HIGH VOLTAGE ENGINEERING

High Voltage Engineering

Syllabus

Unit I: Breakdown in Gases Insulating materials Classification, Gases as

insulating media, Ionization and decay process, Breakdown in gases,
Townsend’s law, Streamer mechanism of spark pashan’s law, Corona discharge,
Electronegative gases.

Unit II : Breakdown in Liquid and Solid Dielectrics Breakdown in pure and

commercial liquids, Solid dielectrics and composite dielectrics, High voltage
bushings, Guarding, Shielding, Field plotting.

Unit III: Lightning and Switching Over Voltage and Protection Lightning
strokes to lines and towers; Mechanism, Characteristics and protection of
transmission lines from lightning; Lightning arrestors, Insulation co-ordination
of HV and EHV power system and substation.
Unit IV: High Voltage and Current Generation, Generation of high D.C, A.C
and impulse voltages, Standard impulse wave shapes, Switching surges,
and High impulse generator.

Unit V: High Voltage and Current Measurement Peak voltage, Impulse

voltage and High direct measurement methods, Nondestructive
measurement and testing, High voltage dielectrics loss and capacitance
measurement, Radio frequency and Partial discharge measurement.

Unit VI: High Voltage Testing and E.H.V.Lines Design. Basic terminology,
Testing – Insulators, Bushings, Cables, Transformers, Surge diverters and
Isolators; Electric shock and threshold current, Capacitance of long objects,
Electromagnetic interference, E.H.V. line insulation design based upon
transient over voltage.
Objectives:

To describe and apply the knowledge of mathematics, science

and electrical engineering to the solution of high voltage
fundamentals, principles and applications.
To understand the electrical breakdown phenomenon in gases,
liquids and solids and principles of application of these material in
the design of high voltage insulation.
To describe the principles behind generating high DC, AC and
impulse voltages.
To develop equivalent circuit models of the different high
voltage generators.
To design a simple protection system for a section of power
system, such as a feeder, a transformer or a motor.
To perform calculations for the design of simple high voltage
insulation system.
To show the effect of high voltage on short circuit level.
To describe the principles for measurements of capacitance and
dielectric loss.
To explain the advantage of new technological solutions in new
and existing power system installations.
To knowledge of contemporary issues within and outside the
electrical engineering professions.
 To select appropriate hardware for certain applications in power
system protection and high voltage engineering.
Work in team and communicate properly.
Reference Books:

1. M.S.Naidu and V.Kamraju – High Voltage Engineering, Tata McGraw Hill

Publishing, Company, New Delhi.
2. E.Kuffer and W.S.Zaenglo- High Voltage Engineering, Pergamon Press
3. Rokosh Das Begamudre- EHV AC. Transmission Engineering, Wiley Easter
Ltd. New Delhi.
4. E.Kuffer and M.Abdullaha High Voltage Engineering, Pergamon Press
5. M.S.Naidu and V.N.Maller- SF6 and Vacuum Insulation for High Voltage
Application, Khanna Publications, Delhi
6. Prof.D.V.Razeving (Translated from Russian by Dr.M.P.Chaurasia) – High
Voltage Engineering, Khanna Publications, Delhi
7. An introduction to High Voltage Engineering by Subir Ray, Prentice –Hall &
India, Private Limited, New Delhi
8. High Voltage Engineering by C.L. wadhawa New Age international (P) Ltd.
Publications
Breakdown Phenomenon of Arc Discharge
Townsend Discharge

The Townsend discharge is a gas ionization process where free electrons,

accelerated by a sufficiently strong electric field, give rise to electrical
conduction through a gas by avalanche multiplication caused by the
ionization of molecules by ion impact.

This process is effectively a chain reaction of electron generation; it

depends on the free electrons gaining sufficient energy between collisions
to sustain the avalanche.
Glow Discharge

A glow discharge is characterized by a diffused luminous glow. The colour of

the glow discharge depends on the cathode material and the gas used. The
glow discharge covers the cathode partly and the space between the cathode
and the anode will have intermediate dark and bright regions. This is called
normal glow.

