EARTHING OF IMPULSE VOLTAGE STATIONS

Chapter

7
EARTHING OF IMPULSE VOLTAGE STATIONS
Reference Haefely Co.
1 Requirements covering the earth system and the control and low voltage
connections of an impulse voltage station
1.1 The principal purpose of earthing is to provide the proper conditions for
recording accurate and useful oscillograms by means of the oscilloscope.
1.2 Proper earthing rules should prevent dangerous overvoltage in the earth system
and in the low voltage control leads. The operation of other testing installations
should not be influenced by an impulse voltage station.
1.3 Proper earthing methods prevent impulse waves from entering adjacent
buildings and the mains system.
1.4 Inside the test area the earth system should keep down the radio interference
voltage level from external voltage sources, so that favorable conditions prevail
for ionization measurements. In addition, the high-frequency energy produced
during impulse tests must not cause any troubles around the test field.
2 General information about the earthing of impulse voltage stations
The responsible designers of a high voltage test plant to be equipped with an
impulse voltage generator have to know the problem of how to provide a good
earthing of the whole impulse station in order to fulfill the afore mentioned
requirements. In principle, this study must be coordinated with the layout of the
civi.1 engineering work. Should this procedure not be observed, it may be
necessary later on to either carry out expensive modifications of the test area or to
expect unpleasant surprises during the operation of the installation.
Within impulse circuits, in principle, capacities are charged and discharged. These
phenomena happen with very short time constants (up to 0.2 s) and result in a great
high-frequency current flux and therefore quick changes in the electro-magnetic field.
The high-frequency current may produce ohmic voltage drops in any improperly laid
leads. These voltage drops can disturb the satisfactory operation of the impulse
station. The consequences of a fast change of the electro-magnetic field are, however,
much more important. More or less this latter flows through all! loops formed by the
low voltage and control leads and can induce such high voltages in these connections,
that flashovers and short—circuits between the conductors or against earth can put
Ch.#7

the impulse station or part of it out of operation. A suitable arrangement of the low

1
EARTHING OF IMPULSE VOLTAGE STATIONS

voltage and control leads must prevent the high-frequency magnetic flux from
flowing through same.
The charging arid discharging process of capacities within the impulse circuit has
been mentioned afore. These capacities are:
• the impulse capacitors of the generator
• the basic load capacitor
• the capacity of the test object
Each impulse circuit comprises further the stray capacitances C against earth and
towards the building in its vicinity (see the following sketch):

The capacities outside the proper impulse circuit are also charged and discharged
when the generator is operated. The resulting currents close their circuits over the
ground floor, the walls and the ceiling of the testing hall. The path of these currents
must have the lowest possible inductance so that the voltage drops produced do not
reach dangerous levels.
Only in very rare cases the test building is designed in such a way that the ground
floor, the walls and the ceiling cannot be penetrated by the electrical stray field of the
impulse circuit. This penetration of the stray field presented by the capacity C (see the
above sketch) occurs on a relatively large scale with many test fields. The currents
flowing through these capacities must somehow be led back to their original source.
Summarizing:
2.1 The leads inside the impulse circuit are subject to heavy high-frequency current
impulses.
2.2 The resulting high-frequency electro-magnetic field induces voltages in all
affected loops.
2.3 High-frequency current pulses also flow over the stray capa2ities Cs through the
Ch.#7

