evelopment in Lightning Protection or over twice the arrester impedance voltage

at 5,000 amperes on the standard AIEE

Stations
E. R. WHITEHEAD
MEMBER AIEE
Introduction
THE AIEE transformier sub-commit-
tee has recently sponsored a paper' on
the protection of power transformers
against lightning surges. The most ef-
fective method given combines overhead
ground wires, line entrance gaps, and
transformer mounted lightning arresters.
Such a method does give a high degree of
protection, but it is primarily applicable
to high voltage, high capacity stations
where the overhead ground wire system is
justified for both line and station.
The conditions noted above are seldom
fulfilled on subtransmission svstems from
23 kv to 34.5 kv. Effective ground wires
and low ground resistances are uneconomi-
cal, and the protection provided is usu-
ally a more or less modem arrester, not
always located and grounded to the best
advantage.
On the 23-kv subtransmission system
of the Duquesne Light Company, the
average transmission distance is approxi-
mately two miles. This means that most
direct strokes-will contact the line not
more than one mile from some substation.
Much of this transmission is now
equipped with wood cross arm braces and
guy insulators, and at some stations
several spans adjacent thereto are carried
on unguyed poles.
Under such conditions, it is possible
for very high voltage waves to strike the
station and result in arrester discharge
currents having high rates of rise.
It is the purpose of this paper to out-
lilne briefly some of the field experielnce
pointing to this factor as a cause of trans-
former and arrester failures, and to pre-
sent a limited discussion of laboratory
tests and calculations relating to a pro-
posed method of achieving a high degree
of protection for equipment so exposed.
Field Experience
After several years' experience with
improved station insulation and modern
types of carborundum block arresters,2 it
has become apparent that arrester failures
are confined to a few exposed locations
Furthermore, most cases of insulation
failure are associated with definite evi-
deuce of direct strokes to the line near
the stationf
In one station, 10 equipment failures
b
have occurred, but arrester failures aver-
age one per year. In another station
there have been no arrester failures, but
transformer failures average one every
two years. In still another case the ar-
rester suffered no damage but a trans-
former bushing flashed over. This par-
ticular bushing had an impulse strength
P current is plotted for two well-separated
Paper 41-102, recomme-nded by the AIEE com-
mittee on protective devices, and presented at the
AIEE June
Can., 16-20,convention,
summer Toronto, submitted
1941. Manuscript Ontario,
April 8, 1941; made available for preprinting
May 6, 1941.
E. R. WHITEHEADis with the Dtuquesne Light
The author acknowledges the valuable assistance
of C. M. Jackson in making the tests, and of E. L.
Jarrett in the preparation of this paper.
1. For all numbered references, see list at end of
paper.
test wave.
Such instances have emphasized the
necessity of providing some sort of
back-up devTice which would come into
play under extreme conditions only, yet
not affect service under the great number
of minor surges.
In one statioil, six-inch rod gaps were
installed in parallel with the arresters
two years ago, yet another transformer
failure occurred in 1940.
As a result of this experience, it was de-
cided to make a series of tests in the labo-
ratorv in order to determine if some
method could be found to afford protec-
tion under such conditions.
Performance of Arresters
In analvzing the performance of light-
ning arresters subjected to high rates of
current rise, it becomes apparent that the
so-called IR voltage depends both on the
rate of current rise as well as on the maxi-
mum value of the current. It has been
found that a fair approximation to the
actual characteristic can be obtained by
using an equivalent circuit composed of
a constant voltage, a constant resistance,
and a constant inductance in series.
Such representation is, of course, en-
tirely empirical, and serves merely to per-
mit approximate calculations. The
method of determining the constants is
shown in figure 1. The value of the ar-
rester voltage drop at the time of crest
values of crest current, and the line join-
points extrapolated
ing these pit xrpltdtto current urn
zero to determine the value of Ea. The
slope of this line determines the value of
Ra. The difference between the crest of
the arrester voltage and the value at the
instant of crest current is a measure of the
fictitious inductive drop at this time.
These values are not strictly constant, but

ber of the minor parts of our equipment,
we purchase the bulk of our plant from the
usual equipment manufacturers. Our
new aO-kw stations in Toronto and Mon-
treal are Northern Electric transmitters.
Those in Sackville and Watrous are RCA.
W\e propose to co-operate with the Cana-
dian Marconi in the operation of an F.M.
transmitter on Mount-Royal, Montreal.
All our construction is designed and
supervised by our own staff but actual
building is assigned by tender to firms who
are invited to bid.
Thus, it is seen that radio broadcasting
in Canada is colnducted unlder a dual sys- tial networks to meet special demands
tem of individual privately owned stations from ,sponsors or to take care of the over-
and of a public service network operated flow on the national or regional networks.
by the CBC. This particular organiza- This system has been in operation for more
tion, besides having authority to regulate -than five years andhasprovedtomeetwith
over program contents generally of the wishes of the very great majority of
private stations also owns and operates a Canadians across the Country. The pub-
number of its OWnl stationls and a network lic service angle has proved extremely suc-
composed of both CBC and privately cessful in certain instances of national im-
owned stations. Besides, the CBC acts as portance and all indications are to the ef-
an agency in booking network programs fect that present conditions will be main-
on all network stations whether they are tamned to the best satisfaction of the spon-
its own or privately owned. There is sors, artists, musicians, and the listening
also a provision for the setting up of par- public.

898 TRANSACTIONS Whiteheatd-Lightning Protection ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING

40 ___

0~
100-

80

0->

0
~

fo
eO

Ea+RaIa

40~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
6

40
0

~
~

decrease with increasinlg discharge cur-

rent. Values may be chosen for moder-
ately high current and used with the
knowledge that they will be conservative
for extreme conditions. Figure 2 shows
-

46
2
SPERES

calculated and measured arrester voltages

for the currents and arreste.r constants
shown.