If the current in the normal glow is increased such that the discharge covers
the entire cathode surface, then it becomes abnormal glow.
Ionization Process

when a high voltage is applied between the two electrodes

immersed in a gaseous medium, the gas becomes a conductor and
an electrical breakdown occurs.

The processes that are primarily responsible for the breakdown of

a gas are ionization by collision, photo-ionization, and the
secondary ionization processes.
1. Ionization by Collision
The process of liberating an electron from a gas molecule with the
simultaneous production of a positive ion is called ionization.
In the process of ionization by collision, a free electron collides with a
neutral gas molecule and gives rise to a new electron and a positive ion.

If we consider a low pressure gas column in which an electric field E is

applied across two plane parallel electrodes, as shown in Fig.
Then, any electron starting at the cathode will be accelerated more and more
between collisions with other gas molecules during its travel towards the
anode. If the energy (E) gained during this travel between collisions exceeds
the ionisation potential Vi, which is the energy required to dislodge an electron
from its atomic shell, then ionization takes place. This process can be
represented as

Where, A is the atom, A+ is the positive ion and e¯ is the electron.

A few of the electrons produced at the cathode by some external means, say
by ultra-violet light falling on the cathode, ionize neutral gas particles
producing positive ions and additional electrons.

The additional electrons, then, themselves make 'ionizing collisions' and thus
the process repeats itself. This represents an increase in the electron current,
since the number of electrons reaching the anode per unit time is greater than
those liberated at the cathode. In addition, the positive ions also reach the
cathode and on bombardment on the cathode give rise to secondary electrons.
2. Photo-ionization

The phenomena associated with ionisation by radiation, or photo-

ionisation, involves the interaction of radiation with matter. Photo-
ionisation occurs when the amount of radiation energy absorbed by
an atom or molecule exceeds its ionisation potential.
There are several processes by which radiation can be absorbed by
atoms or molecules. They are
(a) excitation of the atom to a higher energy state
(b)continuous absorption by direct excitation of the atom or
dissociation of diatomic molecule or direct ionisation etc.
 when a charge is accelerated it emits synchrotron radiation.
During a molecular, atomic or nuclear transition to a
lower energy level, photons of various energy will be emitted,
from radio waves to gamma rays.
 In empty space, the photon moves at c (the speed of light) and
its energy and momentum are related by E = pc, where p is
the magnitude of the momentum vector p. This derives from the
following relativistic relation, with m = 0.
The energy and momentum of a photon depend only on
its frequency (ν) or inversely, its wavelength (λ).

where k is the wave vector (where the wave number k = |k| =

2π/λ), ω = 2πν is the angular frequency, and ħ = h/2π is
the reduced Planck constant.
Since p points in the direction of the photon's propagation, the
magnitude of the momentum is
Just as an excited atom emits radiation when the electron returns
to the lower state or to the ground state, the reverse process takes
place when an atom absorbs radiation.
This reversible process can be expressed as

Ionisation occurs when

where, h is the Planck's constant, c is the velocity of light and Vi

is the ionisation energy of the atom. Substituting for h and c, we
get
where Vi is in electron volts (eV). The higher the ionisation energy,
the shorter will be the wavelength of the radiation capable of
causing ionisation.
3. Secondary Ionisation Processes

Secondary ionisation processes by which secondary electrons are

produced are the one which sustain a discharge after it is
established due to ionisation by collision and photo-ionization.
They are briefly described below:
(a) Electron Emission due to Positive Ion Impact.
(b) Electron Emission due to Photons.
(c) Electron Emission due to Metastable and Neutral Atoms.
(a) Electron Emission due to Positive Ion Impact

