INSULATION COORDINATION FOR GAS INSULATED SUBSTATIONS

Helfried W. Anderl Charles L. Wagner Thomas H. Dodds

Westinghouse Electric Corporation Westinghouse Electric Corporation
East Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Trafford, Pennsylvania

ABSTRACT where Z = surge impedance in Q2

This paper presents the development of BIL (Basic Lightning
Impulse Insulation Level) ratings for SF6 gas insulated substations
from 72.5 kV to 765 kV. The unique properties of the gas insulated
substation are analyzed and insulation coordination design techniques
are utilized to determine BIL ratings for the substation equipment,
other than the transformer, with a lightning arrester located at the
entrance terminals. The resulting analysis shows that, in general, the
required BIL level of apparatus for gas insulated systems can be lower
than for conventional equipment because of lower surge impedance
and shorter lengths of the gas insulated bus.
INTRODUCTION
The BIL ratings for substations using conventional equipment
have been more or less accepted through usage, and standards have
been established. However, these BIL ratings for conventional equip-
ment can not be directly applied to gas insulated equipment because
of certain properties unique to a gas insulated system. Gas insulated
bus has a surge impedance (about 75 Q2) more on the order of oil filled
cable, and much less than a conventional overhead line (320 to
440 2). Further, the average bus run for a compact gas insulated
substation is much less than for a conventional station. In addition,
the gas insulated system is totally enclosed in a grounded housing and
hence there is no exposed porcelain and no contamination problems.
Finally the ratio of BSL ( Basic Switching Impulse Insulation Level) to
BIL is essentially unity for the SF6 insulation system.
These unique properties of a gas insulated substation produce
effects which suggest different BIL ratings than a substation using
conventional equipment. It can be shown that, in general, gas
insulated systems permit lower BIL ratings than their conventional
counterparts. These lower BIL requirements offer significant design
and economic advantages to the user of gas insulated equipment.
System voltages between 72.5 kV and 765 kV are considered in this
analysis. The effect of different lightning arrester ratings and SF6 bus
lengths is investigated, and the maximum voltages developed in the gas
insulated system are determined. The results of the insulation
coordination analysis are then summarized in graphical form for easy
reference by the user of gas insulated substations and systems.
UNIQUE PROPERTIES OF GAS INSULATED SUBSTATIONS
Surge Impedance
A typical 242 kV SF6 gas insulated bus has an inner conductor
r2 = inner radius of outer sheath
ri = radius of inner conductor
k = permittivity of dielectric (unity for SF6)
z =,138 log3035 cm = 73.8 a
Hence, for a typical 242 kV gas insulated bus, the surge
impedance is about 75 Q2 which is the approximate order of
magnitude for the surge impedance of oil-filled cable. Although the
exact values of the diameter of the inner conductor and outer sheath
will vary over the voltage range from 72.5 kV to 765 kV, it will be
assumed that the ratio of r2/rl will remain essentially constant for the
various voltage levels considered.
Distance and Size
One of the major advantages of a gas insulated substation is its
compact size. Typical space savings in both total volume and area for a
gas insulated substation are quite substantial when compared with a
conventional substation. Representative gas insulated systems occupy
approximately 1/25th the volume and 1/10th the area of a conven-
tional station.2 The typical gas insulated substation with its compact-
ness has bus runs between various pieces of equipment (i.e.,
transformers, lightning arresters, circuit breakers, disconnect switches,
etc.) that are much shorter than in a conventional substation. These
lengths are directly related to the system voltage, and, in general, the
lower the voltage level, the shorter the bus runs: Typical lengths for a
242 kV ring bus and a breaker and a half scheme are given in Fig. 1.
The shorter distances have several significant advantages. First of all, a
lower number of lightning arresters is required in a gas insulated
substation and secondly, the BIL rating for the gas insulated system
can be lowered.
(0.9) t7 (6.fl1 (6.4) it (I0) (4.6)
10¶
~~~~~~~~~27
(28-3)
20

)i<}
diameter of 3 to 4 in (7.6 td 10.2 cm) and its grounded outer sheath
has a diameter of about 12 in (30.5 cm). Using an average inner
diameter of 3.5 in (8.9 cm), the surge impedance of the 242 kV SF6
bus can be calculated from the following formula: 1 (6.7) (67) (624) (0) (4.6)

Z138log
4k
r2
rI
a) Breaker and a Half Scheme

24 s-l-- 40 1
(9.1) (7.3) (122) t
12
(3.6)

12
(3.6)

E (12.2)
Aw ,,1 24
(7.3)
(17
(5.2) -
s

b) Ring Bus Scheme

Paper T 73 034-6, recommended and approved by the Substations Committee
of the IEEE Power Engineering Society for presentation at the IEEE PES Winter Fig. 1. Typical 242 kV Gas Insulated Substation Layouts.Bus Lengths
Meeting, New York, N.Y., January 28-February 2, 1973. Manuscript submitted are given in feet with the values in parenthesis expressed in
September 18, 1972; made available for printing November-16, 1972. meters.

1622
BSL/BIL Ratio
The ratio BSL/BIL in an air insulated substation with conven-
tional equipment is substantially less than unity (0.60 - 0.86
depending upon the piece of equipment) and a comparison of the
withstand voltage vs. time characteristic of air and SF6 insulated
equipment appears as shown in Fig. 2. Air and porcelain insulated
conventional equipment can withstand very high voltages for very
short times; however, as the duration of the voltage increases, the
withstand voltage falls off considerably. On the other hand, SF6 gas
insulated equipment exhibits a withstand voltage vs. time character-
istic that is nearly flat especially when compared to its conventional
counterpart.2 Thus the ratio of the Basic Switching Impulse Insulation
Level (BSL) to the Basic Lightning Impulse Insulation Level (BIL) is
close enough to unity in SF6 so that a BSL/BIL = 1.0 can be used for
engineering purposes in gas insulated systems.
This flat characteristic also effects the relationship between the
chopped wave impulse insulation levels and the full wave (BIL) level.
Conventional air insulation has 2 and 3 As chopped wave levels of 1.29
and 1.15 times the BIL whereas again the ratio for SF6 insulated
equipment is essentially unity.
AIR iNSULATION
'a
z -- - -- SF6- INSULATION
2
z versatility or flexibility. It-can be located anywhere that is desired
SURGE DURATION
.1 i 10 100 1000 Ps
Fig. 2. Insulation Levels of Air and SF6
LIGHTNING ARRESTERS
The application of lightning arresters in the gas insulated system
centers around the following considerations: Arrester Rating, Number
and Location of Arresters, and Type of Arrester. Each of these factors
will be discussed separately and the philosophy will be developed for
application of lightning arresters to a gas insulated system.