ceiling, the walls and the ground floor of the test plant,

2
EARTHING OF IMPULSE VOLTAGE STATIONS

2.4 Due to the stray field flowing over the penetration capacities Cp through the
walls, the ceiling and the ground floor, high-frequency current impulses also
wander all around the test area.
The problems resulting from the lead arrangement (paragraphs 2.1 and 2.2) are
mainly solved by a suitable layout of the various components of the impulse station
and of the cable ways. In this regard kindly refer to Section 4.
The questions arising from the influence ol’ the stray and penetration capacitances Cs
and Cp (paragraphs 2.3 and 2.4) must be taken into consideration during the erection
of the building already. They are the subject of the following Section3
3. Layout of the earth system of an impulse testing plant
(see drawing No. 1)
This part shows how to design and complete an earth system in order to meet the
requirements mentioned in Section 1 without consideration of the conditions for the
ionization measurements stated under point 1.4. Should special conditions for
ionization measurements be met as well, the whole test laboratory must be built into
a Faraday- cage. The following explanations must then be modified accordingly.
The main part of the earth system is the so-called impulse earth area, composed of a
surface made of stretched copper grid and of grounding rods. The dimensions of
same are shown in the general layout of the earth system. The local arrangement of
the various elements composing the impulse circuit is marked with a dotted line in
the impulse earth area, viz: 1) charging rectifier, 2) impulse generator, 3) impulse
potentiometer, 4) sphere-gap, 5) test object. The extension of the impulse earth area
around the test object depends upon the requirements regarding the various possible
erection positions of the test sample.
A copper network with meshes of 1 in (abt, 3 1/3 ft) is laid down around the impulse
earth area and well connected to same. This copper network must cover the
outstanding surface of the ground floor and be extended to the other testing
equipment such as power frequency transformer cascade and high voltage rectifier
set, etc.
The impulse earth area must be provided with one connection facility every 16 sq.m
(abt. 160 sq.ft) so that it is Possible to connect the test sample, independent of its
position, over the shortest lead to the earth system.
The view A-A representing the cable ducts is of particular importance. Same shows
the positions of the stretched copper grid and of the copper network below the
ground I floor. Good soldered junctions must be made between both earth layers. Be
sure that:
a) the concrete irons inside the ground floor are welded together at their
crossing points,
b) the concrete irons are well soldered to the stretched copper grid or to the
copper strip network every 4 sq.m (abt. 40 sq.ft) of the ground floor
surface,
Ch.#7

c) the cover of the cable ducts is screwed tight to its profile guide rails.

3
EARTHING OF IMPULSE VOLTAGE STATIONS

In order to close the circuit of the impulse currents mentioned under paragraph 2.3,
all metallic structures inside the walls and the ceiling (profile steel frames, armouring
irons in the reinforced concrete walls, crane rails etc.) must be connected galvanically
to the copper network at as many points as possible. For the purpose of closing the
circuit of the current impulses referred to under paragraph 2.4, all metal building
parts in the vicinity of the test field must be joined to the earth copper system by
means of short and straight leads. Current impulses flowing over the penetration
capacity (sketch 1) into the ground return to their origin through)i the grounding
rods. It is sufficient to have them driver in all around the periphery of the impulse
earth area (stretched copper grid) at intervals corresponding to twice the length of
each grounding rod.

The transfer circuits between the various elements of an impulse testing plant
(See drawing no. 2, sketch 2,3)
All control and supply leads from the different units of the impulse circuit enter the
control desk. Measuring cables connect the impulse potentiometer and the test object
with the impulse wave measuring devices. Sketch 2 represents such a connection
arrangement as a block circuit diagram.
The full lines correspond to the afore-mentioned control, supply and measuring
cables, the strong chain- dotted lines being the connections at the earth side of the
main impulse circuit. This example illustrates how the connection arrangement of an
impulse station must not be made. Same forms a cable-netting with large loops in
which the electro-magnetic field does induce high-voltage impulses. As these
impulses produce flashovers inside the wiring, such cable loops should be avoided as
far as possible.
Sketch 3 corresponds to the same installation, representing however a suitable and
safe connection arrangement. There is no cable-netting, but only a tree-shaped
grouping of the various branches. All cables brought out of the control desk are
assembled into a main bundle laid directly from one unit of the impulse circuit to the
other. Only tie lines connect the main cable bundle to the various components of the
impulse circuit. Through such an arrangement cable loops are avoided and no
disturbing voltages can be induced by the high-frequency magnetic fields. These cable
bunches are laid down into the cable ducts as shown on drawing No. 1-509.1288.
The metallic cover of the cable ducts-as well as the concrete irons provide a certain
screening of the cable bunch. against disturbing fields. It is, however, advisable to
place the cables in their entire length inside metal pipes or tubing’s or the like (see
sketch 3, lightly dotted line). The metal pipes or tubing’s must be connected with the
various elements of the impulse circuit in such a way that the cable bundle is brought
completely shielded (Faraday cage) to the corresponding terminals.
This metal pipe screen must be well connected galvanically to the impulse earth in
several points by means of short leads.
Ch.#7

4
EARTHING OF IMPULSE VOLTAGE STATIONS

The cable set is composed of supply conductors with a.c. currents at power
frequencies reaching 50 Amps. besides, there are control and measuring leads with
d.c. currents in the range of fractions of a milliamp. In order to prevent interferences
in the sensitive current circuits, these latter ones are made of multi core screened
cables. The connections to be equipped with such special cables are especially marked
on the general diagram of the HAEFELY impulse stations.

Ch.#7

5
EARTHING OF IMPULSE VOLTAGE STATIONS

Ch.#7