Positive ions are formed due to ionisation by collision or by

photo-ionisation, and being positively charged, they travel
towards the cathode.
A positive ion approaching a metallic cathode can cause
emission of electrons from the cathode by giving up its kinetic
energy on impact.
If the total energy of the positive ion, namely, the sum of its
kinetic energy and the ionisation energy, is greater than twice the
work function of the metal, then one electron will be ejected and
a second electron will neutralize the ion.
The probability of this process is measured as γᵢ which is called
the Townsend's secondary ionisation coefficient due to positive
ions and is defined as the net yield of electrons per incident
positive ion γᵢ increases with ion velocity and depends on the
kind of gas and electrode material used.
(b) Electron Emission due to Photons

Minimum amount of energy which is necessary to start photo electric

emission is called Work Function. If the amount of energy of incident radiation
is less than the work function of metal, no photo electrons are emitted.
It is denoted by ϕ . Work function of a material is given by
ϕ = h.f
When ultraviolet light falls on certain metals, electrons are emitted. This
phenomenon in which certain metals emit electrons when exposed to light of
suitable frequency, is called PHOTO ELECTRIC EFFECT.
In short, ejection of electrons by means of light is called 'photo electric effect'.
Threshold frequency is defined as the minimum frequency of incident light
which can cause photo electric emission i.e. this frequency is just able to eject
electrons with out giving them additional energy.
To cause an electron to escape from a metal, it should be given
enough energy to overcome the surface potential barrier. The
energy can also be supplied in the form of a photon of ultraviolet
light of suitable frequency.

If the incident radiation has a greater frequency than the

threshold frequency, then the excess energy goes partly as the
kinetic energy of the emitted electron and partly to heat the surface
of the electrode.
The number of photo electrons depends upon:

 The nature of material

The frequency of incident radiation
The intensity of incident radiation
Potential difference b/w the electrons
 (c) Electron Emission due to Metastable and Neutral Atoms

A metastable atom or molecule is an excited particle whose

lifetime is very large compared to the lifetime of an ordinary
particle.
Electrons can be ejected from the metal surface by the impact of
excited (metastable) atoms, provided that their total energy is
sufficient to overcome the work function.
This process is most easily observed with metastable atoms,
because the lifetime of other excited states is too short for them to
reach the cathode and cause electron emission, unless they originate
very near to the cathode surface.
Therefore, the yields can also be large nearly 100%, for the
interactions of excited He atom with a clean surface of
molybdenum, nickel or magnesium.
Corona Discharge

If the electric field is uniform, a gradual increase in voltage across

a gap produces a breakdown of the gap in the form of a spark
without any preliminary discharges.
On the other hand, if the field is non-uniform, an increase in
voltage will first cause a discharge in the gas to appear at points
with highest electric field intensity, namely at sharp points or where
the electrodes are curved or on transmission lines. This form of
discharge is called a corona discharge and can be observed as a
bluish luminescence.
This phenomenon is always accompanied by a hissing noise, and
the air surrounding the corona region becomes converted into
ozone.
Corona is responsible for considerable loss of power from high
voltage transmission lines, and it leads to the deterioration of
insulation due to the combined action of the bombardment of
ions and of the chemical compounds formed during discharges.
Corona also gives rise to radio interference.
On the high voltage conductors at high pressures there is a
distinct difference in the visual appearance of the corona under
positive and negative polarities of the applied voltage.
When the voltage is positive, corona appears as a uniform
bluish white sheath over the entire surface of the conductor.
On the other hand, when the voltage is negative, the corona
will appear like reddish glowing spots distributed along the
length of the wire.
Investigations with point-plane gaps in air showed that when
point is negative, corona appears as current pulses called Trichel
pulses, and the repetition frequency of these pulses increases as
the applied voltage is increased and decreases with decrease in
pressure.

On the other hand, observations when the point is positive in air
showed that the corona current increases steadily with voltage. At
sufficiently high voltage, current amplification increases rapidly
with voltage, up to a current of about 10A, after which the current
becomes pulsed with repetition frequency of about 1 kHz
composed of small bursts. This form of corona is called burst
corona.
Electron Attachment Process

The types of collisions in which electrons may become attached to atoms or molecules
to form negative ions are called attachment collisions. Electron attachment process
depends on the energy of the electron and the nature of the gas and is a very important
process from the engineering point of view. All electrically insulating gases, such as
O2, CO2, Cl2, F2, C2 F6, C3 F8,C4 F10, CCl2 F2, and SF6 exhibit this property.