Arrester Rating
At each of the system voltages considered, from 72.5 kV to
765 kV, several different lightning arester ratings will be used. For
voltages of 242 kV and above, effectively grounded systems are
assumed and the arrester ratings used in the analysis are selected
accordingly.
Since there still are some ungrounded systems at 145 kV and
below, a greater range of arrester ratings is selected to adequately
handle both grounded and ungrounded systems. Based on the above
considerations, the several arrester ratings shown in the final reference
graph (Fig. 5) were chosen as representative values for each system
voltage level.
Number and Location of Arresters
Normal practice in conventional substations is to place lightning
arresters as close as possible to the transformer. The goal is to provide
as much protection as possible to the transformer since it is not only
the single most expensive piece of equipment in the substation but
also the most susceptible to permanent overvoltage damage. To
protect the other equipment in the substation, such as circuit
breakers, disconnect switches, etc., additional lightning arresters' are
usually required at other locations throughout the substation.
Because of the compact size and extremely short bus runs of the
gas insulated substation, the number of required lightning arresters is
greatly reduced. In fact, typical lengths in a gas insulated system are so
short (usually 50 to 100 ft (15.25 to 30.5 m) total straight length]
that, in almost all cases, lightning arresters are needed only at the
1623
terminals of the substation. In the following analysis it will therefore
be assumed that the lightning arresters will be installed only on each
line entrance terminal of the substation.
Type of Arrester
For purpose of this discussion, two types of lightning arresters
are considered - conventional and gas insulated. A conventional
arrester is defined as the typical arrester now used in conventional
overhead substations. The conventional arrester is air insulated and has
porcelain housings which are exposed to atmospheric contamination.
The gas insulated arrester has no exposed porcelain or contamination
since it is completely enclosed in a grounded housing filled with.SF6
gas. Thus there are two alternate ways of placing the lightning arrester
at the gas insulated substation terminals - either a conventional
arrester connected to the overhead line just outside the gas insulated
substation or a gas insulated lightning arrester connected to the SF6
bus just inside the gas insulated substation.
The first alternative of placing a conventional arrester on the
overhead line adjacent to the gas insulated system has several
advantages. First of all, it is more economical since a conventional
arrester is less expensive than a gas insulated arrester. This is due to
the tank required to house the gas insulated arrester and the additional
voltage compensation required. Secondly, the technology of conven-
tional arresters is more extensively developed and more firmly
established than its gas insulated counterpart. However, the gas
insulated arrester has one important advantage - the absence of
exposed porcelain to atmospheric contamination.
The gas insulated arrester also has the significant advantage of
within the gas insulated substation and as a result can be physically
located closer to the transformer, circuit breaker and other pieces of
equipment that it is called upon to protect. Thus if it becomes
necessary to place the arrester near a particular piece of equipment or
if a system becomes too large to be protected by single arresters at the
substation terminals, a gas insulated arrester could be placed inside the
substation at the exact location it is needed. A conventional arrester
does not offer this versatility since it cannot be connected inside the
gas insulated system.
As will be shown in Fig. 6 and the accompanying discussion,
there is little difference between the protection given by a conven-
tional arrester on the overhead line near the terminals and a gas
insulated arrester on the SF6 bus at the terminals. The following
analysis therefore will be assumed to apply equally well to either case
(provided the two types of arresters have the same or similar sparkover
and discharge characteristics).
INSULATION COORDINATION
As has been previously pointed out, the insulation coordination
analysis developed in this paper will consider system voltages from
72.5 kV to 765 kV. At each of the several system voltages, various
lightning arrester ratings will be used as explained in the preceding
section on arresters. The BIL ratings will be selected based upon the
results of the actual calculations as well as some consideration of the
already established conventional BIL ratings. Even though the BIL
ratings for conventional stations are used as a guide or starting point,
it soon becomes evident that the gas insulated substation permits
lower BIL ratings than its conventional counterpart at certain voltage
levels. All the variables - system voltage, arrester rating, separation
distance - are listed in a reference graph (Fig. 5), and for each set of
variables, a maximum impulse voltage is given for equipment in the gas
insulated substation. Thus the reference curves provide a summary of
this paper which can be used for design purposes by the substation
design engineer.
Gas Insulated Lightning Arrester at Bus Terminal
The calculation of the impulse voltages in the substation involves
the direct solution of rather complicated traveling wave problems. It
can be solved either by using Laplace transforms, graphically, or by
using a computer program. The initial work was done graphically but
for the calculation of the final values, a single-phase-transient-digital
computer program was used.
 The basic system studied is shown on Fig. 3a. A lightning surge is The maximum voltage at the transformer terminal was calculated
assumed to originate on the transmission line and travel toward the for 200, 100 and 50 ft (61, 30.5 and 15.25 m) of SF6 bus.
junction of the line and the gas insulated bus. The rate of rise of this
surge depends on the system voltage, conductor size and the distance On shorter bus runs the reflections return much faster due to
the surge originates from the bus, which is a function of the system shorter travel times and therefore the voltage buildup is faster. This
lightning outage rate. faster voltage buildup causes the arrester to sparkover at a higher
voltage, but since the travel time for the negative discharge is so much
Using the method of Reference. 3 and assuming typical system shorter the maximum voltage at the transformer terminal is lower (see
constants and operating characteristics, the incoming surge would have Fig. 3c, d) for 100 and 50 ft of bus than for 200 ft of bus.
a rate-of-rise of 700 to 900 kV/4sec. The slight variations between
specific systems does not have too much effect on the final result and SF6 - BUS
thereforb an incoming surge of 800 kV/gsec was assumed for all
440 n
calculations. 73 OnB
'' Z D~z2 3e a)
In the system shown in Fig. 3a, a gas insulated lightning arrester
is installed on the entrance terminal of the SF6 bus. The assumed VOLTAGE
sparkover values and discharge characteristics of the arresters are kV
shown on Table I. The values in the table are expressed in p.u. of the 600

arrester rating. For example; the maximum front-of-wave- sparkover

value for a 258 kV arrester is 1.9 x 258 x = 692 kV. It was also 500
assumed that the sparkover voltage vaiies with the rate of rise of the
voltage buildup at the arrester, 400.

