Generation of High Voltage

Dr. Susmita Kar

Department of Electrical
Engineering
National Institute of
Technology
Rourkela-769008
 Contents Lines

• Introduction
• Why Do We Need High Voltage Engineering ?
• Selection of facilities in High Voltage laboratory
• Voltage Classifications
• Generation of High Voltage

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 Global trend in high voltage power system

1882 – Munich – Miesbach 2 kV DC

1891 Frankfurt – Lauffen, 3 phase line
15 kV

• A joint initiative is taken by POWERGRID, CPRI and Equipment

Manufacturers to set up a 1200 kV Testing Station and an
experimental line at BINA in Madhya Pradesh
• Peak demand is expected to increase more than 500GW by 2026

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 Need of High Voltage Engineering
• Development of country rests largely on power
sector progress

• Increasing Global demand of Electricity

• Doubling the installed capacity from 1 to 2

lakhs MW in next 10 years

• Implementation of Grid Concepts

• Testing for the equipment

• Development work on equipments for

conducting research work

• Economical and reliable operation of high

voltage transmission system
Further, high voltage minimize costs in
conductors, towers and equipment. Minimize
power loss to increase efficiency. The higher the
voltage the smaller the current and therefore
the smaller the losses

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Sl. No. Year of AC Voltage Place of Installation
Installation (kV)
1 1890 10 Deptford, London

2 1907 50 Stadtwerke Munchen,

Germany
3 1912 110 Lauchhammer-Riesa

4 1926 220 N. Pennsylvania, NY

5 1936 287 Boulder Dam, US

6 1952 380 Harspranget–Hallsberg,

Sweden
7 1959 525 USSR

8 1965 735 Manicouagan-Montreal

9 2003 500 Three Gorges-China 7

 Selection of facilities in High Voltage
laboratory
• Impulse voltage test system
• AC voltage test system
• DC voltage test system
• Partial discharge test system
• Schering Bridge for capacitance and tan δ
measurement system

SMALL LAB

• Current Generator
• Current Transformer (CT) and Potential Transformer
(PT) test system
• RIV Test System
• Pollution and Fog Chamber

= MEDIUM LAB

• More than one Impulse Voltage test bay at different

voltage rating
• More than one AC Voltage test bay at different voltage
rating
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• = LARGE
Other facilities like Conference hall, Cafeteria, bigLAB
store
 Voltage Classifications

Voltage Class Voltage Range

Low Voltage (LV) V ≤ 1 kV
Medium High Voltage (MHV) 1 kV < V ≤ 70 kV

High Voltage (HV) 70 kV ≤ V ≤ 275 kV

Extra High Voltage (EHV) 275 kV ≤ V ≤ 1000 kV

Ultra High Voltage (UHV) 1000 kV ≤ V

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 Different forms of high voltages
Different form of high voltages
• high d.c. voltages,
• high a.c. voltages of power frequency,
• high a.c. voltages of high frequency,
• high transient or impulse voltages of very short duration such as
lightning overvoltages, and
• transient voltages of longer duration such as switching surges.
Generation of high dc voltage

• Half-wave rectifier.
• Full-wave rectifier.
• Voltage doubler circuit
• Voltage multiplier circuit
Half wave rectifier
Full wave rectifier
The ripple voltage δV
depends on :
• The supply voltage
frequency
• The time constant CRL
• The reactance of the
supply transformer XL

For half wave rectifier the

ripple frequency is equal to
the supply frequency
whereas in full-wave the
ripple frequency twice the
supply frequency
 Voltage doubler circuit
Simple voltage doubler
 Voltage doubler circuit

Cascaded voltage doubler

 Voltage multiplier circuit
Cascaded rectifier unit with pulse generator

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Cockcroft-Walton voltage
multiplier circuit

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• Multi-stage rectifier
In 1932, Cockroft and Walton suggested an improvement
over the circuit developed by Greinacher for producing
high D.C. voltages. Figure shows a multistage single
phase cascade circuit of the Cockroft-Walton type.
During the next half cycle when B becomes positive with
respect to A, potential of M falls and, therefore, potential
of N also falls becoming less than potential at M′ hence
C2 is charged through D2.
Next half cycle A becomes more positive and potential of
M and N rise thus charging C′2 through D′2. Finally all the
capacitors C′1, C′2, C′3, C1, C2, and C3 are charged.
The voltage across the column of capacitors consisting of
C1, C2, C3, keeps on oscillating as the supply voltage
alternates. This column, therefore, is known as oscillating
column.
However, the voltage across the capacitances C′1, C′2,
C′3, remains constant and is known as smoothening
column. The voltages at M′, N′, and O′ are 2 Vmax 4 Vmax
and 6 Vmax.
Therefore, voltage across all the capacitors is 2 Vmax
except for C1 where it is Vmax only. The total output 18
voltage is 2n Vmax where n is the number of stages.
During the transfer cycle
shown in Fig. 2.4 (b), the
diodes D1, D2, D3, conduct
when B is positive with
reference to A. Here C′2
transfers q charge to C3, C1
transfers charge 2q to C2 and
the transformer
provides change 3q.

