BASIC CONCEPTS OF

ELECTROMAGNETIC
TRANSIENTS PROGRAM
(EMTP)
By
Prof. C. Radhakrishna

CONTENTS
BASIC CONCEPTS OF ELECTROMAGNETIC TRANSIENTS
PROGRAM (EMTP)
Power System Transients
Waveshape of the Lightning Current
Numerical Simulation of Electrical Transients
The Electromagnetic Transient Program
Alternative Transients Program (ATP)
Typical Applications

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Power System Transients

Transients occur on power systems due to a variety of

reasons. They may produce (i) overvoltages (ii) overcurrents,
(iii) abnormal wave forms, or (iv) electromechanical transients.

Transient phenomena under these four categories.

(i) Overvoltages: The design and insulation co-ordination of
power apparatus and systems is determined by overvoltages
to which it may be subjected.
The overvoltages could be caused by quasi-steady state
conditions or they may be due to short-duration high
frequency phenomena created by shock excitation of the
power system.
Examples of quasi-steady state overvoltage conditions often
known as dynamic over voltage are voltage excursions
during load rejection, loss of shunt reactor compensation on
long over head lines or cables etc., and generally result from
some abnormal system operating condition.
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Shock excitation is caused by a discrete disturbance (stepfunction) of a sufficiently large magnitude leading to the
generation and propagation of surges on the system.
At EHV and UHV levels the switching surges are the
determining factors, for lower system voltages lightning
related over voltages are the determining factor.
(ii) Overcurrents: Overcurrents result from system faults and their
study helps determine such things as the interrupting duty on
circuit breakers, mechanical and thermal stresses within
machines, transformers and buses.
A fault also gives rise to induced voltages on un-faulted
phases, and often the switching surges produced by the fault
are causes of significant overvoltages.
(iii) Abnormal waveforms: the spectrum of power system voltages
and currents during transient conditions and during certain
abnormal steady state operating conditions.
Simulation of these system conditions requires an analytical
tool capable of representing the power system over the entire
spectrum of interest.
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(iv)
Electromechanical
Transients:
Traditionally,
electromechanical transients have been studied with transient
stability
programs,
which
use
positive
sequence
representation and fundamental frequency models for the
entire system.
Certain
phenomena
require
detailed
three
phase
representation of machines and systems, as well s a proper
simulation of transient waveforms.
For example, the sub-synchronous resonance phenomenon.
When load break switches, circuit breakers, disconnectors, or
fuses operate, a switching action takes place in the network
and parts of the power system are separated from or
connected to each other.
After a closing operation, transient currents will flow through
the system, and after an opening operation, when a powerfrequency current is interrupted, a transient recovery voltage
or TRV will appear across the terminals of the interrupting
device.
The configuration of the network as seen from the terminals of
the switching device determines amplitude, frequency, and
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shape
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theAM
current and voltage oscillations.

Waveshape of the Lightning Current

Lightning currents differ in amplitude and shape.
The ratio between the voltage wave and the current wave at a
certain place in the system is the characteristic impedance at that
particular part of the network.
Basic Insulation Level or BIL

Figure : Standardized waveform of a lightning-induced voltage wave

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Numerical Simulation of Electrical Transients

Switching actions, short-circuits, lightning strokes, and

disturbances during normal operation often cause temporary
overvoltages and high frequency current oscillations.
The power system must be able to withstand the overvoltages
without damage to the system components.
The simulation of transient voltages and currents is of great
importance for the insulation coordination, correct operation,
and adequate functioning of the system protection.
Transient phenomena can not only occur in a time frame of
microseconds or (in the case of the initial rate of rise of the
transient recovery voltages and short-line faults) milliseconds
(when looking at transient recovery voltages because of
switching actions) but can also be present for seconds, for
instance, in the case of ferro-resonance.
Transient Network Analyser or TNA .
Electro Magnetic Transients Program (EMTP) .
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Four different time domain computer programs are described:

The Electromagnetic transient program, based on the Nodal
Analysis from network theory;
The MNA program, based on the Modified Nodal Analysis from
network theory;
The XTrans Program, based on the solution of differential and
algebraic equations; and
The MATLAB Power System Blockset.

The Electromagnetic Transient Program

Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) has recoded, tested,
and extended most parts of the program in a concerted effort and
this has improved the reliability and functionality of the transient
program.
Presently, the EMTP and other programs that are built on a
kernel (such as electromagnetic transients) for DC (EMTDC) and
power system computer-aided design (PSCAD)) based on the same
principles are a widely used and accepted program for the
computation of electrical transients in power systems.
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The advantages of the DommelEMTP method, among others are

Simplicity (the network is reduced to a number of current
sources and resistances of which the Y-matrix is easy to construct)
and
Robustness (the EMTP makes use of the trapezoidal rule, which
is a numerically stable and robust integration routine).

Alternative Transients Program (ATP)

ATP is a universal program system for digital simulation of
transient
phenomena
of
electromagnetic
as
well
as
electromechanical nature.
With this digital program, complex networks and control
systems o arbitrary structure can be simulated.
ATP has extensive modeling capabilities and additional
important features besides the computation of transients.
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Typical Applications
ATP-EMTP is used world-wide for switching and lightning surge
analysis, insulation coordination and shaft torsional oscillation
studies, protective relay modeling, harmonic and power quality
studies, HVDA and FACTS modeling.
Typical EMTP studies are:

Lightning overvoltage studies

Switching transients and faults
Statistical and systematic overvoltage studies
Very fast transients in GIS and groundings
Machine modeling
Transient stability, motor startup
Shaft torsional oscillations
Transformer and shunt reactor/capacitor switching
Ferroresonance
Power electronic applications
Circuit breaker duty (electric arc), current chopping
FACTS devices: STATCOM, SVC, UPFC, TCSC modeling
Harmonic analysis, network resonances
Protective device testing

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REFERENCES :
[1] Lou van der Sluis : Transients in Power Systems , John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. ,
2001.
[2] Arun G. Phadke (edited) : Digital Simulation of Electrical Transient Phenomena ,
IEEE Tutorial Course ( 81 EHO173-5-PWR ).

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CONCLUSIONS

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THANK YOU

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