An electron attachment process can be represented as:

The energy liberated as a result of this process is the kinetic energy K plus the electron
affinity Ea. In the attaching or insulating gases, the atoms or molecules have vacancies
in their outermost shells and, therefore, have an affinity for electrons. The attachment
process plays a very important role in the removal of free electrons from an ionized
gas when arc interruption occurs in gas-insulated switchgear.
GASES AS INSULATING MEDIA

The simplest and the most commonly found dielectrics are gases. Most of the
electrical apparatus use air as the insulating medium, and in a few cases other
gases such as nitrogen (N2), carbon dioxide (CO2), freon (CC12F2) and sulphur
hexafluoride (SF6) are also used.

Various phenomena occur in gaseous dielectrics when a voltage is applied.

When the applied voltage is low, small currents flow between the electrodes
and the insulation retains its electrical properties. On the other hand, if the
applied voltages are large, the current flowing through the insulation increases
very sharply, and an electrical breakdown occurs. A strongly conducting spark
formed during breakdown practically produces a short circuit between the
electrodes.
The maximum voltage applied to the insulation at the moment of breakdown is called
the breakdown voltage. In order to understand the breakdown phenomenon in gases, a
study of the electrical properties of gases and the processes by which high currents are
produced in gases is essential.

The electrical discharges in gases are of two types, i.e.

1. non-sustaining discharges, and
2. self-sustaining types.

The breakdown in a gas, called spark breakdown is the transition of a non-sustaining

discharge into a self-sustaining discharge. The build-up of high currents in a breakdown is
due to the process known as ionization in which electrons and ions are created from
neutral atoms or molecules, and their migration to the anode and cathode respectively
leads to high currents.
At present two types of theories:-
(i) Townsend theory,
(ii) Streamer theory

are known which explain the mechanism for breakdown under

different conditions. The various physical conditions of gases,
namely, pressure, temperature, electrode field configuration,
nature of electrode surfaces, and the availability of initial
conducting particles are known to govern the ionization
processes.
BREAKDOWN IN ELECTRONEGATIVE GASES

One process that gives high breakdown strength to a gas is the

electron attachment in which free electrons get attached to neutral
atoms or molecules to form negative ions.
Negative ions like positive ions are too massive to produce
ionization due to collisions, attachment represents an effective way
of removing electrons which otherwise would have led to current
growth and breakdown at low voltages. The gases in which
attachment plays an active role are called electronegative gases.
The most common attachment processes encountered in gases are
(a) the direct attachment in which an electron directly attaches to
form a negative ion, and (b) the dissociative attachment in which
the gas molecules split into their constituent atoms and the
electronegative atom forms a negative ion.
These processes may be symbolically represented as:
(a) Direct attachment

(b) Dissociative attachment

A simple gas of this type is oxygen. Other gases are sulphur hexafluoride, Freon,
carbon dioxide, and fluorocarbons. In these gases, 'A’ is usually sulphur or carbon
atom, and 'B’ is oxygen atom or one of the halogen atoms or molecules.
let us assume that nₒ electrons are emitted from the cathode. When one electron
collides with a neutral particle, a positive ion and an electron are formed. This is
called an ionizing collision.
Let α be the average number of ionizing collisions made by an electron per
centimetre travel in the direction of the field (a depends on gas pressure p and E/p,
and is called the Town send's first ionization coefficient). At any distance x from
the cathode, let the number of electrons be nx. When these nx electrons travel a
further distance of dx they give rise to electrons.

.
Therefore, the average current in the gap, which is equal to the
number of electrons travelling per second will be

where is the initial current at the cathode.