Transformer-Arrester
Co-ordination
-

7 5 8
~~~~~~~~~~~~~2

~ ~ 0 2 1 3 4 567891
9

- -
0
-
La

-
-

2
-~~~~~~~~~~-

- L....
39 KV

3
-
-~~a=

- -
-La

3K

La=~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~LI)h~

44
-

-~~~~~~~~~1 0
loo

- -M

This scheme is just the reverse of the old

arrester-choke coil sequence in that the
arrester is transformer-mounted and so
limits the voltage at the vital point in the
most effective way possible. In the old
scheme, the arrester voltages for high
rates of current rise were further aggra-
vated by oscillations between arrester
and transformer at the natural period of
the choke inductanlce and effective trans-
former capacitance. In the new scheme,
the basic protection is located at the
transformer. The inductance and ca-
pacitance slope the wave front and
L

.
0 ____O CALCULATED
TS

0~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~8

e
-

_=__5_ih
h
O

Figure 2. Comparison of test results and

calculations from equivalent circuit
to the back-up protection of a 3.5-inch
gap without the reactor.

Laboratory Tests

Impulse tests were made on the com-

bination protective scheme in order to
check the theory within the limitations of
the laboratory equipment. Figure Sa
shows the oscillogram of the voltage
across the six-inch gap, while figure Sb
Because of the relative characteristics lower the arrester breakdown, while the shows the voltage across the arrester
of gaps, transformers, and line type ar- back-up gap is brought into action only under the same conditions. Figure Sc
resters, it is not possible to secure com- when required to keep the arrester-imped- shows the voltage across the arrester for a
plete back-up protection for short times. ance voltage at a safe level, higher rate of rise of current, and without
This situation is illustrated in figure 3 the reactor.
where a modern transformer of the 23-ky Calculations for Theoretical Scheme As a final test of the protection system,
class is compared with a modern arrester it was decided to make a complete set-up
and asix-inchrod gap. Figure 4 shows such a protection sys- including a 100-kva, 3-phase, 22,000/
tem. Through the substitution of the con- 460/230-volt transformer. The particu-
Gap-Reactor-Arrester Protection stant circuit elements to represent the lar transformer chosen was an exact du-
arrester, it is possible to estimate the ef- plicate of those mentioned earlier as hay-
Since the rate of rise characteristic of fect of any assumed terminal current. ing flashed over or failed internally three
the arrester is simulated by aninductance, Although no "turn-up' is shown for the times in six years. The surge generator
it seemed logical to add an external re- transformer strength, such an increase was adjusted for maximum voltage and
actor which would increase the vToltage at does exist and would actually provide a all series resistance was short-circuited.
the gap location for high rates of current greater margin of safety than that indi- Under such conditions, the voltage, if un-
rise, and thereby at least partially offset cated. The effect of this protection sys- limited by gap breakdown, would reach
the turn-up in the rod gap characteristic. tem at short times is roughly equivalent about 650 kv in something less than one-

SEPTEMBER 1941, VOL. 60 Whitehead-Lightning Protection TRANSACTIONS 899

 400 - 3 400 - o2_
- _

L 6 ARRESTER L
_r I-E~~~~~~~~~a-t
La R~a eg
350 _ yr_ARSER
6" GAP
TRANAFMRMER
300 eI________________________________ e,
_a FORMER
La=7).Lh Ra=6OHMS Ea=70KV 300

250
\

/ ~~~jea(NOGAP) -
6" ROD GAP (-)
X ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~L=20gih
La=7ph Ra=6'OHMS
-a =70 KV

150 / {DEMONSTRATED
-ii=--=- O200_ __ <]
-I - A"~~~~~TRANS.LEVEL
-J
56'ROD GAP I[-)

_L ftDEMONSTRATED
0-J

UNSAFE
bC-REGION - _ __- - - 20

Fiur 3.C-rdntono aparstrtanlrercminto 5LLJI o

_J~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~-
e
MICROSECONDS 10
0
15~~~~~~~~0L- -0s

half microsecond. Under these condi- Conclusion 2 MICROSECONDS

oFig21 the
tions, kv wasreordednatio the trpanfsforertuasedrmar
generator was discharged into cobiackuioltn oepo
Itapaspsil. iii eie
eco tsbrassinvlae
Figure 4. Calculated performancevrwo of gap-
the system several times without damage or "choear opnaempforta steepto
coil" to reactor-arnester protection scheme
to the transformer. A maximum voltage turnu cof rod gasto whenathe lathteraep

suchcniions. were mosbe u it is,n conjunction withi trnformermounted pole lines without overhead ground wires.
estimated that the rate of current rise lightning arresters. Moreover, such a
approximated 20 ka per microsecond combination gives promise of providing a References
Following this test, the transformer was high degree of protection to stations fed 1. PROTeFCTION OF POWeRFrANSFORMFRS
such ondiionswaripssdetee,
subjected
btiis
to both full wave and chopped lgnng arresters systemoIOv,er,wsuhch AG"INSTeclLInfTNI SRGES, AIEE Transhormer
aEETANAGIOS
wave tests slightly under the presenut 60, 194i, pages.5fi8-77.
AIEE standard values, and no evidermce Figure 5. Laboratory tests on gap-reactor- 2. LIGHTNIN PROTECTION s oF 22-Ky SUBSTA
of insulation failurteoumdet7etent rise combint,E; Rv38 (Otoesfr sectioin) pages a568-i

_- -_

900 TRANSACTIONS WhiteheadS-Lightnbng Protection ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING