strongly influenced by the soil structure. It decreases with increasing distance away from the faulted structure, but the rate of decrease depends upon the soil structure. IV. METHODOLOGY FOR AUTOMATED ANALYSIS OF THE INTERFERENCE This section presents the full analysis methodology which automates and simplifies the interference study of a complicated right-of-way configuration including railways. 4.1 Building the Right-of-Way Network In order to accurately determine interference effects on railways, all conductors in or close to the right-of-way of interest can best be modeled by computer, including phase conductors and non-energized conductors (e.g., static wires, neutral wires, continuous counterpoises) of the electric power system, railways, communication wires, coated pipelines, and long bare buried conductors such as water pipes. Line parameters are calculated automatically for various cross sections along the right-of-way, accounting for soil structures, distances between the conductors and conductor characteristics, as well as track relays, signaling lights and track insulators. A circuit model, therefore, is finally developed for further interference analysis. 4.2 Inductive Interference Analysis Interference levels due to magnetic induction should be studied under both steady-state and fault conditions. For maximum emergency steady-state conditions, accounting for the maximum expected load unbalance, the rail-to-earth voltages and rail-to-rail voltages are computed throughout the entire length of interest of the railways. Usually (but not always), the worst case fault location for a given railway section is the power system structure (substation, tower) closest to that section of the railway. In order to protect a railway system (rail tracks, signaling

and relay system, etc.) adequately, it is necessary to simulate a fault on each tower throughout the railways length of exposure to the power lines, in order to determine the worst case interference levels everywhere. For each fault, the following quantities are computed: 1. 2. 3. Induced rail-to-earth and rail-to-rail voltages throughout the railway length of exposure. Injected currents of the faulted power structure (tower) (used for the conductive interference study). Distribution of total current between the static wire and the faulted structure.

Eventually, the maxima envelopes for the above values are generated. 4.3 Conductive Interference Analysis Because soil characteristics and the current injected into the faulted structure can vary from one location to another, it is important to model representative towers throughout the right-of-way in order to determine worst case conductive interference effects on a railway system. The soil structures along the right-of-way have to be determined through soil resistivity measurement and interpretation. The foundation of the tower or other metallic structure is then modeled in the corresponding soil structure. The current calculated in the inductive interference study is injected into the earth at each structure. The earth and rail potentials are computed as a function of distance away from the structure up to the rail tracks. Then touch and step voltages can be computed accordingly. 4.4 Mitigation Design Mitigation means are simulated in order to achieve a satisfactory limit, if the interference level is high. The computer model can be expended to compute the effectiveness of different mitigation methods. V. CASE STUDY The following example illustrates the effectiveness of the automated process in computing interference level in a railway system. 5.1 System Description Figure 1 presents the complete model of the right-of-way network under consideration. The network consists of one transmission line (three phases and one static wire) and one railway track (two rails). The total length of railway exposure to the 230 kV transmission line is 2.74 km. The rails are made of steel with an average relative resistivity of 12 (with respect to copper) and relative permeability of 250 (with respect to air). The rail-to-rail distance is 1.47 m. The ballast is basically crushed stone with an average 10 ohm-km rail-to-ground impedance and 10 ohm-km rail-

to-rail impedance. A typical cross section of the right-of-way system is shown in Figure 2. A 875 A current is flowing in the phase conductors during load conditions, while a 20,700 A fault current is obtained when a fault occurs at the right end of the right-of-way. The soil resistivity is 1000 ohm-m. No insulating joints and broken rails exist in the model. 5.2 Interference Under Normal Load Conditions A constant current source approach is used at the two ends of the studied region. The magnitude of the rail potential is shown in Figure 3. Two maximum values are found at the locations of the transmission lines sudden changes of direction (veering away from the railways). It reaches 13 V. The results confirm that the inductive interference level reaches a peak at a discontinuity in either the energized or the passive conductor which is not grounded. 5.3 Interference Under Fault Conditions The fault under consideration is a short circuit between the 230 kV transmission line phase conductor and the neutral wire. The fault current is 20,700 A when the fault occurs at point A in Figure 1. In order to determine the maximum interference level at all possible fault locations, faults at each tower along the transmission line are simulated in the computer modeling. Figures 4 and 5 represent maximum rail-to-earth and rail-to-rail voltages due to induction, respectively. From the figures, it can be concluded that a maximum rail-to-earth voltage of 930 V and a rail-to-rail voltage 9.6 V could be results in this right-of-way system during fault conditions from the inductive interference only. A worst case for a fault condition is selected for the conductive study. Figure 6 shows the transferred ground potential rise (GPR) of the rail track from the faulted and the adjacent towers during fault condition. The maximum value is 620 V. Touch and step voltages are obtained by combining the maximum induction and conduction for the worst fault case. Figure 7 illustrates the touch voltages within 1 m from a track, while Figure 8 shows the step voltages within 19 m from the rail close to the faulted tower. Safety can be evaluated based on ANSI/IEEE Standard 80 safety criteria [11].