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Cockroft–Walton d.c. generator for voltages up to 900 kV/10 mA with fast
polarity reversal at ETH Zurich (courtesy HIGH VOLT, Dresden, Germany)

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DC Voltage test set 2000kV, 10mA for testing power cables, including a HV
measuring resistor and automatic grounding system

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 • Van de Graaff machine
An insulated belt is moving with uniform
velosity in an electric field of strength E (x).
Suppose the width of the belt is ‘b’ and the
charge density σ consider a length dx of the
belt. The charge dq= σ bdx.

The force experienced by this charge (or the

force experienced by the belt).
dF = Edq = E σ bdx
Normally the electric field is uniform
∴ F = σbV
The power required to move the belt
= Force × Velocity
= F ν = σbVν
Now current I = (dq/dt)× σb ×(dx/dt) = σbV
∴ The power required to move the belt
P = Fν = σbVν = VI
Assuming no losses, the power output is also
equal to VI. 22
The advantages of the generator are:
a) Very high voltages can be easily generated
b) Ripple free output
c) Precision and flexibility of control

The disadvantages are:

a) Low current output
b) Limitations on belt velocity due to its tendency for vibration.
The vibrations may make it difficult to have an accurate
grading of electric fields

These generators are used in nuclear physics laboratories for

particle acceleration and other processes in research work.

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 DC AC converter stations

Inside a valve enclosure with HVDC Light

Inside the valve hall in a classical HVDC valves (IGBT valves)
converter station (thyristor valves) 24
Generation of High Voltage
Cascade Step-Up
Transformer

High Voltage AC
Generation Series Resonance Method

Simple Rectifier,
High Voltage Half-wave or Full-wave

Generation
Voltage Doubler

High Voltage DC
Multi-stage Rectifier
Generation
Van de Graaff Machine

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Generation of High AC Voltages:
(I) Cascaded Step-up Transformers (>300 kV)
• The first transformer has its
tank earth
• The second transformer has
its tank insulated from earth
as the tank is at a potential
of 200kV above earth
• Note: the lower ends of the
second transformer’s
primary winding (b2) and
secondary winding (d2) are
connected to the tank.
• The advantage of this
arrangement is that each
transformer only needs to
have an insulation level of 26
200kV
Basic 3- stage cascaded transformer 27
Cascaded Transformer 2 X 800 kV (Total Cascaded Transformer 4 X 375 kV (Total
rating is 1600 kV , 9600 KVA, 6A) rating is 1500 kV , 1800 KVA, 1.2 A) 28
Typical Cascaded Transformer 29
(II) Series Resonance Method

The reactor is tuned until the circuit is at resonance at the supply

frequency. The voltage across the test object is then the supply
voltage multiplied by the circuit Q-factor (typically 20 to 50).

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Cascade series resonant test system 3×350 kV , for the testing of
power cable with AC voltage divider

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Photograph of 2 .2 MV series resonant circuit (Hitachi Research
Laboratory, supplied by Hipotronix, Brewster, USA)

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 Impulse Voltage Generator

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 Max. Min. safe Height of Height of
charging clearance impulse divider
voltage to walls generator (H2)
of and roof (H1) (meter)
impulse (W) (meter)
generato (meter)
r

100 kV 0.2 0.9 1.5

200 kV 0.4 1.2 1.5

300 kV 0.6 1.6 1.5

400 kV 0.8 1.9 1.5

500 kV 1.0 2.3 2.3

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 Impulse Voltage Test System
❖ High Voltage Rectifier
❖ Impulse Generator
❖ Control Desk
❖ Impulse Oscilloscope with computer interface
❖ Computer with impulse wave analyzing software
❖ Digital Impulse Analyzing System (DIAS)

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Photograph of 2.4-MV impulse generator Photograph of 4800 kV impulse generator
UMIST at CESI, Milano

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6 MV, 450 kJ impulse test 4.8 MV 720kJ Impulse Voltage Test
system System

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Impulse test system with 4000 kV impulse generator & divider and 3600 kV
multiple chopping gap at Hyundai Heavy Industries, Ulsan, South Korea

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Basic circuit of a six-stage impulse generator (Marx generator)

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Thank You

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