When the lightning surge -arrives at the transition point only a

certain percentage enters the substation. Due to the difference in surge 300 -

impedance between the overhead line and the SF6 bus (Zl- = 320 to
440 Q2 versus Z2 = 75 Q, see Fig. 3a) reflections and refractions occur 200-
b)
according to the following relationships. 1,4
Z2-zl
er=Z+Z
1 2
ef time

0 .5 1.0 15 mS
2Z2
e +Z2 ef
e=2w
=Z kV

Z1,Z2 surge impedances

ef forward wave
Cr reflected wave
e refracted wave
c)
A surge impedance of 73.8 Q2 was assumed for the gas insulated
bus for all system voltages and the values for the overhead lines are as
shown on Table II. For example, Zl at, 242 kV is 440 2 and with Z2
= 73.8 Q,er = 0.715, x ef and e = 0.285 x ef or only 28.5 % of the
incident wave is transmitted into the station. Also the rate of rise of
the surge is reduced from 800 kV/ps to approximately 230 kV/ps. 1.5 ms

It was assumed that the surge propagates in SF6 with a speed of

1000 ft/psec (330 in/ps); therefore, the travel time for 200 ft (61 m) kV

of bus is 0.2 pis. This time delay of the voltage buildup can be seen in 600
Fig. 3b.
The transformer which terminates the SF6 bus was represented
as a capacitance to ground. The capacitance acts as a short circuit at
the first insitant but passes through a transition stage to its final fully
charged condition, when it acts as an open circuit. The reflected wave d)
from. the capacitance is initially negative and therefore it reduces the
rate of rise of the voltage at the arrester. This can be seen in Fig. 3b,
between 0.4 and 0.5 ,us, where the slope of the arrester voltage is flat.
The larger the capacitance value the longer the charging time and
therefore the slower the voltage buildup at the arrester and the
transformer. A value of 1600.pF was assumed to give conservative
results.
1.5 us
The surge will be reflected and re-reflected between the overhead
line terminal and the transformer. Each reflection adds to the voltage Fig. 3. Voltage Buildup in a 242 kV System with a 192 kV Arrester
at the arrester and the transformer. When the arrester sparkover inside the Gas Insulated System.
voltage is reached, the,. arrester discharges (at time ts). The voltage
buildup at the transformer continues until the negative arrester
discharge wave arrives, which in the case of 200 ft (61 m) of bus is b) 200 ft (61.0 m) of SF6 Bus
0.2 psec after sparkover, and causes the transformer voltage to decay c) 100 ft (30.5 m) of SF6 Bus - - - at the Transformer
very rapidly from its maximum value. d) S0ft (15.25 m) of SF6 Bus -at the Transition Point (Arrester)
1624
 The maximum voltages at the transformer terminal as seen in Fig. kV
3b, c, d for 200, 100 and 50 ft (61, 30.5 and 15.25 m) of bus are
plotted as Curve A in Fig. 4.
2500 BIL LIGHTNING ARRESTER SYSTEM
Common practice is to design for a 20% margin between the RAT WJG VOLTAGg
maximum surge voltage and the equipment BIL. To show this margin
a second curve (Curve B) is plotted on Fig. 4 which is 20% higher than 2300 kV
the maximum voltage curve. For example, for 50 ft of bus a BIL of 612 kV
2175 kV 765 kV
670 kV is required; for 200 ft' of bus however the BIL should be 578 kV
735 kV. I
.'2050 W
As discussed earlier, the length of bus between the transition 2000
1925 kV
point and the transformer in a gas insulated station is'very short
compared with a conventional substation. For- example, Fig. 1 shows 1800 kV
that this length is usually less than J150 ft (45.7 m). Also these long
bus runs usually have some taps which cause additional reflections and - 1675 kV
thereby reduce the voltage at the transformer. In the following 444 kV
analysis therefore the maximum value of 200 ft (61 m) of untapped 1550 kYV
gas insulated bus was used as a quite conservative design criteria. 1500 420 kV 550 kV
1425 k 396 k
Figure 4 shows that the maximum impulse voltage plus a 20%
safety margin at the end of a 200 ft long gas insulated bus is 735 kV. 1300 kV
The next highest standard BIL level is 750 kV (shown as Curve C).
The 242 kV gas insulated bus with a 192 kV arrester at the transition -1175 kV
point should be designed for a BIL of 750 kV in order to withstand
lightning surges safely. 1050 kV 294 kV
1000 975 kV
- 276 kY
258 wV
362 kV

900 kV
VOLTAGE
kV 825 kV
750 kV 192 kV 242 kV
800
CURVE C 750 KV
650 kV 180kV
CURVE - 20S
550SV
k44k Y
600 CURVE A ,MAXIMUM VOLTAGE AT THE 120kV 145 kV
TRANSFORMER TERMINAL 500 450 WkV_ 0k
CJRVE E
CURVE D , 15% 350 kV .72k
400 ARRESTER SWITCHING SURGE 300 kV 0kV 725kV
SPARKOVER VOLTAGE

200'
0
DISTANCE 50 -100 200 ft.
0 (1525) (30.5) (61) m
0 50 100 200 ft.
(525) (30.5) (61) (m)
Fig. 5. Maximum Impulse Voltages versus SF6 Bus Length
Fig. 4. Maximum Voltages in a 242 kV System with a 192 kV
Arrester near the Transition Point.
i 440 X:

A summary of these maximum voltages is given in Fig. 5 for a)

various system voltages and arrester ratings. The straight horizontal 41tm 200 ft.
lines in this figure are similar to Curve C of Fig. 4 and standard BIL 112.2 m1 161m1
levels. The sloping curves, similar to Curve B of Fig. 4 show the VOLTAGE
maximum voltage plus the 20% margin. The substation design engineer kV
by knowing the system voltage, lightning arrester rating and size of the 600
substation can determine (from Fig. 5) the maximum impulse voltage
(including a 20% safety margin) that will be'developed within the 500
system, and then select the BIL rating required t 'withstand this
maximum voltage.
