UNIT – III (TWO MARKS)

1. What are the applications of high voltage?

 Electron microscopes and x-ray units require high d.c. voltages of the order of 100 kV or
more.
 High a.c. voltages of one million volts or even more are required for testing power
apparatus rated for extra high transmission voltages (400 kV system and above).
2. Name the circuit used to generate HVDC?
The circuits or equipment’s used to generate HVDC are:
 Half and Full Wave Rectifier Circuits
 Voltage Doubler Circuits
 Voltage Multiplier Circuits
 Van tie Graaff Generators
3. Write the formula to determine optimum number of stages for a Cockcroft-walton multiplier?
V max fC
n optimum=
√ I1
Where, f = supply frequency,I1= load current from the rectifier,
4. On which principle does Vande-Graff generator work?
In electrostatic machines charged bodies are moved in an electric field against an
electrostatic field in order that mechanical energy is converted into electrical energy.
𝑃 = 𝐹. 𝑣 𝑀𝑒𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑔𝑦 𝑖𝑠 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑜 𝑃 = 𝑉𝐼 𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑔𝑦
5. What are the advantages of Vande-Graff generator? Nov/Dec2012,Nov/Dec2016, Nov/Dec
2017
 Very high DC voltage can be generated easily.
 Ripple free output.
 Precision and flexibility of control.
 Stability can be achieved with suitable stabilizing devices.
6. What are the limitations of Vande-Graff generator?
 Low current output.
 Limitations on belt velocity due to vibration.
 It is difficult to have an accurate grading of electric field.
 Maintenance necessary due to mechanically stress parts.

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 7. On which principle does electrostatic generator work?
Electrostatic generators convert mechanical energy into electrical energy using constant
voltage variable capacitor principle.
5. What are the advantages of using cascade transformer with isolating transformer?
Nov/Dec2014.
 Transformers are compact in size.
 Transportation and assembly is easy.
 Construction is identical.
8. Why the generation of high frequency AC voltages required? May/June 2014
 For testing electrical apparatus for switching surges.
 For high voltage high frequency transformers.
9. What are the impulse wave specifications? May/June 2013, Nov/Dec2015.
The impulse waveform can be specified by,
 Rise or front time.
 Fall or tail time to 50% peak value.
 Peak value.
10. Define rise time or front time. April/May2010
It is the time required for the response to rise from 10% to 90% or 0 to 100% of the final
value at first instance. Rise time of standard impulse wave of 1.2/50μs, 1000kV = 1.2μs.
11. Draw the standard impulse waveform. May/June2009,2013, Nov/Dec2015, Nov/Dec 2017

Thus 1.2/50μs, 1000 kV wave represents an impulse voltage wave with a front time of 1.2μs,
fall time to 50% peak value of 50μs, and a peak value of 1000 kV.
12. What are the advantages of using glass tube in trigatron spark gap? April/May2017
 To promote corona discharges.
 Surface discharge can be caused by tripping pulse.

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13. Give the expression for effective inductance of distributed inductors in impulse current
generator. May/June2012
Let n1 be the number of group capacitors.
n2 be the number of group capacitors in one group.
L0 be the inductance of the common discharge path.
L1 be the inductance of each group.
L2 be the inductance of each unit.
Effective inductance,

14. What are the needs for generating impulse currents? April/May 2008
To test lightning arrester or surge diverters which discharges the lightning current safely.
15. How is the wave front and wave tail times controlled in impulse generator circuit?
Nov/Dec2008
Impulse voltage can be represented by,
𝑉 = 𝑉0(𝑒xp−𝛼𝑡 − 𝑒xp−𝛽𝑡)
𝑉0𝐷𝑒𝑝𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑠𝑜𝑛𝑝𝑒𝑎𝑘𝑣𝑎𝑙𝑢𝑒.
The front time and tail time of the impulse wave can be controlled by varying α and β.
16. What is a tesla coil? Nov/Dec2008, April/May2010, Nov/Dec 2016.
High frequency resonance transformer is the tesla coil. Tesla coil is a doubly tuned resonance
circuit.
17. How is the circuit inductance controlled and minimized in impulse current generator?
April/May2010
 By sub-dividing the capacitance into groups of smaller units in parallel.
 By using Co-axial cables.
18. What are the drawbacks of single stage circuit for the generation of very high impulse
voltage? April/May2011
 In single stage impulse generator, capacitance C 1 is charged first and discharged into the
wave shaping gap or circuit.
 Above 200kV generation, charging unit cost is high. Size is more.
 Cost and size increases at the rate of square or cube of voltage rating.

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19. What is cascaded transformer? April/May2011
The two or more electrical transformers connected in series (H.V winding of all the units
effectively come in series). It is used to generate high voltage alternating current (HVAC).
20. Explain deltatron circuit. Nov/Dec2012,2016 (R-2008),2016 (R-2013)
 It consists of series connection of transformers but do not have any iron core.
 These transformers are coupled by using series capacitors C S which is used to compensate
for stray inductance of transformers.
 Capacitors CP is connected in parallel to compensate magnetizing currents. This circuit is
loaded by a terminating resistor (R).
25. What are the applications of impulse current generator? May/June2009
 To test non-linear resistors.
 To study electric arc.
 To study electric plasma in high current discharge.
26. What is the difference between switching surge and impulse voltage? May/June2012
 For transmission voltages (400kV and above), the over voltages generated due to
switching is same as that of the magnitude of lightning over voltages. These over voltages
exist for a long time, so it is dangerous to the system.
 Switching over voltage increases as the system voltage increases. In extra high voltage
line, switching over voltages determine the insulation level of the lines and their
dimensions and costs.
27. What is trigatron gap? May/June 2016, April/May 2017
 A trigatron is a type of triggerable spark gap switch designed for high current and high
voltage.
 A trigatron gap consists of a high voltage spherical electrode of suitable size, an earthed
main electrode of spherical shape, and a trigger electrode through the main electrode.
28. What is the need for HVDC generation? May/June 2016
HVDC is required for insulation tests on cables and capacitors, electrostatic precipitators.