VI. CONCLUSION The following important conclusions can be drawn from the preceding discussions: AC interference between power lines and railways can be divided in two key categories: inductive and conductive coupling. The interference could jeopardize the proper operation of the signal and protection system of railways. Furthermore, it can produce unsafe touch and step voltages. Performing an accurate interference study in a complex right-of-way including railways can be a very timeconsuming process. An automated and simplified approach has been discussed in this paper. In this approach, all relevant parameters used for modeling the right-of-way are taken into account in computing the line parameters, building the circuit model, and automatically determine the maximum interference levels under steady-state and fault conditions at all specified locations. A case study of interference has been presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the automated process. VII. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The authors would like to thank Dr. Jinxi Ma, Manager of Analytical R&D at Safe Engineering Services & technologies ltd., for his assistance in this study. VIII. REFERENCES
[1] F. P. Dawalibi, J. Ma, and Y. Li, Mechanisms of Electromagnetic Interference between Electrical Networks and Neighboring Metallic Utilities, APC, Chicago, April 1999. [2] R. D. Southey and F. P. Dawalibi, Computer Modelling of AC Interference Problems for the Most Cost-Effective Solutions, CORROSION 98, Paper No. 564. [3] F. P. Dawalibi and R. D. Southey, Analysis of Electrical Interference From Power Lines to Gas Pipelines Part I: Computation Methods, IEEE Trans. on Power Delivery, Vol. 4, No. 3, July 1989, pp. 1840-1846. [4] F. P. Dawalibi and R. D. Southey, Analysis of Electrical Interference from Power Lines to Gas Pipelines, Part II: Parametric Analysis, IEEE Trans. on Power Delivery, Vol. 5, No. 1, January 1990, pp. 415-421. [5] R. D. Southey, F. P. Dawalibi, and J. Ma, Cost-Effective Mitigation of AC Voltages in Pipelines Located Close to Electric Transmission Lines, Proceedings of International Conference on Electromagnetic Compatibility, ICEMC95 KUL, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, April 11-13, 1995, pp. 124-131. [6] A. H. E. Manders, G. A. Hofkens, and H. Schoenmarkers, Inductive Interference of the Signal and Protection System of the Netherlands Railways by High Voltage Overhead Lines Running Parallel with the Railways, International Conference on Large High Voltage Electric Systems, CIGRE 1974.

[7] Y. Li, F. P.Dawalibi, J. Ma, and R. D. Southey, Integrated Analysis Software for Electromagnetic Interference between Power Lines and Neighboring Utilities, The International Conference on Electrical Engineering, ICEE2001, Xian, China, July 22-26, 2001. [8] F. P. Dawalibi, Y. Li, and J. Ma, Safety of Pipelines in Close Proximity to Electric Transmission Lines, IAS 2000 Workshop, New Delhi, India, April 2000. [9] D. C. Carpenter and R. J. Hill, Railroad Track Electrical Impedance and Adjacent Track Crosstalk Modeling Using the Finite-Element Method of Electromagnetic Systems Analysis, IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology, Vol. 42, No. 4, November 1993. [10] Y. Li, F. P. Dawalibi, and J. Ma, Effects of Conductor Length and Angle on the Accuracy of Inductive Interference Computations, Transmission and Distribution Conference and Exposition, 2001 IEEEE/PES, Atlanta, U.S.A., October 2001. [11] IEEE Std. 80-2000, IEEE Guide for Safety in AC Substation Grounding, IEEE, 2000.