400-

Overhead Line Arresters 300

In the preceding discussion, gas insulated arresters were assumed b

to be located at the SF6 bus terminals. The lightning arrester could
also be placed outside the 'gas insulated system. To demonstrate the
effect on the protection the system of Fig. 6a (242 kV System, 100
192 kV Arrester) was analyzed, where the arrester is 40 ft (12.2 m)
away from the transition point. Fig. 6b shows that the maximum a.01
ts timr
voltage at the transformer terminal is about the same (613 kV) as in .5 lO .5 Ps
the case of the arrester inside the gas insulated system next to the
terminal (617 kV from Fig. 3b). The voltage at the pothead is higher Fig. 6. Voltage Buildup in a 242 kV System with a 192 kV Arrester
in Fig. 6b than in Fig. 3b due to the spike caused by the reflection outside the Gas Insulated System.
from the transformer being amplified by the discontinuity of the
overhead line. 'Since this peak is lower, however, than the. peak voltage - -- at the-Arrester
at the transformer terminal the latter still determines the BIL of' the - --- at the Transformer
gas system. at the Transition Point
1625
 Similar results can be' obtained for arrester separation distances Fig. 7b shows that for 100 ft (30.5 m) of Getaway the maximum
less than 40 ft (12.2 m) and other arrester ratings. It was therefore voltage at the air-SF6 connection is lower than at the transformer
assumed that the maximum voltage at the transformer terminal is the terminal, but 7c shows that for 200 ft (61 m) of Getaway the voltage
same, no matter if the arrester located at the transition point is at the transition point is higher, therefore the gas insulated system has
outside or inside the gas insulated system for any given SF6 bus to be designed to withstand the maximum transition point voltage if
length. only one arrester is applied. If an additional arrester is placed at the
transition point the design voltage is the transformer terminal voltage.
Getaway Bus Link For about 150 ft (45.7 m) of Getaway the maximum voltage at the
transformer terminal and the transition point are equal and only one
A gas insulated substation can also be connected by an SF6 bus arrester is required.
link ("Getaway") to an overhead system.5 The system which was
analyzed can be seen in Fig. 7a and the results for 100 and 200 ft Some gas insulated substations will have an oil cable connection
(30.5 and 61 m) of Getaway bus can be seen in' Fig. 7b, c. The voltage to the overhead system instead of the SF6 Getaway. To protect the
buildup is similar to that described in the two previous cases. The cable, arresters will probably be required at both the junction with the
maximum voltages at the transformer and the transition point occur overhead line and at the substation terminal. Since the oil cable has a
when the negative arrester discharge arrives. From Fig. 7b it can be surge impedance of about 50 12 the lightning surge sees two transition
seen that for 100 ft (30.5 m) of SF6 Getaway plus 200 ft (61 m) of points, overhead line to oil cable (420 to 50 Q2)'and oil cable to SF6
SF6 bus the maximum voltage 'at the transformer terminal is 595 kV. bus (50 to 75 2). With the arrester located at the substation terminal
This is lower (595 kV versus 617 kV) than in the case of 200 ft (61 m) inside the gas insulated system the results are very similar to the case
of SF6 bus and the arrester at the substation terminal (Fig. 3b) since of Fig. 3a, a gas insulated substation connected directly to an
the voltage buildup at the transformer is slower due to the greater overhead system.
length of gas insulated bus [300 versus 200 ft (91.5 versus 61 m)]
while the travel time of the arrester discharge to the transformer is the Switching Surges
same.
The switching surge sparkover value of the lightning arrester is
considerably lower than the impulse sparkover (see Table I). Since the
slope of a switching surge is slow compared to the travel time of the
OVERHEAD LINE GETAWAY SUBSTATION surge in the SF6 bus the voltage at the transformer terminal is the
same as the arrester sparkover voltage. Fig. 4 shows that the maximum
transformer voltage due to a switching surge is a horizontal line
4 440 A 73A.fI a) (Curve D), independent of the length of the SF6 bus (and for a
l B 192 kV arrester equal to 435 kV). It is common practice to add a 15%
safety margin to the maximum switching surge voltage to get the
required BSL of the equipment. Curve E of Fig. 4 shows that for a
242 kV system, with a 192 kV arrester, the required equipment BSL is
500 kV.
600
A' l00ft. (305 m)
200ft.(61 m)
As mentioned earlier, the BSL level of SF6 insulated equipment
500' B
is the same as the BIL level. Since the required BIL (see Fig. 4) is
750 kV, the BSL of the equipment is also 750 kV, which is much
400 larger than the required BSL of 500 kV. If a 750 kV BIL transformer
is applied, the transformer has a BSL of 0.83 x BIL = 625 kV, which
300 again is higher than the required 500 kV.
200

100
RECOMMENDATIONS
Knowing the arrester rating and maximum bus length, the system
designer could use Fig. 5 to determine the BIL required for his
individual gas insulated substation. The main purpose of this paper
however is to determine a set of recommended standard BIL ratings
that would apply to-all systems. Fig. 5 was used to develop these
k
ratings and the recommended levels are shown in Table III. A brief
600 description of how these levels were obtained follows.
In the generation of Fig. 5, bus lengths of up to 200 ft (61 m)
were considered possible. Also the maximum arrester ratings con-
sidered practical were shown. The probability of having both the
maximum arrester rating and the 200 ft (61 m) bus length'however is
considered too small to penalize all systems. A compromise was
therefore made for each system to arrive at what is considered to be
the maximum practical BIL for each system voltage rating. The
combinations of bus lengths and arrester ratings assumed for each
system voltage to arrive at the BIL recommendation is shown in
Table III.
For example, there are a few ungrounded 72.5 kV systems so a
72 kV arrester rating may be required. The bus lengths of this low
voltage however are much shorter than 200 feet (61 m). Fig. 5 shows
that if the bus length is 90 ft (27.4 m), or less, a 300 kV BIL can be
Fig. 7. Voltage Buildup in a 242 kVSystem, with a SF6 Getaway protected by the 72 kV arrester. Note that if there is a rare instance
Link and a 192 kVArrester at the Substation Terminal. where the bus length is greater than 90 ft (27.4 m), it is probable that
the arrester rating is less than 72 kV and the 300 kV BIL is still
satisfactory. Note that for the 362 kV and higher systems, two
- -- at the Arrester combinations of bus lengths and arrester ratings are shown in
-- - - at the Transformer Table III. This data again shows the probable worst combinations that
at the Transition Point will occur on operating systems.
1626
 One important point needs to be emphasized at this time. The' REFERENCES
curves given in Fig. 5 represent the maximum voltages (including a'
20% margin) occurring on the system. The wave shape of these 1. Central Station Engineers, Westinghouse Electric Corporation,
voltages are representative of chopped impulse waves rather than full Electrical Transmission and Distribution Reference Book, East
impulse waves. Since the ratio of chopped wave to full BIL is Pittsburgh, Pa., 1950, pp. 524, 527, 610-642.
essentially unity for SF6, the levels expressed in Table III are both
BIL and chopped wave level. Thus the 550 kV BIL recommended for 2. Boeck, W., Troger, H., "SF6 Insulated Switchgear for Ultra-High
145 kV gas insulated equipment is not the same as a 550 kV BIL for Voltages (UHV)", Cigre 23-08, 1972 Session.
conventional equipment since the 550 kV BIL for SF6 implies a
550 kV chopped wave level while conventional 550 kV BIL circuit 3. Clayton, J. M., and Powell, R. W., "Application of Arresters for
breakers have 2 and 3 Ms chopped wave levels of 710 kV and 633 kV Complete Lightning Protection of Substations," AIEE Trans-
respectively. 0 actions, February, 1959, pp. 1608 - 1614.
