EE8701 HIGH VOLTAGE ENGINEERING

UNIT-1: OVER VOLTAGES IN ELECTRICAL POWER

SYSTEMS

CLASS 2 TOPICS:
1. OVER VOLTAGES IN POWER SYSTEMS
2. CHARGE FORMATION IN CLOUDS
08.08.2023

Presented by
Dr.C.MAHALAKSHMI
Associate Professor
Dept of Electrical and Electronics Engineering
Sengipatti, Thanjavur.
Causes of over voltages

Artificial or
system
generated
Natural
• Switching
Lightning surges
• Power
frequency over
voltages
 Causes of over voltages
■ Caused by switching or fault clearing process
■ Highly damped short duration over voltages
■ Frequency – either power frequency or its harmonic frequency
■ Magnitude – proportional to operating voltage
■ 500 kV – From lightning to switching surges
■ 300 – 750 kV – Both lightning and Switching
■ Beyond 700 kV – Switching surges
 Internal over voltages
 Switching surge
 Arcing ground
 Insulation failure
 Resonance
 External over voltages
 Lightning
 Internal Causes of over voltages
 Caused by sudden changes in the circuit condition
 Abnormal switching operation such as opening of a circuit breaker
 Fault condition such as grounding of a line conductor
i. Switching surges
 Over voltages produced on the power system due to switching operations
 Case of open line
 Case of loaded line
 Current chopping
ii. Arcing ground

 Phenomenon of intermittent are taking place in line-to-ground fault of a three phase system
with consequent production of transient is known as arcing ground
iii. Insulation failure
 Grounding of conductors (insulation failure between line and earth)
iv. Resonance
 Occurs when inductive reactance of the circuit becomes equal to the capacitive
reactance
Over voltages in Electrical Power Systems
Different kinds of over voltages
External or Lightning over voltages
■ Generated internally by connecting or disconnecting the system or
due to the systems fault initiation or extinction

Temporary over
voltages

Internal over voltages

Switching over
voltages
 Cloud Formation
■ Clouds form when moist, warm rising air cools and expands in the atmosphere.
■ The water vapor in the air condenses to form tiny water droplets which are the
basis of clouds.
 Charge formation in the clouds
Lightning
■ Natural form of high voltages
■ Transfer positive charge upward to restore the system’s dynamic
balance
What is meant by Lightning phenomenon?
■ Lightning phenomenon is a peak discharge accumulated in the clouds
discharge into a neighbouring cloud or to the ground.
■ It is defined as the discharge between two clouds and between cloud
and earth through the air which acts as a dielectric medium
Charge formation in the clouds

During thunderstorms, positive and negative

charges become separated by heavy air
currents with ice crystals in the upper part
and rain in the lower part of the clouds

Charge separation depends on the height of

the clouds which ranges from 0.2 km to 10
km, with charge centres at a distance of 0.3
to
2 km
Charge formation in the
clouds
Charge formation in the clouds
Charge formation in the
clouds
o Charge inside the cloud – 1 to 100
coulomb
o Potential of the cloud - 107 to 108 volt
o Gradient within a cloud – 100 V/cm
o Gradient at initial discharge point –

10kV/cm
o Energy associated with the cloud - 250
Kwhr
Charge formation in the
clouds
Fair weather condition:
Maximum gradient = 1 V/cm

Bad weather condition:

Maximum gradient reached at the ground
level due to charged cloud = 300 V/cm
Raindrops:

■ Raindrops elongate and become unstable under an electric field, the limiting diameter
being 0.3 cm in a field of 100 kV/cm.

■ A free falling raindrop attains a constant velocity with respect to the air depending upon
its size.

■ This velocity is 800 cm/sec for drops of the size 0.25 cm diameter and is zero for spray.
This means that in case the air currents are moving upwards with a velocity greater than
800 cm/sec, no rain drop can fall.

■ Falling raindrops greater than 0.5 cm in diameter become unstable and break up into
smaller drops.
 Water drop vs. Ice crystal

- +
- - +
+
- - +
+
- - +
+
- - +
+
Air current

When a drop is broken up by air currents, the water particles become

Air current positively charged and the air negatively charged.
When an ice crystal strikes with air currents, the ice crystal is
negatively charged and the air positively charged.
Various Theories of Charge formation

■ Simpson’s Theory
■ Wilson’s Theory
■ Reynold and Mason Theory
Simpson’s Theory
Below Region A: Air currents above 800 cm/sec and no
rain drops fall through

Region A: Air velocity is high to break the falling

raindrops causing a positive charge sprays in the
cloud and negative charge in the air

Region B: It becomes negatively charged by air

currents

Region C: Temperature is low and only ice crystals

exist. The impact of air on these crystals makes them
negatively charged
Wilson’s Theory
Large number of ions present in atmosphere

These ions are attached with dust and water

particles

So, electric field exists in the earth’s atmosphere

Field is assumed to be directed downwards towards

the earth surface

Intensity of field decreases with the increase in

height
 Wilson’s Theory

■ The intensity of the field is approximately 1 volt/cm at the surface of the earth and
decreases gradually with height so that at 9,500 m it is only about 0.02 V/cm.
■ A relatively large raindrop (0.1 cm radius) falling in this field becomes polarized, the
upper side acquires a negative charge and the lower side a positive charge.
■ Subsequently, the lower part of the drop attracts –ve charges from the atmosphere which
are available in abundance in the atmosphere leaving a preponderance of positive
charges in the air.
■ The upwards motion of air currents tends to carry up the top of the cloud, the ve air and
smaller drops that the wind can blow against gravity.
 Wilson’s Theory
■ Meanwhile the falling heavier raindrops which are negatively charged settle on the base
of the cloud.
■ It is to be noted that the selective action of capturing –ve charges from the atmosphere
by the lower surface of the drop is possible. No such selective action occurs at the upper
surface.
■ Thus in the original system, both the positive and negative charges which were mixed
up, producing essentially a neutral space charge, are now separated.
■ Thus according to Wilson’s theory since larger negatively charged drops settle on the
base of the cloud and smaller positively charged drops settle on the upper positions of
the cloud, the lower base of the cloud is negatively charged and the upper region is
positively charged.
Wilson’s Theory
 Reynold and Mason Theory
■ Thunder clouds are developed at heights 1 to 2 kms above ground
■ May extend upto 12 to 14 km
■ Air currents controlled by the temperature gradient move upwards carrying moisture
and water droplets
■ Temperature is 00C at 4km and may reach -400C at about 12km height
■ Water droplets freeze below -40C and solid particles on the crystalline ice patterns
develop and grow.
■ Water droplets are blown up by air currents and get super cooled over a range of
height and temperatures.
■ Crystals grown into large masses and due to weight and gravitational force start
moving downwards.
 Reynold and Mason Theory
■ Lower warmer portion will have a net negative charge density and upper cooler portion
will have a net positive charge density.
■ Hail packets get negatively charged when impinged upon by warmer ice crystals.
■ Hail stones travelling downwards carry an equivalent negative charge to the lower regions
of the cloud
■ Thus,
– Upper region – Positively charged
– Lower region – Negatively charged
 Hail is a form of solid precipitation, which is formed in thunderstorm clouds
What is meant by hail?
 Summary

■ Different kinds of over voltages

■ Formation of cloud
■ Various theories of charge formation in the cloud