Overvoltage Phenomena and Insulation Coordination

in Electric Power Systems-Part 1

The next frame is borrowed from our Introduction Section. It reminds us

again that there are three important types of overvoltages on electric power
systems: lightning overvoltages, switching overvoltages, and power
frequency overvoltages.

In the next frame, you are asked to consider a thought experiment where a
voltage recorder captures a continuous record of the voltage at a particular
location on the power system (say that these voltages are measured from
phase conductor to earth for simplicity). Each voltage "event" is then
studied and the pertinent events are classified into our three types
(lightning, switching, and power frequency) and probability distribution
functions are made for each category. In the hypothetical probability
distribution functions shown, it is assumed that only transients exceeding
the nominal system voltage are counted. This leads to a sharp cutoff at the
low voltage end of the distribution. It is also assumed that huge transients
will be "clipped" by system sparkovers. This leads to a sharp cutoff at the
high voltage end of the distribution. These plots are strictly hypothetical
and will be discussed later in this chapter.
13

The next frame begins lecture notes on lightning.

Some supplementary references on lightning will be placed below:
1. W. Diesendorf, Insulation Co-ordination in High-voltage
Electric Power Systems, London: Butterworth, 1974.
2. J. G. Anderson, Lightning Performance of EHV-UHV
Lines, Chapter 12 in Transmission Line Reference Book 345 kV
and Above, Palo Alto: Electric Power Research Institute, 1975.
3. A. J. Eriksson, Lightning-Induced Overvoltages on Overhead
Distribution Lines, IEEE Transactions on Power Apparatus and
Systems, Vol. PAS-101, No. 4, April 1982, pp. 960-968.
4. R. Bernstein, R. Samm, K. Cummins, R. Pyle, and J. Tuel,
Lightning Detection Network Averts Damage and Speeds Restoration,
IEEE Computer Applications in Power, April 1996, pp. 12-17.
5. The Lightning Protection Design Workstation Version 4.0, Technical
Brief, Power Delivery Group, Electric Power Research Institute,
August 1996, P.O. Box 10412, Palo Alto, CA 94303, (415) 855-2000.
6. C. Zimmer, Heavens New Fires, Discovery, Vol. 18, No. 7,
July 1997, pp. 100-107. This describes phenomena recently observed
ABOVE the thunder clouds.
7. E. R. Williams, The Electrification of Thunderstorms, Scientific
American, November 1988, pp. 88-99.
8. M. A. Uman, Understanding Lightning, Carnegie, Pennsylvania: Bek
Technical Publications Inc., 1971.
9. K. Berger and R. B. Anderson, Parameters of Lightning Flashes,
Electra, International Conference on Large High Voltage Electric
Systems, CIGRE, No. 41, July 1975.
10. P. R. Elkin, Anaylysis of the Spatial, Temporal, and
Electrical Characteristics of Lightning in Portions of the
Northwestern United States for 1985 and 1986, M. S. Thesis,
Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, December 1988.
11. C. F. Wagner, G. D. McCann, and J. M. Clayton, Chapter 16,
Lightning Phenomena, in Electrical Transmission and Distribution
Reference Book, East Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Westinghouse Electric
Corporation, 1964.

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The equivalent circuit shown at the bottom of the previous frame appears
on page 48 of Reference #1 by Diesendorf.
19

Much of the information given below on lightning detection networks was

taken from References # 4 and # 10 listed above.

20

Note that the following frame has a self-contained reference #1. All other
references in this section are listed near the start of this section.

21

Overvoltage Phenomena and Insulation Coordination

in Electric Power Systems-Part 2
These frames describe switching overvoltages including that due to circuit
breaker current chopping.

22

The following frame mentions a text book by Greenwood. It covers the

techniques of superposition and current injection. The complete reference
and page numbers are: A. Greenwood, Electrical Transients in Power
Systems, NY: Wiley-Interscience, 1971, pp. 6-9, pp. 38-41, pp. 66-67, and
pp. 96-99.

23

HSPICE was used to simulate current chopping at about 20 amps and at

about 100 amps. Results are shown below. Note that transient switching
overvoltages can easily exceed twice the peak power frequency voltage
(25 kV in these examples) in the presence of current chopping.

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End Part 2 of Overvoltage Phenomena and Insulation Coordination in

Electric Power Systems
26

Overvoltage Phenomena and Insulation Coordination in Electric

Power Systems-Part 3
These frames describe power frequency overvoltages including that due to
the Ferranti rise and that due to ferro-resonance.

The following frame mentions text books by Gallagher & Pearmain and by
Greenwood. The complete references are:
27

T. J. Gallagher and A. J. Pearmain, High Voltage Measurement, Testing

and Design, NY: Wiley, 1983, p. 27 and p. 225.
A. Greenwood, Electrical Transients in Power Systems, NY: WileyInterscience, 1971, pp. 438-440.

28

The following frame shows a scanned image of the MATLAB file used to
solve for the Ferranti rise. This file (ferranti.m) has also been placed in this
subdirectory for use by the student.

29

Frames below here will describe ferro-resonance. The example shown here
is a simplified version of the 3-phase problem described in detail by
Greenwood in A. Greenwood, Electrical Transients in Power Systems,
NY: Wiley, 1971, pp. 91-93, pp. 392-394.

30

The following MATLAB m-file has been placed in this subdirectory and is
available for student use.

The following HSPICE file has been placed in this subdirectory and is
available for student use.

31

The following frame shows voltage plots from the HSPICE simulation.
Note that the magnetization branch of the transformer is nearly resonant
with C2 (as we planned for this example) and so these two circuit elements
develop large power frequency voltages. In this case the line to line
applied voltage is about 17 kV peak while the resonant voltage across the
transformer and across C2 exceeds 50 kV peak. This power frequency
overvoltage could easily damage the transformer and cable.

32

We will now replace the linear magnetization element with a nonlinear

magnetization element and repeat the HSPICE simulation. The next few
frames will describe the nonlinear magnetization element for the
transformer.

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.
The following frame shows voltages when the nonlinear inductor was
present (compare with frame 8-56 above.) Note that the bottom capacitor
(C2 at node 6) and the transformer inductance both have large voltages
with significant harmonics. Comparing with frame 8-56, we see that the
nonlinear inductor has limited the overvoltage to a maximum during the
simulation of about 38kV while the linear inductor had a maximum
voltage during the simulation of about 52kV.

The next frame shows currents from the simulation with the nonlinear
inductor. Current from the sinusoidal voltage source contains strong
harmonics as does current through the nonlinear inductor and the capacitor
(C2) that is in resonance with the nonlinear inductor. Note that during this
simulation, current through the inductor did not exceed 10 A.

End Part 3 of Overvoltage Phenomena and Insulation Coordination in

Electric Power Systems

34

Overvoltage Phenomena and Insulation Coordination

in Electric Power Systems-Part 4
These frames describe apparatus for overvoltage avoidance and
mitigation. A Classic reference for the older techniques is:
1. Electrical Transmission and Distribution Reference Book, East
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Westinghouse Electric Corporation, 1964, pp.
599-642.

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End Part 4 of Overvoltage Phenomena and Insulation Coordination in

Electric Power Systems
38