A third point to consider concerns the transformer insulation. 4. Bewley, L. V., Traveling Waves on Transmission Systems,' New
The curves given in Fig. S and the BIL levels recommended in York, Dover Publications, Inc., 1951, pp. 45 - 65.
Table III are applicable to the entire gas insulated substation (includ-
ing SF6 bus, disconnect switches, junction boxes, circuit breakers and, 5. Klumb, F. R., "SF6 System Moves Power ... Up the Tower!",
if considered part of the gas insulated substation, the transformer). Electric Light and Power, Transmission/Distribution Edition, July
However, the proposed BIL levels are based upon the assumption that 1972 pp. 46 - 48.
lightning arresters are located only at the terminals of the gas insulated
substation. Thus, any transformer must have a high enough BIL rating
so that it can 'be adequately protected by a lightning arrester which is
up to 200 ft (61 m) away. The transformer BIL rating however could TABLE I
be lowered by placing a lightning arrester at (or near) the transformer
terminals. The decision concerning whether or not to place an arrester
at the transformer is solely economic and depends upon the cost of an Lightning Arrester Characteristics
additional gas insulated arrester compared to the cost of a higher BIL (Expressed in p.u. of the Arrester Rating)'
level transformer. Such an economic consideration is beyond the
scope of this paper. For that matter the gas insulated arresters could Maximum Front-of-Wave Sparkover 1.9 p.u.
be located anywhere in the gas insulated system and Fig. 5 would still Maximum Switching Surge Sparkover 1.6 p.u.
be valid. The decision concerning lightning arrester location for Maximum Discharge Voltage - 1.5 KA 1.2
transformer protection will have to be made for each particular gas 3.0 KA 1.3
insulated substation by the design engineer utilizing the voltage curves 5 KA 1.38
given in Fig. 5. The primary purpose of this paper is to recommend 10 KA 1.56
BIL ratings for gas insulated bus and equipment and not for 20 KA 1.8
transformers. Fig. 5 and Table III should be interpreted with this fact
in mind.

TABLE II

CONCLUSIONS Overhead Transmission Line

Maximum System Voltage Surge Impedance
The preceding discussion describes an analysis made to determine kV Q2
the BIL ratings and protective distances for the gas insulated
equipment in a gas insulated substation at various system voltage levels 72.5 440
and lightning arrester ratings. This development has shown that 145 440
because of the unique properties of the gas insulated system, the lower 242 440
surge impedance of SF6 bus, and the shorter bus runs in gas insulated 362 355
substations, the required BIL ratings are lower in a gas insulated 550 355
substation than its conventional counterpart. As a result of the shorter 765 320
lengths of SF6 bus, the number of lightning arresters required in a gas
insulated substation is reduced and with very few exceptions adequate
surge protection can be provided by locating arresters only at the
entrance and exit terminals of the substation. The protective distances
for the various system voltages, arrester ratings and BIL ratings are TABLE III
summarized in the reference graph for utilization by the substation
design engineer in the layout of his particular gas insulated system. Proposed BIL Ratings For Gas Insulated Equipment
BIL ratings for gas insulated substations have been proposed for the
various system voltages and are summarized in Table III. Due to the
characteristics of the surges and the flat insulation curve of SF6, the Max. System Max. Assumed Max. Assumed
values in Table III are chopped wave insulation levels as well as BIL Voltage Bus Length Lightning Arrester Proposed BIL
ratings. The analysis developed in this paper and the required BIL kV ft (m) Rating, kV kV
ratings given apply equally well for either conventional or gas
insulated lightning arresters located at the terminals of the gas 72.5 90 (27.4) 72 300
insulated substation.
145 120 (36.6) 144 550
242 200 (61.0) 192 750
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 362 200 (61.0) 276 1050
362 100 (30.5) 294 1050
The authors wish to thank Mr. N. K. Osmundsen and P. W. Bogner
of the Lightning Arrester Engineering Section, Mr. L. B. Wagenaar and 550 200 (61.0) 420 1550
W. F. True of the'Transformer Division, and Mr. H. E. Spindle of the 550 90 (27.4) 444 1550
Gas Insulated Substation Department of the Westinghouse Electric
Corporation, for their helpful comments and suggestions during the 765 200 (61.0) 578 2175
preparation of this paper. 765 125 (38.1) 612 2175
1627
 Discussion
J. E. Beehler, J. D. M. Phelps, A. J. McElroy, and T. F. Garrity,
(American Electric Power Service, Corporation, New York, N.Y.
10004): The paper is timely and contains much valuable information,
provided it is properly interpreted. The authors present a method for
determining insulation levels of Gas Insulated Stations; the following
comments are related to their method and related to system voltages
of 765 kV. We agree with the authors introduction that in general Gas
Insulated Station should have lower BIL requirements than a conven-
tional station. It was therefore a surprise to find in Figure 5 a minimum
BIL required for 765 kV system voltage of 2050 kV - the level of
present outdoor switchgear equipment. The authors are not clear if
they are also recommending the BIL level for power transformers. If
transformers are included then they too would have a BIL of 2050
kV - this seems quite high.
The authors appear to have used a "common practice" of allowing
a 20% margin between the maximum surge voltage and equipment
BIL. It has not been customary to use this full 20% margin when
voltage rise due to separation effects have been calculated. The voltage
arriving at the transformer terminal is compared to the chopped wave
withstand of the transformer and little or no margin is provided.
Furthermore it is not valid to use flat SF6 characteristics for trans-
former insulation, because the chopped wave withstand is 10 to 15 per-
cent above the full wave value.
The authors recommendation to use a 20% margin between
maximum surge voltage level and equipment BIL is based on design
criteria to protect against lightning surges. This method may be too
simplistic for EHV systems. Insulation coordination based on a flexible
probabilistic approach is recommended.