IX. BIOGRAPHIES
Ms. Yexu Li received the B.Sc. degree in Geophysics from Beijing University and the M.Sc. degree in Seismology from the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1986 and 1989, respectively. She received the M.Sc. degree in Applied Geophysics from Ecole Polytechnique of the University of Montreal in 1996 and the Graduate Diploma in Computer Sciences from Concordia University in 1998. From 1995 to 1998, she worked as a Geophysicist with SIAL Geosicences Inc. in Montreal, and was involved in geophysical EM survey design, data acquisition and processing as well as interpretation. She joined Safe Engineering Services & technologies ltd. in Montreal in March 1998 as a scientific researcher and software developer. She is presently working on AC interference studies and software development. Ms. Li has coauthored more than ten papers on geophysics and electromagnetic interference analysis. Dr. Farid P. Dawalibi (M'72, SM'82) was born in Lebanon in November 1947. He received a Bachelor of Engineering degree from St. Joseph's University, affiliated with the University of Lyon, and the M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees from Ecole Polytechnique of the University of Montreal. From 1971 to 1976, he worked as a consulting engineer with the Shawinigan Engineering Company, in Montreal. He worked on numerous projects involving power system analysis and design, railway electrification studies and specialized computer software code development. In 1976, he joined Montel-Sprecher & Schuh, a manufacturer of high voltage equipment in Montreal, as Manager of Technical Services and was involved in power system design, equipment selection and testing for systems ranging from a few to several hundred kV.

In 1979, he founded Safe Engineering Services & technologies, a company specializing in soil effects on power networks. Since then he has been responsible for the engineering activities of the company including the development of computer software related to power system applications. He is the author of more than one hundred papers on power system grounding, lightning, inductive interference and electromagnetic field analysis. He has written several research reports for CEA and EPRI. Dr. Dawalibi is a corresponding member of various IEEE Committee Working Groups, and a senior member of the IEEE Power Engineering Society and the Canadian Society for Electrical Engineering. He is a registered Engineer in the Province of Quebec. Mr. Robert D. Southey, Eng., graduated from McGill University, Montreal, in December 1985 with a B. Eng. (Honours) degree in Electrical Engineering. From that time to the present, he has worked for Safe Engineering Services & technologies ltd., where he is now manager of the Applied R&D Department. He has been extensively involved in several major AC interference mitigation design studies and grounding studies. In addition, Mr. Southey is a coauthor of the following research reports: Power Line Fault Current Coupling to Nearby Natural Gas Pipelines (Volumes 1 and 2), an EPRI/A.G.A. (PRC) project resulting in the creation of the ECCAPP software package. Simplified Rules for Grounding Customer-Owned High Voltage Substations, a Canadian Electrical Association project undertaken to revise portions of Section 36 (Part I) of the Canadian Electrical Code. Safety Grounding Practices for Personnel Working on Distribution Systems up to 50 kV, (Phase II interim report), a Canadian Electrical Association project exploring temporary safety grounding methods by means of a vast parametric analysis involving thousands of computer simulations. Mr. Southey is a member of IEEE and a registered Engineer in the Province of Quebec. Robert Stevenson was born in 1938. He received his Bachelor of Engineering degree in Electrical Engineering from McGill University in Montreal in 1962. He has 33 years of telecommunications experience in various aspects of the industry, including Network Planning. For a period, he was the telecommunications Project Manager for the Electrical Coordination Project, a joint research project of the telecommunications companies of Canada and the Canadian Electricity Association. He is currently involved in electrical coordination work through C.H.R.S. Associates for Canadian railway companies. He is a registered Professional Engineer in the Province of Ontario. He is a member of IEEE, AREMA and CSA International.

52.2 m 47.85 m
23.9 m

27.5 m

230 kV Transmission Line Rail

22.5 m 12.5 m 12.5 m

17.8 m

6.6 m

240 m

137 m

91 m

135 m

156 m

857 m

215 m

250 m

10 m

841 m

-110 m

45 m

A
Figure 1. The complete right-of-way network modeled.

Phase conductor Neutral conductor

12.4 m

Rail
Track tie

Ballast (crushed stone)

Figure 2. A typical cross-section of the right-of-way modeled.

Figure 3. Rail potentials under load conditions.

Maximum Rail Potentials (Volts)

Section Number
Figure 4. Maximum rail potentials due to induction, under fault conditions.

Potential Profile Magnitude (Volts)

Distance from Origin of Profile (m)

Figure 6. Rail potentials due to conduction for the worst fault case.

Maximum Rail-to-rail Voltage (Volts)

Section Number
Figure 5. Maximum rail-to-rail voltages due to induction under fault conditions.

Touch Voltage Magn. (Volts)

Distance from a Rail Track (m)

Figure 7. Touch voltages for the worst fault case.

Step Voltage Magn. (V)

Distance from a Rail Track (m)

Figure 8. Step voltages for the worst fault case.