Townsend's procedure for current growth, let us assume
nₒ’ = number of secondary electrons produced due to secondary
(γ) processes.
Let
nₒ” = total number of electrons leaving the cathode.
Then
With such gases, the Townsend current growth equation is
modified to include ionization and attachment. An attachment
coefficient (η) is defined, similar to α, as the number of attaching
collisions made by one electron drifting one centimeter in the
direction of the field.

Under these conditions the current reaching the anode, can be

Written as
The Townsend breakdown criterion for attaching gases can also be
reduced by equating the denominator in given Eq. to zero
i.e.
………..(2)

This shows that for α >η, breakdown is always possible irrespective

of the values of α,η and γ. If on the other hand, η>α Eq.(2)
approaches an asymptotic form with increasing value of d, and
Normally, γ is very small (˂ 10ˉ4) and the above equation can be
written as α = η.
This condition puts a limit for E/p below which no breakdown is
possible irrespective of the value of d, and the limit value is called
the critical E/p.
STREAMER THEORY OF BREAKDOWN IN GASES:

Townsend mechanism when applied to breakdown at atmospheric

pressure was found to have certain drawbacks. Firstly, according to the
Townsend theory, current growth occurs as a result of ionization
processes only. But in practice, breakdown voltages were found to
depend on the gas pressure and the geometry of the gap.

Secondly, the mechanism predicts time lags of the order of , while in actual
practice breakdown was observed to occur at very short times of the order of
.

The theories predict the development of a spark discharge directly from a single
avalanche in which the space charge developed by the avalanche itself is said to
transform the avalanche into a plasma streamer.
• A single electron starting at the cathode by ionization builds up an
avalanche that crosses the gap. The electrons in the avalanche move
very fast compared with the positive ions.
• By the time the electrons reach the anode the positive ions are virtually
in their original positions and form a positive space charge at the anode.
• This enhances the field, and the secondary avalanches are formed from
the few electrons produced due to photo-ionization in the space charge
region.
• This occurs first near the anode where the space charge is maximum.
This results in a further increase in the space charge. This process is very
fast and the positive space charge extends to the cathode very rapidly
resulting in the formation of a streamer. Comparatively narrow luminous
tracks occurring at breakdown at high pressures are called streamers.
• As soon as the streamer tip approaches the cathode, a cathode spot is
formed and a stream of electrons rush from the cathode to neutralize the
positive space charge in the streamer; the result is a spark, and the spark
breakdown has occurred.
• The three successive stages in the development of the streamer are
shown diagrammatically in Fig.
(a) shows the stage when avalanche has crossed the gap,
(b) shows that the streamer has crossed half the gap length, and
(c) shows that the gap has been bridged by a conducting channel.
 PASCHEN'S LAW:

The breakdown criterion in gases is given as

• Substituting for E in the expressions for α and γ and rewriting Eq. we
have

• This equation shows a relationship between V and pd, and implies that
the breakdown voltage varies as the product pd varies. Knowing the
nature of functions f1 and f2 we can rewrite Eq.
This equation is known as Paschen's law and has been experimentally
established for many gases, and it is a very important law in high
voltage engineering. The relationship between v & pd as shown in fig.
It shows is not linear.

The Paschen's curve, the relationship between V and pd is shown in

Fig. for three gases CO2, air and H2. Again it is seen that the
relationship between V and pd is not linear and has a minimum value
for any gas.
For values of pd > (pd)min, electrons crossing the gap make more frequent
collisions with gas molecules than at (pd)min, but the energy gained
between collisions is lower. Hence, to maintain the desired ionization more
voltage has to be applied. For pd < (pd)min, electron may cross the gap
without even making a collision or making only less number of collisions.
Hence, more voltage has to be applied for breakdown to occur.

However, in some gases Paschen's law is not strictly obeyed, and sparking
potentials at larger spacing for a given value of pd are higher than at lower
spacing for the same pd value. This is attributed to the loss of electrons
from the gap due to diffusion.