In this context it has not been made clear by the authors if
their Gas Insulated Station has been tested as they test an entire bus
system for mean flashover voltage and associated standard deviation
or whether they report values taken from short (e.g. 50 ft. or 100 ft.)
bus sections. If the latter is done, then for practical station design the
(very small) mean flashover rate Pi, for each bus section i, and its
associated standard deviation ai, would have to be adjusted as follows
to yield the (small) mean flashover rate P and the maximum possible
standard deviation as for an entire system comprising i sections of bus:
n on the size of the particle. We have, therefore, found the switching
P~Pi
i=l
Gs- [ Gi2]
The designer can then devise what multiple of as to adapt and use
in conjunction with critical flashover and standard deviation of con-
nected arresters in order to meet his overall station failure rate (once
per 20 years, once per 100 years, etc.) to satisfy any desired confidence
level. In this context realistic levels for the BIL of the 765 kV SF6 Gas
Insulated Station appear to be approaching the 1675 kV level, the
BIL level being equivalent to the chopped wave level.
As a final comment, the modern conventional arrester is specific-
ally designed to provide entirely reliable service in atmospheric contami-
nation. On this point we differ from the authors who state that this is
a major disadvantage to conventional arresters; in our opinion this is
not the case.
Manuscript received February 23, 1973.
H. W. Graybill, (I-T-E Imperial Corporation, Greensburg, Pa. 15601):
The authors are to be congratulated for this timely and valuable paper.
The use of SF6 gas insulated substations (GIS) and transmission systems
is growing at an exponential rate in the United States, as indeed it is
worldwide. The information contained in this paper will be invaluable
to prospective GIS users in the matter of insulation coordination for
the mini-substations, in deciding on the proper locations for the
arresters, and in selecting the proper insulation level for the substation.
The paper will also be very useful to the Task Force on Equipment
ratings for compact substations set up by Working Group 70.1 of the
IEEE Substations Committee, to develop a guide or standard on com-
pact SF6 gas insulated mini-substations.
It is very clear that insulation levels of compact gas insulated
mini-substations can be reduced below the standard BIL levels for
conventional outdoor substation equipment. For 362 kV maximum
system voltage, 1050 kV BIL has already become the unwritten
Manuscript received February 12, 1973.
1628
standard, which most users are specifying; one or two utilities are
seriously considering 900 kV BIL. At the present time, however, nearly
all utility users are specifying 900 kV BIL for 230 kV nominal, 242 kV
maximum design voltage substations, and 650 kV BIL for 115 to 138
kV nominal voltage, 145 kV maximum design voltage systems. There
is no doubt that these insulation levels could safely be reduced to the
level suggested in the paper.
It is also equally clear that in the case of a gas insulated substation
directly connected to overhead lines, one conventional arrester mounted
at or near the air-to-gas entrance bushing will satisfactorily protect the
substation and connected transformers. The one case which requires
much more careful study is that barely mentioned under "Getaway
Bus Link". Where the gas insulated substation has an oil cable connec-
tion of several miles (3 kilometers) or more to the overhead transmission
lines, a very careful study must be made to determine whether arresters
are needed in the substation or not. Here the rate of rise of the surge
at the other end of the cable must be very carefully considered. This,
in turn, is tied to the degree of shielding of the overhead line, height of
towers, etc. If a calculated risk is taken that there will never be a direct
stroke to, the conductors, or a backflash from the shield wire or tower
to the conductors, the arresters will probably not be needed in the
SF6 substation or at the junction between the cable and the substation.
However, if there is a good possibility of a direct lightning surge to the
overhead line, the single arrester at the point where the transmission
line connects to the cable is probably not sufficient; a second arrester
will be needed at the gas insulated substation.
We agree that for SF6 insulated equipment the two or three
microsecond chopped wave levels are the same as the BIL, but our
experience has not shown the insulation level for SF6 installation to be
as flat in the 100 to 1000 microsecond surge duration region as shown
by Figure 2 of the paper. The curve may be accurate for a perfectly
clean SF6 system, with no particulate contamination, but after having
gone through the experience of testing five SF6 systems which are now
in commercial service, and four more which have been factory tested,
shipped, and are now being installed, we can attest to the fact that it is
impossible to install a large system having field-assembled components,
and keep it 100% clean and free of conducting particles. The conducting
particles, having some mass, do not appreciably affect impulse level,
but they do lower switching surge level by their motion in the di-
electric field, which requires a matter of some microseconds, depending
surge flashover and the 60 Hz peak flashover voltage levels to be some-
what lower than the impulse flashover, on the order of 10 to 15%,
depending on the amount of contamination present and the size of the
particles.
In a practical SF6 gas insulated bus, the ratio between the ouside
diameter of the inner conductor and the inside diameter of the outer
conductor would usually be less than three and frequently as low as
2.5. This is because it is advantageous to make the inner conductor
somewhat larger than the theoretical 1/2.71 ratio because keeping the
inner conductor large increases its current-carrying capability, its
surface area as large as possible to dissipate heat by radiation and
convection, and decreases the sag between spacer insulators. The maxi-
mum voltage gradiant in the SF6 system, which is immediately adjacent
to the surface of the conductor, varies very slightly over a range of
enclosure to conductor diameters from about 2.1 to about 3.5. There-
fore, a typical gas insulated bus will typically have a surge impedance in
the range of 52 to 62 ohms rather than the 73.8 ohms chosen by the
authors. However, this merely strengthens the authors' case, since the
percentage of the incident wave transmitted into the substation would
be even lower, as can be seen by the calculations on page 3 of the
paper.
Finally, we agree with the authors that, in general, switching
surges are no problem in mini-substations, despite the fact that the
switching surge withstand level of the SF6 substation is lower than the
BIL. This is because, as the authors point out, the switching surge
sparkover of the arrester is lower than its maximum front-of-wave
sparkover, and, more importantly, because the slope of the switching
surge is so slow compared with the travel time of the surge that the
slowly rising surge is reflected back to the arrester many times before
it reaches its peak, and the maximum switching surge voltage can be
obtained in the substation is, therefore, substantially the arrester
switching surge sparkover voltage.
D. J. Melvold, (Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, Los
Angeles, Calif. 90051): The authors are to be commended for making
the initial progress towards an insulation coordination guide for gas-
insulated substations. However, I find difficulty in attempting to
standardize the BIL levels for such stations at this early stage of the
game. In retrospect of past experiences with new equipment though, it
might just be the best time.
Manuscript received February 16, 1973.
