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Assessment of occupational exposure to magnetic fields in high-voltage

substations (154/34.5 kV)

Article  in  Radiation Protection Dosimetry · March 2008

DOI: 10.1093/rpd/ncm443 · Source: PubMed

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Radiation Protection Dosimetry (2008), Vol. 128, No. 4, pp. 464–470 doi:10.1093/rpd/ncm443
Advance Access publication 23 October 2007

ASSESSMENT OF OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE TO MAGNETIC

FIELDS IN HIGH-VOLTAGE SUBSTATIONS (154/34.5 kV)
S. Helhel* and S. Ozen
Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Engineering Faculty, Akdeniz University,
07058 Antalya, Turkey

Received May 1 2007, revised August 31 2007, accepted September 3 2007

This work proposes the survey of magnetic field measurements taken in 154/31.5 kV substations in the city of Antalya for
occupational exposure assessment. For measurements, three substations have been taken into account, where four occupants
are present for each 8 h of shift, which means 12 occupants are present during the day. Operator desks at three different sub-
stations read a lowest magnetic field of 0.3 mT at minimum loaded season and reached up to 1 mT at maximum loaded
season, which means operators exposed to a magnetic field of  0.3 mT 8 h d21. In switch gear regions, maximum magnetic
field reading is 23 mT at minimum loaded season and reached up to 70 mT. Outdoor magnetic field measurement at circuit
breaker region goes up to 62 mT with respect to operator heights.

INTRODUCTİON Figure 1 represents the layout of 154/31.6 kV sub-

The aim of this study is to assess the occupational
exposure to magnetic fields in high-voltage sub-
stations (154/34.5 kV), which was aimed to force
government to regulate such power stations/sub-
stations by following International Commission on
Non-ionising Radiation Protection (ICNIRP). The
average magnetic fields to which workers are exposed
for various jobs in the electric power industry have
been reported as follows: 0.18 –1.72 mT for workers
in power stations, 0.8 –1.4 mT for workers in substa-
tions, 0.03 –4.57 mT for workers on lines and cables
and 0.2 –18.48 mT for electricians(1,2). At the
moment, it can be mentioned that ICNIRP is being
followed regularly. This study represents the magnetic
field measurements through the 154/34.5 kV typical
high-voltage power substations. Real-time measure-
ments were carried out in substations since the actual
magnetic field exposure to occupants is important.
Although many studies are addressing the
induced electric fields and current densities inside
occupant bodies due to the exposure to magnetic
fields, it is noticed that very limited number of
studies have investigated the electric field and
current induction due to actual magnetic field at
high-voltage substations(3 – 5).
LAYOUT OF 380/154 KV SUBSTATION
AND MEASUREMENT SET-UP
Magnetic fields in the substation were measured
by using a commercially available magnetic field
meter, ELT-400 exposure level tester, Narda Safety
Test Solutions, Wandel & Golterman, Germany.
*Corresponding author: helhels@yahoo.com
station, where four technicians are working 8 h d21
in switch. There are two 63 MW of 154 kV incoming
lines and two outgoing lines and six 31.5 kV out-
going lines. Tables 1 –4 represent the power and
current load details of feeders.
MAGNETIC FIELD MEASUREMENTS
Typical control room and measurement room are
shown at Fig. 2a. Figure 2b represents the magnetic
field variation throughout the control room of sub-
station Akorsan, Figure 2c represents the magnetic
field variation throughout the control room of sub-
station Free Trade Zone and Figure 2d represents
the magnetic field variation throughout the control
room of substation Kemer. Figure 3 represents the
magnetic field measurements taken in front of cells
and from the back of cells. The location of peak
magnetic fields obtained in the control room is the
location where AC– DC power unit is present and
magnetic field value reaches up to 4 mT for the
substation Akorsan. For all three control rooms,
operator desks read between 0.3 and 1 mT. As
demonstrated in Figure 4 that longitudinal magnetic
field varies between 1.7 and 4.2 mT at substations
Akorsan, it is varying between 20 and 62 mT for the
substation Free Trade Zone and between 4.5 and
11.5 mT for the substation Kemer. Tables 5–7 sum-
marise the measured magnetic fields at different
open area locations of three substations.
INDUCED ELECTRIC FIELD AND CURRENT
DENSITY INSIDE OCCUPANTS BODY
The interaction of time – varying electric fields with
the human body results in the flow of electric charge

