Surge Arrester

M. M. Meraat Spring 1392

Table of content
GENERAL

Introduction Characteristics of MO arresters

CONSTRUCTIVE DESIGN CONFIGURING MO ARRESTERS

introduction

Surge arresters constitute an indispensable aid to insulation coordination in electrical power supply systems.

The overvoltages that can affect the power system can be classified into: lightning overvoltages (seconds) switching overvoltages (mseconds) temporary overvoltages (seconds) highest continuous system oper. voltage.

Overvoltages in the power system

overvoltage

Temporary overvoltage

Temporary overvoltages (sustained overvoltages) differ from transient switching overvoltages in that they last for longer durations, typically from a few cycles to a few seconds. In some cases its frequency may be several times smaller or higher than power frequency.

Their value is not higher than 1,5-1,7 the normal operating voltage They take the form of undamped or slightly damped oscillations at a frequency equal or close to the power frequency. Highest values by following main reasons:
phase-to-earth : earth faults and load rejection phase-to-phase : load rejection longitudinal : phase opposition during synchronization of two grids

10 Hz < f < 500 Hz 3 600 s T1 0.03 s

overvoltage
Temporary

overvoltage

conversion into standard voltage:

overvoltage
Transient

overvoltage

Short-duration overvoltage of few milliseconds or less, oscillatory or non-oscillatory, usually highly damped. May be followed by temporary overvoltages. In this case, both events are considered as separate events. Types:
Slow

front Fast front Very fast front

overvoltage
Transient

overvoltage

Slow front Transient overvoltage, usually unidirectional

s Tp > 20 s T2 20 ms

Main reasons: line faults, switching Conversion into standard:

impulse voltage of

Tf =

250 s tT = 2500 s

Current
Tf =

standard impulse:

30 s tT = 70 s

overvoltage
Transient

overvoltage

Fast front Transient overvoltage, usually unidirectional

s T1 > 0.1 s T2 300 s

Main reasons: lightning strokes Conversion into standard:

impulse voltage of

Tf =

1.2 s tT = 50 s

Current
Tf =

standard impulse:

8 s tT = 20 s

overvoltage
Transient

overvoltage

Very Fast front 100 ns Tf > 3 ns tT 3 ms superimposed oscillations 30 kHz f 100 MHz Main reasons: switching of disconnectors in GIS Conversion into standard: not standardized

Temporary Overvoltages Earth Faults

case of earth faults the overvoltage amplitudes depend on

Important

parameter: Earth fault factor k

Temporary Overvoltages Earth Faults

Earth fault factor k

Temporary Overvoltages

Load Rejection:

When a transmission line or a large inductive load that is fed from a power station is suddenly switched off, the generator will speed up and the bus bar voltage will rise. The amplitude of the overvoltage can be evaluated approximately by

Temporary Overvoltages

Load Rejection:

Temporary Overvoltages

Load Rejection:

Temporary Overvoltages

Load Rejection:

Temporary Overvoltages Load Rejection:

Voltage increase factors due to load rejection:

minutes widely extended systems: 1.5 p.u. for some seconds close to turbo generator: 1.3 p.u. close to salient pole generator: 1.5 p.u.

extended systems: < 1.2 p.u. for up to several

Temporary Overvoltages Resonance:

Temporary overvoltages caused by resonance phenomena generally arise when circuits with large capacitive elements, such as:
Lines Cables series

compensated lines

and inductive elements having non-linear magnetizing characteristics, such as

reactors

are energized, or as result of load rejections.

Temporary Overvoltages Resonance:

Temporary Overvoltages Resonance:

Temporary Overvoltages and Surge Arresters

arresters cannot limit TOV!

Exception: resonance effects may be suppressed or even avoided by MO arresters. Care has then to be taken not to thermally overload the arresters!

Slow front overvoltages

Slow-front overvoltages have front durations of some tens to some thousands of microseconds and tail durations in the same order of magnitude and are oscillatory by nature. They generally arise from:

line energization and re-energization; faults and fault clearing; switching of capacitive or inductive currents; distant lightning strikes to the conductor of overhead lines. a representative voltage shape 250/2500 S a representative amplitude which can be either
an assumed maximum overvoltage or a probability distribution of the overvoltage amplitudes.

The representative voltage stress is characterized by:

Slow front overvoltages

Slow-front overvoltages have front durations of some tens to some thousands of microseconds and tail durations in the same order of magnitude and are oscillatory by nature. They generally arise from:

line energization and re-energization; faults and fault clearing; switching of capacitive or inductive currents; distant lightning strikes to the conductor of overhead lines. a representative voltage shape 250/2500 S a representative amplitude which can be either
an assumed maximum overvoltage or a probability distribution of the overvoltage amplitudes.

The representative voltage stress is characterized by:

Slow front overvoltages

statistical BSL is the crest value of a standard switching impulse for which the insulation exhibits a 90% probability of withstand, a 10% probability of failure. The conventional BSL is the crest value of a standard switching impulse for which the insulation does not exhibit disruptive discharge when subjected to a specific number of applications of this impulse.

Slow front overvoltages

for a 500kV line

Slow front overvoltages

SOV: E2 is the "statistical switching overvoltage. The probability that the SOV equals or exceeds E2 is 0.02.

Fast front overvoltages

overvoltages may be:

lightning overvoltages affecting overhead lines; lightning overvoltages affecting substations;

Reasons

for lightning overvoltages affecting OHL:

direct lightning strikes to the phase lightning strikes to tower/ground wire and subsequent back flashover; induced by lightning strikes to ground nearby the OHL.