 In considering the flat characteristic nature of SF6, the arrester The last comment is on the length of the bus. The maximum bus
'sparkover characteristic of a conventional arrester, when "deporce- length treated in the analysis seems to be rather short particularly in
lained" and placed in a SF6 environment, would be expected to change. higher system voltages. Longer bus length will give a different problem
The authors use the listings in Table I for both the conventional and on the location of the arresters.
the gas-insulated arresters. If the characteristic does not change, how is
this accomplished in light of Figure 1, which appears to indicate that
the sparkover levels of the impulse and switching surge ranges will be H. W. Anderl, C. L. Wagner, and T. H. Dodds: The purpose of this paper
essentially equal? If the characteristic is not modified by the environ- was to provide a starting point for the standardization of insulation
ment, is this true of all arresters on the market? Relatively little has levels for gas insulated substations. The authors have proposed a set of
been published on studies of the effects of various gases on arresters. If values with the aim of provoking discussion from those who disagree.
the characteristic can change when merely "de-porcelained" and placed These discussions would then form the basis of starting work in the
in the gas enclosure, standards may have to be modified to incorporate various IEEE, EEI, NEMA and ANSI committees.
this contingency. The authors are appreciative of the excellent discussions that have
Again, since the insulation level of the protected equipment is been presented and from their quality and the content it is apparent that
flat and consequently more predictable, might it be possible to reduce the basic purpose of the paper has been accomplished. Messrs. Morioka,
the 20% margin in the impulse region in Figure 4 down to the 15% appli- Nagai, Nitta and Shibuya feel the paper's values are too low and Messrs.
cable to the switching surge region? Beehler, Phelps, McElroy and Garrity feel they are too high. Now it is up
In the authors' discussion of their results in Figures 3, 6 and 7, to the industry committees to evaluate which should be selected.
comparisons are made directly between the maximum voltage peaks in Considering first the factors which might cause the values to be
these figures at the transformer and the BIL level of the transformer. too low, Messrs. Morioka, Nagai, Nitta and Shibuya question whether
Why did the authors feel it unnecessary to consider the severity or the paper's 800 kV/,usec rate-of-rise might be too low. They state that
disruptive effect of the surge in addition to its magnitude? The waves it is Japanese practice to assume a lightning stroke close in to the sub-
illustrated in their figures have considerably less energy than the station entrance terminal with a resulting higher rate-of-rise of surge
standard wave used in obtaining the BIL level of the transformer. voltage. They requested the authors' comments.
As mentioned in the paper, the 800 kV/,usec value was based on the
method of Reference 3. Assuming a probability of failure of once in
60 years and a line lightning flashover rate of 2/100 miles/year, the stroke
George N. Lester, (Allis-Chalmers Corp., Boston, Mass. 02136): The isdistance seen to originate at least 4400 feet out from the station. In this
authors have provided an interesting report of their analytical investi- surge front and assuming normal conductor sizes and configurations the
gation of possible BIL requirements for gas insulated substations. This attenuates to approximately 800 kV/,usec by the time it
is a timely study in that presently there is an ideal opportunity to plan arrivesWhileat the station.
and agree within the industry on insulation requirements for this these assumptions are felt to be quite severe, the authors
equipment consistent with surge protective device capabilities, specific- also calculated the condition assuming a line flashover rate of 5/100
ally where a reduction of requirements, compared with conventional miles/year. This means that the stroke could originate within 1800
of the terminal and the rate-of-rise is increased to 1600 kV/psec.
outdoor apparatus, may be realistic and justified. This work will serve as feet
Even with this extremely severe assumption, the resulting voltage at the
a good reference point for continued evaluation of these needs.
The authors' comment on one point would be appreciated. In the transformer was raised only 40 to 50 kV.
circuit arrangement studied, the reflection point inside the station was These discussors, as well as Mr. Graybill, questioned our assumption
the transformer, which was initially represented as a capacitance. It that the BIL and BSIL are equal for the gas insulated substation. They
would seem that a possibly more realistic, and slightly more severe raised the excellent point that from a practical standpoint this equip-
condition would be for this reflection point to be an open circuit in ment cannot be kept perfectly clean and therefore conducting particles
the system can cause a reduction in the BSIL, whether it be the 10 to
breaker, or disconnect switch. What variations would appear in the 15% quoted or the approximately 40% quoted by
plots of Figures 3b, 3c, and 3d and Figure 5 if such an open switching Messrs. Morioka, Nagai,Graybill
by Mr.
Nitta and Shibuya.
device were between the transition point and the transformer? Even using the 1.4 ratio of BIL to BSIL, however, Fig. 4 of the
paper shows that there should be no problem with switching surges.
Manuscript received February 20, 1973. Due to the lower switching surge sparkover level of the arrester and the
essentially flat surge voltage profile throughout the substation (due to
the long fronts of the switching surge), the ratio of the required BIL
(750 kV) to the required BSIL (500 kV) is in the case of Fig. 4 equal to
S. Morioka, N. Nagai, T. Nitta, and Y. Shibuya, (Mitsubishi Electric 1.5 which exeeds even the 1.4 factor above.
Corp., Amagasaki, Japan): The paper is a valuable contribution in the The comments on the effect of contamination on the rating of the
new field of insulation coordination of gas insulated substations. The external lightning arrester are not clear. If it is meant that a lower rated
discussers feel that some of the suppositions used in the analysis may arrester,a for example 180 kV, can be used inside the gas system instead
not be practical in the light of their experience. of, say 192 kV rated external arrester due to contamination, then the
The rate of rise of voltage 800kV/,sec, the authors used for the authors disagree. In fact, Messrs. Beehler, Phelps, McElroy and Garrity
incoming surge in the analysis may not be adequate. According to the commented on this point by stating that all lightning arresters must be
authors' reference (3), the value corresponds to the case the lightning designed to operate under contaminated conditions.
If it is meant that gas insulated arresters are better from a possible
surge is originated about 4000 feet away from the substation. In usual contamination
Japanese practice, the protection against the direct lightning at the etc.) then the authors standpoint (like not having to periodically wash them,
closer location is taken into account. The lightning surge will have agree.
greater rate of rise of voltage in this situation not only due to the short maximum The final point raised concerns the opinion that the 200 foot
distance but due to the reflection at the transition point. What is the conceivablebus length may be too short at the higher voltages. It is
suggestion of the authors on the problem? that where the substation is fed from overhead lines, the
Secondly, the discussers would like to comment about the authors large phase spacings of the 500 and 765 kV lines may cause longer bus
quotation that BIL and BSIL are the same in case of SF6 gas insulation. runs. However, it is probable that "Getaway Bus Links" will be used to
In their experience, it is true when the electrode area is small like a gap connect the substation terminals to the overhead line terminals. As
commonly used in laboratory experiment. The value of BSIL is some- shown on Figure 7 of the paper, by installing lightning arresters at the
times considerably lower than BIL in practical gas insulated substation. junction of the getaway and the substation, the surge voltages can still
This is typically shown in Fig. 2 of T-73-033-8 which is presented by be limited to-the recommended values.