# The Author 2007. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org
 OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE TO MAGNETIC FIELDS IN HIGH-VOLTAGE SUBSTATIONS
(electric current), the polarisation of bound charge
(for motion of electric dipoles) and reorientation
of electric dipoles already present in the tissue. The
relative magnitudes of these different effects depend
on the electrical properties of the body, that is,
electrical conductivity and permittivity. Electric con-
ductivity and permittivity vary with the type of
body tissue and also depend on the frequency of the
applied field. Electric fields to the body induce a
surface charge on the body; this results in induced
currents in the body, the distribution of which
depends on exposure conditions, on the size and
shape of the body and on body’s position in the
field(6,7).
The current density that is induced inside the
human body standing at different locations at sub-
station is determined. The human body is simulated
as prolate spheroid(8,9). According to Faraday’s law,
a changing external magnetic field produces an
internal electric field inside the body. Thus, the
internal induced electric field components can be
expressed as
 
zBy b2 yBz
Ex ¼ j v  2 ð1Þ
2 a þ b2

Table 1. Akorsan load details and magnetic field

measurement.

31.5 kV feeder Power (MW) Current (A)

F1 Organize Sanayi 1 15 300

F2 Organize Sanayi 2 9 180
F3 Toptancilar Off —
F4 Yeşil Bayir 4.8 96
F5 Badem Ağaci 2.6 52

154 kV feeder Power Current

F1 VARSAK -2 (ingoing) 15 60
F2 KEPEZ-2 (ingoing) 2 8
Figure 1. Simple plan layout of the 154/31.6–34.5 kV. F3 Antalya Energy Coop. — —
(a) Substation Akorsan. (b) Substation Kemer. (c) Substation F4 Asçim — —
Free Trade Zone.

Table 2. Free Trade Zone load details and magnetic field measurement.

Feeder names Ingoing line 1 Ingoing line 2 Outgoing line 1 Outgoing line 2

Power (MW) 32 35 40 36
Current (A) 135 143 168 151

Feeder number 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Power (MW) 4.8 13.5 1.8 3.6 0.1 0.4 0.7 1.3 11.2 9 6 9
Current (A) 94 265 35 70 1.9 7.8 14 25.5 220 177 117 176.8

465
 S. HELHEL AND S. OZEN
 
a2 where Bx, By and Bz are the three components of the
Ey ¼ jv 2 ðxBz  zBx Þ ð2Þ external magnetic field and v is the angular fre-
a þ b2
quency of the external magnetic field.
  Total electric field E induced inside the body can
b2 yBx xBy be expressed by E ¼ (Ex2 þ Ex2 þ Ex2)1/2 and the
Ez ¼ jv  ð3Þ
a2 þ b2 2 current density J induced inside the body by the
internal field can be determined as
Table 3. 154/31.6 kV Kemer substation loads (154 kV
Lines) and magnetic field measurement. J ¼ sE ð4Þ

Feeder names Ingoing line 1 Outgoing line 2 where s is the electric conductivity of the body
tissue (s m21). Here, because the biological body is
Power (MW) 36 12 dealth with and the ELF magnetic field is con-
Current (A) 130 40 sidered, ss  v1 (1, permittivity of the body), and

Table 4. 154/31.6 kV Kemer substation loads (31.6 kV Lines) and magnetic field measurement.

Feeder number 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Power (MW) — 4 3 2 1.7 1.2 0.9 0.5 0.9 0.6

Current (A) — 85 60 40 30 25 20 10 20 12

Figure 2. Magnetic field (mT) variation for operator office and daily working room. (a) Control and measurement room.
(b) Substation Akorsan. (c) Substation Free Trade Zone. (d) Substation Kemer.

466
 OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE TO MAGNETIC FIELDS IN HIGH-VOLTAGE SUBSTATIONS
Figure 3. Magnetic field (mT) values at operators working
locations. (a) Substation Akorsan. (b) Substation Free
Trade Zone. (c) Substation Kemer.
so the displacement current component is neg-
lected(7,10). The second-order magnetic field due to
the current induced inside the model is also neg-
lected. For this reason, the magnetic field inside the
body can be regarded as uniform.
Here, the frequency of external magnetic field is
50 Hz and the conductivity of the body is
0.2 S m21(11). The prolate spheroid body par-
ameters are detailed in Durney et al. (1986)(12).
Tables 8 –10 summarise the maximum induced
electric fields and current densities at different
operation locations in the substation corresponding
to the average magnetic field values resulting from
the measurements in three 154 kV/31.6 –34.5 kV
substations.
The location where the occupants are exposed to
highest average magnetic field is represented by
empty square in the figures. For all three
467
Figure 4. 154 kV Circuit breaker region and its magnetic
field in mT. (a) Substation Akorsan. (b) Substation Free
Trade Zone. (c) Substation Kemer.
substations, a measured maximum induced voltage
is 31.6 kV in front of the control panel. Occupants’
desks are reading an induced current density
of 1.47 –1.952 mA m22. ICNIRP occupational refer-
ence level for induced current (Jrms) is specified as
10 mA m22 in the frequency range 4 Hz –1 kHz(6).
CONCLUSION
ICNRP gives the limit values of 500 mT for occu-
pational exposure and 100 mT for the general
public(6). Operator desks at three different substa-
tions read a lowest magnetic field of 0.3 mT at
minimum loaded season and reached up to 1 mT at
maximum loaded season, which means that opera-
tors are exposed to a magnetic field of 0.3 mT for
8 h d21. For the chosen substations, under the
 S. HELHEL AND S. OZEN
Table 5. The measured magnetic field different locations in the open areas of Kemer substation.

