AGILE Technical & Consultancy-ATEC, November 2021
Effect of Externally Gapped Line Arrester
Placement on Insulation Coordination of a Twin-
Circuit 220 kV Line
Thinh H. Pham, Steven A. Boggs, Fellow, IEEE, Hironori Suzuki, Member, IEEE, and Toshiya Imai
Abstract— This paper verifies the effectiveness of using the
externally gapped lightning arresters (EGLAs) to a twin circuit
220 kV transmission line. This research is simulated using
Alternative Transients Program or Electromagnetic Transients
Program. The lightning current can strike to the tower top and
on the phase conductors. This lightning current is estimated
using the electro geometric model. Increasing the number of
EGLAs installed in one circuit reduces the chances of back
flashover. EGLAs eliminating double circuit outages and
preventing flashovers for strikes to the tower top. But, EGLAs
on one circuit cannot improve lightning performance related to
the shielding failure when the unprotected circuit is hit.
Therefore, number of EGLAs must be installed.
Keywords— externally gapped line arrester (EGLA),
insulation coordination, transmission line, Electromagnetic
Transients Program/Alternative Transients Program
(EMTP)/(ATP).
I. INTRODUCTION
Lightning can strike the shielding wire to create back
flashovers or strike a phase conductor as a result of “shielding
failure”. The use of line arresters provides increment of
protection. Eexternally gapped lightning arrestor has
advantage of an EGLA is reduced size and weight and series
gap improves the thermal stability of the metal–oxide varistors
(MOVs). The lightning performance of a transmission line
depends on its voltage rating, tower height, twin-circuit,
footing resistance, etc. Greatest protection can be achieved by
installing a line arrester across every insulator of each circuit
but it is very costly.
In this paper, we have computed the lightning
performance of a twin-circuit 220 kV transmission line as a
function of EGLA placement on one circuit using EMTP
simulations with the lightning current estimated from the
electro geometric model. This research is oriented around 30
ohm footing resistance and lightning on the top on tower.
II. ELECTROGEOMETRIC MODEL (EGM)
The number of lightning strokes to the shielding wires and
phase conductors is estimated using the electro geometric
model of lightning strike distance which is given as:
r ( I ) = A.I b
Where A = 6.72 and b = 0.8 for lightning to a shielding
wire or phase conductor, and A = 6.048 and b = 0.8 for
lightning to earth
The number of strokes to shielding wire or phase
conductor per year is computed by integrating the exposure
width D(I) over the current range times the probability current.
For two shielding wires which are separated by a distance Ss.
I max
N = 2N g L [2 D( I ) + S s ] f ( I )dI
0
Where Ng is the ground flash density, 10 per km -year in
this study, L is the length of the line, Imax is maximum
lightning current which can terminate on a shielding wire or
phase conductor.
f(I) is the lightning current probability density distribution
which has a lognormal form
1 1 I 2
f (I ) = ( ) exp(− [ln( )] )
2 I 2 2
M
Greater tower height results in greater exposure width
which increases the probability of very high current strokes to
the tower top and shielding wires. Mostly shielding failure
current occur at high height. For the tower configuration of
60m height and 30 ohm footing resistance, a maximum
shielding failure current of 30 kA is reasonable these two are
the highest parameter which can possibly occur.
III. 220-KV TRANSMISSION LINE AND EMTP MODELS
The twin circuit 220 kV transmission line section is
analyzed. The proposed transmission line section includes 6
phase conductors, 2 shielding wires, and 6 spans of 400 m
each between 7 towers. Each phase consists of two conductors
bundled with a separation of 40 cm. Insulators are normally
protected by arcing horns with an air gap of 2.19 m except
where replaced by an EGLA which has a series gap of 1 m.
In order to avoid reflections from the ends of the model,
the power sources are connected to the ends through a
resistance matrix which represents the line impedances at Hz.
The tower is represented by four lossless transmission
lines, and the footing impedance of each tower is a simple
resistance. In a 220 kV transmission line, the footing
resistance is usually less than 10 or 5 and we have taken 30
ohms to check the maximum durability.
IV. SIMULATION RESULTS
A. Towers on Which Flashover Occurs Without Arresters
The impact of lightning on the transmission line is
estimated without the use of surge arresters. We have taken
line segment for lightning currents to the tower top ranging
from 50 kA to 300 kA and for 10 kA to 30 kA to the upper
phase conductor as a result of shielding failure.
Lightning to the top of tower 4 causes flashover of
insulators only if the lightning current is 80 kA for 2/70
seconds. Above 90 kA, flashover occurs on two phases of the
stricken tower.
Kashif Abbas,
J. Consultant at Agile Technical & Consultancy
AGILE Technical & Consultancy-ATEC, November 2021
For a 120-kA lightning strike to the tower top, flashover
can occur on all three phases of the stricken tower. Above 170
kA, flashover occurs on at least the two adjacent towers.
Above 180 kA, due to very high lightning current, insulators
of all three phases of two adjacent towers flashover.
B. Simulations in the Presence of Surge Arresters
Installation of lightning arresters is necessary to avoid
insulator flashover for lightning strikes greater than 80 kA.
Installation of surge arresters on two upper phases may
prevent back flashover up to 120 kA. Above 100 kA,
insulators of middle and lower phases in second circuit
flashover.
Above 150 kA, flashover occurs across the lower phase
insulators of circuit 1 and all three phases of circuit 2. At 150
kA lightning current to the tower top, insulators of the middle
and lower phases of circuit 2 of the stricken tower flashover.
To protect the line against flashover for lightning currents
above 150 kA to the shielding wire, each phase of both circuits
must be protected by an EGLA.
For a 200-kA lightning strike in our case is 0.01 per year-
100 km, which is very small. So, the installation of EGLAs on
all phases of a twin circuit, 220 kV transmission line may not
be necessary, except at a few towers with very high footing
resistance.
V. CONCLUSION
Installing EGLAs on one or two phases of one circuit
improves the lightning performance of the transmission line.
But double circuit outage can occur at very high lightning
current, with high footing resistance.
Installing EGLAs with appropriate rating on all three
phases of one circuit reduces the chances of a double circuit
outage, but insulator flashover on the unprotected parallel
circuit occurs for very high lightning current and high footing
resistance.
Installing EGLAs on one or more phases of the second
circuit should be considered at towers with high footing
resistance than 10 ohms.
If the lightning happens directly on a phase conductor, it
can cause insulator flashover on the stricken phase if it is not
protected by an EGLA, although a double circuit outage is
unlikely to occur if EGLAs are installed on each phase of one
circuit. Given the very low probability of shielding failure,
the risk of a single circuit outage may be worth taking.
REFERENCES
[1] T. H. Pham, S. A. Boggs, H. Suzuki, T. Imai, "Effect of Externally
Gapped Line Arrester Placement on Insulation Coordination of a Twin-
Circuit 220 kV Line," IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON POWER
DELIVERY, VOL. 27, NO. 4, OCTOBER 2012.
Kashif Abbas,
J. Consultant at Agile Technical & Consultancy