one of the discussers (S. Morioka) at this meeting. From the figure, it It should also be remembered that the calculations assumed a
can be said that the BIL/BSIL ratio possibly reaches 1.4. In this case, straight clean bus run from the lightning arrester to the transformer. In
BSIL as well as BIL will be a very important factor to be examined in actual stations there will be a number of stubs and additional line take
the insulation coordination of gas insulated substations. offs in this path which will reduce the magnitude of the surges. More
Thirdly, the authors seem to put limited importance on the type detailed studies on actual bus layouts are needed to evaluate this factor.
of arrester in selecting arrester rating. Most of the failures are attributed Turning now to the other side of the question, Messrs. Beehler,
to the contamination of the porcelain housing in case of the conven- Phelps, McElroy and Garrity raise several excellent points on factors
tional arrester. From this point, the reduction of the rating should be which might indicate that the proposed values are too high. In fact, they
limited as far as this type of arresters are used. On the other hand, the expressed "surprise" that the proposed 2050 kV minimum BIL for 765
gas insulated arrester is free from contamination and seems to be more kV systems given in Figure 5 was the same level of present outdoor
promissing in this application. What is the authors' opinion on this switchgear equipment. This is not quite correct. While it is true that
point? the BIL's of the two are the same, the key to the reduced insulation is
Manuscript received February 21, 1973. Manuscript received April 18, 1973.
1629
that the proposed chopped wave level of the gas insulated equipment is
also 2050 kV. This is opposed to the 2 gsec chopped wave level of
existing 765 kV breakers being 1.29 times 2050 or 2645 kV. In reality,
therefore, there is a reduction of insulation proposed of almost 30
percent.
In spite of this reduction, the discussors bring up two points
which might indicate an even further reduction down to say a 1675 kV
BIL and chopped wave level. First they state that the 20 percent margin
between the maximum surge voltage and the BIL (or chopped wave
level) is not "common practice". The authors admit to this error.
Common practice is to provide a 20 percent margin between the voltage
at the arrester and the BIL of the equipment in applications where the
arrester is relatively close to the equipment. The 20 percent margin is
used to partially compensate for the voltage rise due to the actual separ-
ation distance between the arrester and the equipment taking into
account also the increased chopped wave level of conventional equip-
ment above its BIL. They are therefore correct that if the actual surge
voltage and the chopped wave level of the equipment are known the full
20 percent margin is not required.
Note that if the full 20 percent margin were eliminated, the proposed
level of 2175 kV from Table III would be reduced to 1812 kV and the
2050 kV level from Fig. 5 would be reduced to 1708 kV. This latter
value is almost down to the discussors 1675 kV level. The authors do
not feel that this much reduction is warranted. Perhaps a compromise
of a 5 to 10% margin would be more appropriate.
The discussors also bring up the point that perhaps a more refined
method of insulation coordination using probability techniques should
be used and in this the authors heartily agree, especially after observing
the curves in Mr. Morioka's reference paper on the effect of contact
area on the bus insulation levels. This will require further test data by
the bus designers to supply the critical flashover (CFO) and standard
deviations (a) for various bus lengths so that the methods of the dis-
cussors can be used intelligently.
Messrs. Beehler, Phelps, McElroy and Garrity also question whether
BIL's of 2050 or 2175 kV are also being proposed for transformers.
This question brings up an important ommission from the paper.
Throughout the paper, the chopped wave insulation was the level of
concern and as explained above all surges were compared to this level.
When the authors discussed transformers, we neglected to mention that
there is a turn-up in the volt-time characteristics of transformers so that
the 2050 or 2175 kV values are really the chopped wave transformer
insulation levels. Assuming a 1.15 chopped wave factor this would mean
the BIL's proposed would be 1780 or 1890 kV or the closest standard
BIL to these values. These values also could be reduced if the 20 percent
margin were reduced as discussed above. Also as discussed in the paper,
additional arresters could be applied at the transformer terminals if
further reductions were desired. We thank the discussors for bringing up
this question to allow clarification on this point.
The arrester contamination point has been discussed previously.
1630
The authors also thank Mr. Graybill for his comments, especially
his reference to the paper being useful to Working Group 70.1 of the
IEEE Substations Committee. His comments on the effect of conduct-
ing particles on the switching surge insulation level are interesting and
have been discussed above.
We also agree with his comments on the protection of cables
feeding the gas insulated station. Since our paper was concerned only
with the insulation of the station itself, very little attention was devoted
to the protection of the cable itself. This requires a separate study when
the application arises.
Mr. Graybill mentions that the ratio of the outer sheath radius to
the inner conductor ratio varies between 2.1 and 3.5 in actual bus
designs. This results in a range of bus surge impedances of from 45 to
75 ohms. The 242 kV design value used in the paper of 73.8 ohms is
therefore on the higher end of the range. As Mr. Graybill states this
makes our results conservative since the lower surge impedance values
will result in lower surge voltages.
Mr. Melvold questioned whether the characteristics of the "de-
porcelained" arresters would change to the flat characteristic of Fig. 2
rather than have the different impulse and switching surge sparkover
characteristics as shown in Table I. If such were the case, he questions
whether the internal and external arrester applications would be the
same. Actually, the gas insulated arresters are not "de-porcelainized".
Rather, the conventional weather shed porcelain on the conventional
arrester is simply replaced by a smooth porcelain but is still hermetically
sealed to prevent gas leakage into the arrester. The characteristics of the
arrester assembly are unaffected so the application results are the same.
His comments on the disruptive effects of the chopped wave type
surges is certainly true and this effect is the same as was discussed
previously in the comments on Messrs. Beehler, Phelps, McElroy and
Garrity's question. The 20 percent margin should probably be reduced
as previously discussed.
Mr. Lester commented that a more realistic and severe assumption
could be made that the reflection point in the substation should be an
open breaker rather than a transformer termination since the apparent
capacitance of the transformer tends to slope off the wave and reduce
the resulting surge magnitude. In one respect we agree and for the case
of Fig. 3b, if the transformer were replaced by an open breaker the
maximum voltage would be 670 kV, an increase of 6.5 percent. How-
ever, from Fig. 1, it would appear that an open breaker would never be
200 feet away from a line terminal as might a transformer. This condi-
tion was therefore not considered in our conclusions. As discussed
previously, however, when further studies on actual substations are
,made, this factor should be considered.
The authors would again like to thank the discussors for their
excellent comments. They form an invaluable addition to the paper in
its role as a starting point for industry consideration of standard in-
dustry consideration of standard insulation levels for gas insulated
substations.