Measurement locations Magnetic field (mT)

Under the centre conductor of outgoing lines to the Finike 2.91

Under the centre conductor of incoming lines to the Kemer substation 3.6
In front of the circuit breaker (SF6) 3.8
Under the 154 kV busbar for TR-B input 1.9

Table 6. The measured magnetic field different locations in the open areas of Free Trade region substation.

Measurement locations Magnetic field (mT)

31.5 kV side of TR-A 4.7

31.5 kV side of TR-B (2 m from TR-B) 7.4
In front of the circuit breaker (SF6) 8.8
Under the 154 kV busbar for TR-B input 3.95
Under the 154 kV busbar for TR-A input 6.5

Table 7. The measured magnetic field different locations in the open areas of Akorsan substation.

Measurement locations Magnetic field (mT)

Under the centre conductor of 31.5 kV outgoing feeder 1

In front of the circuit breaker 2.5
Under the 154 kV busbar for TR-A input 2.1

Table 8. Maximum induced electric fields and current densities for different locations in the substation of Kemer.

Measurement locations Magnetic field Induced electric fields Induced currents

(mT) (mV m21) (mA m22)

Operator desktop 0.34 7.37 1.474

In front of 31.5 kV command panel for main bar 22.65 490.983 98.196
Under the centre conductor of outgoing lines to the 2.91 63.08 12.616
Finike substation
Under the centre conductor of incoming lines to the 3.6 78.037 15.607
Kemer substation
In front of the circuit breaker (SF6) 3.8 82.372 16.474
Under the 154 kV busbar for TR-B input 1.9 41.186 8.237

Table 9. Maximum induced electric fields and current densities for different locations in the substation of Free Trade region.

Measurement locations Magnetic field Induced electric fields Induced currents

(mT) (mV m21) (mA m22)

Operator desktop 0.35 7.587 1.517

In front of 31.5 kV command panel for main bar 40 867.08 173.416
31.5 kV side of TR-A 4.7 101.88 20.376
31.5 kV side of TR-B (2 m from TR-B) 7.4 160.409 32.082
In front of the circuit breaker (SF6) 8.8 190.75 38.15
Under the 154 kV busbar for TR-B input 3.95 85.624 17.124
Under the 154 kV busbar for TR-A input 6.5 140.9 28.18

468
 OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE TO MAGNETIC FIELDS IN HIGH-VOLTAGE SUBSTATIONS
Table 10. Maximum induced electric fields and current densities for different locations in the substation of Akorsan.

Measurement locations Magnetic field Maximum electric field Maximum current density
(mT) (mV m21) (mA m22)

Operator desktop 0.45 9.754 1.951

In front of 31.5 kV command panel for 23.4 507.241 101.448
main bar
Under the centre conductor of 31.5 kV 1 21.677 4.335
outgoing feeder
In front of the circuit breaker 2.5 54.192 10.838
Under the 154 kV busbar for TR-A input 2.1 45.521 9.104

Table 11. Parameters of the distributions of average magnetic field during work for different types of occupations.

Description Mean magnetic field (mT)

Managerial and professional specialty occupations 0.164

Technical, sales and administrative supports occupation 0.158
(protective, food, health, cleaning and personal) service occupations 0.274
Farming, forestry and fishing occupations 0.091
Precision production, craft and repair occupations and operators, fabricators and labourers 0.173
Electrical occupations 0.215

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors would like to express their gratitude to
Akdeniz University BAPYB (Scientific Research
Project Unit) and Research Project Department of
Akdeniz University, Antalya, Turkey, for their
support.
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Akdeniz University, Scientific Research Project
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