Fast front overvoltages

by:

representative voltage stress is characterized

a representative voltage shape : 1.2/50 s; a representative amplitude which can be either

assumed maximum overvoltage or a probability distribution of the overvoltage amplitudes.

and rates of occurrence depend on:

Lightning performance of the OHLs connected to it; Substation layout, size and in particular number of OHLs connected to it; instantaneous value of the operating voltage (at the moment of strike).

Very Fast Front Overvoltages

originate from disconnector operations or faults within GIS due to the fast breakdown of the gas gap and the nearly undamped surge propagation within the GIS. Amplitudes are rapidly damped and front times increased when leaving the GIS through the bushing. VFFO are usually not a concern or a dimensioning parameter for the hv insulation. Therefore no standardized test has yet been defined (and is not under consideration, either). Mainly an EMI problem, as external electric fields may appear between the metal enclosure and ground . problem for secondary control circuits. Countermeasures: usual means of EMC.

overvoltage

Metal Oxide (MO) Arresters

Even though a great number of arresters which are gapped arresters with resistors made of silicon-carbide (SiC), are still in use, the arresters installed today are almost all metal-oxide (MO) arresters without gaps The distinctive feature of an MO resistor is its extremely non-linear voltage-current or U-I characteristic, rendering unnecessary the disconnection of the resistors from the line through serial spark-gaps, as is found in the arresters with SiC resistors. The currents passing through the arrester within the range of possibly applied power-frequency voltages are so small that the arrester almost behaves like an insulator. If, however, surge currents in the kiloampere range are injected into the arrester, such as is the case when lightning or switching overvoltages occur, then the resulting voltage across its terminals will remain low enough to protect the insulation of the associated device from the effects of overvoltage.

Metal Oxide (MO) Arresters

U-I Characteristic of MO Arrester

U-I-characteristic of a typical MO arrester connected between phase and ground in a solidly earthed neutral 420-kV-system. (voltage peak value is depicted linearly, while current peak values are given in a logarithmic scale.)

Arrester parameters

The power-frequency voltage, while continuously applied to the arrester, is the highest phase-to-earth voltage of the system. In this case the peak value is:

At the same time, the so-called leakage current flows through the arrester. This consists of a large capacitive and a considerably smaller, resistive component.

Arrester parameters
continuous
the

operating voltage

power-frequency voltage which the arrester can be operated at, without any type of restrictions
the continuous operating voltage is greater than the highest continuously occurring phase-to-earth voltage. An allowance of at least 5% (IEC 60099-5, clause 3.2.1) is recommended. With this, possible harmonics in the system voltage are taken into account.

rated

voltage (Ur):

is somewhat misleading. Instead it characterizes the capability of the arrester to deal with temporary overvoltages in the system. It can only be applied temporarily for a time period of 10 seconds.

Arrester parameters
continuous
the

operating voltage

power-frequency voltage which the arrester can be operated at, without any type of restrictions
the continuous operating voltage is greater than the highest continuously occurring phase-to-earth voltage. An allowance of at least 5% (IEC 60099-5, clause 3.2.1) is recommended. With this, possible harmonics in the system voltage are taken into account.

Rated

voltage (Ur):

is somewhat misleading. Instead it characterizes the capability of the arrester to deal with temporary overvoltages in the system. It can only be applied temporarily for a time period of 10 seconds.

Arrester parameters
Rated

voltage (Ur):

The actual cause of the temporary time limit is the sudden great increase in the temperature and the frequent rise in leakage current (the UI-characteristic is temperature-dependence), after, for example, the arrester has diverted a current impulse to the ground (that is, after it had to "operate"). In this case an extensive application of the rated voltage could render the arrester incapable of recooling; instead it would become thermally unstable and would continually heat up until it reached selfdestruction (so-called thermal runaway).

Arrester parameters
Lightning impulse protective level This depicts the voltage which drops across the arrester terminals when the nominal discharge current flows through the arrester. The aforementioned is a lightning current impulse of a standardized shape, whose amplitude is assigned to different classes from 1.5 kA to 20 kA, according to the IEC standard 60099-4. For high-voltage arresters (in systems with Us 123 kV) only classes 10 kA and 20 kA are common. Two "10-kA-arresters" can have very different properties. When selecting an arrester the nominal discharge current therefore cannot be considered on its own. The statement "lightning impulse protective level = 823 kV" means the following: a voltage at a maximum of 823 kV drops across the terminals when impressing a lightning current impulse of 8 s of virtual front time, 20 s of virtual time to half-value on the tail and a peak value of 10 kA

Arrester parameters
Lightning impulse protective level This depicts the voltage which drops across the arrester terminals when the nominal discharge current flows through the arrester. The aforementioned is a lightning current impulse of a standardized shape, whose amplitude is assigned to different classes from 1.5 kA to 20 kA, according to the IEC standard 60099-4. For high-voltage arresters (in systems with Us 123 kV) only classes 10 kA and 20 kA are common. Two "10-kA-arresters" can have very different properties. When selecting an arrester the nominal discharge current therefore cannot be considered on its own. The statement "lightning impulse protective level = 823 kV" means the following: a voltage at a maximum of 823 kV drops across the terminals when impressing a lightning current impulse of 8 s of virtual front time, 20 s of virtual time to half-value on the tail and a peak value of 10 kA