Electrical Specifications

Transient Recovery Voltage

Prof. Alaa Abdel Razek

Prof. Alaa Abdel Razek Transient Recovery Votage 1

 Introduction:
The voltage across the contacts of the circuit breaker is arc voltage when the arc persists.
This voltage becomes the system voltage when the arc is extinguished. The arc is extinguished at
the instant of current zero.

After the arc has been extinguished, the voltage across the breaker terminals does not normalize
instantaneously but it oscillates and there is a transient condition.

The transient voltage which appears across the breaker contacts at the instant of arc being
extinguished is known as restriking voltage.

The power frequency rms voltage, which appears across the breaker contacts after the arc is
finally extinguished and transient oscillations die out is called recovery voltage.

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What is Transient Recovery Voltage (TRV)?
It is resultant of the change in state of circuit. Thus TRV can be defined as voltage
appearing across a circuit breaker after a switching action.

Circuit Breaker Contact

isc L
o
a
Fault d

Fig. 1

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Fig. 2 Restriking Voltage
Transient Voltage of higher natural frequency

Recovery Voltage
Power Frequency System Voltage

= Restriking Voltage
and Recovery Voltage

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Transient recovery voltage is affected by various parameters of the system. Prominent among
them are listed below:-
1. Inductance and capacitance in the system
2. Fault current level of the system at point of study of TRV.
3. Bushing capacitance of circuit breakers, voltage transformers etc
4. Number of transmission lines terminating at a bus and their characteristics impedance.
5. Internal factors of the circuit breaker like the first pole to clear a fault etc.
6. System grounding.

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 Classification of restriking transients and their circuits

Restriking voltage transients, and consequently their respective circuits can be classified as follows:

(1) Single frequency oscillatory transients

(2) Double frequency oscillatory transients

(1) Single frequency oscillatory transients

Is calculated , when a short circuit on a feeder beyond the location of the circuit breaker, Figure (3).

(2) Double frequency oscillatory transients

Is calculated , when a short circuit on a feeder far from the location of the circuit breaker and the circuit-
breaker S may have L and c parameters on its two sides, Figure (5).

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Single frequency oscillatory transients

Fig. 3
Fault on a feeder near circuit- breaker

Fig. 4
Electrical equivalent circuit for the analysis
of restriking voltage

Figure 3 shows a short circuit on a feeder beyond the location of the circuit breaker.
Figure 4 shows an electrical equivalent circuit where L and C are the inductance and capacitance per phase of
the system up to the point of circuit-breaker location respectively.

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When the fault occurs (the circuit-breaker is closed), the short-circuit current flows thorough R, L and
the contacts of the circuit-breaker, the capacitance C being short-circuited by the fault.
When the circuit-breaker contacts are opened and the arc is extinguished, the current (i) is diverted through
the capacitance C, resulting in a transient condition. The inductance and the capacitance form a series
oscillatory circuit. The voltage across the capacitance which is restriking voltage, rises and oscillates, as shown
in figure 3. The natural frequency of oscillation is given by
1
fn 
2 LC
The voltage across the capacitance which is voltage across the contacts of the circuit-breaker can be calculated in
terms of L, C, f„ and system voltage. The mathematical expression for transient condition is as follows:

di 1
L   idt  E Eq.(1)
dt C
Where E is the system voltage at the instant of arc interruption.

because E  Vm sin(t   ) and   n

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 dq d
As i  (CVC ) Where VC = voltage across the capacitor
dt dt

di d 2 (CVC ) d 2VC i q
  C  dt   VC
dt dt dt 2 C C
Substituting these values in the equation (1), we get

d 2VC
LC 2  VC  E Eq.(2)
dt
Taking Laplace transform of both sides of the equation (2), we get

E E
LCs VC ( s)  VC ( s) 
2 VC ( s)[ LCs  1] 
2

s s

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 E E 1
VC ( s)   Let n 
s[ LCs 2  1] LCs[ s 2  1 ] LC
LC
n 2 E n  E n
VC ( s)   [ 2 ] Eq.(3)
s[ s  n ] s  n
2 2 2
s
Taking the inverse Laplace of equation (3), we get

 cos(nt )
VC (t )  n E  sin(nt )  n  E[
t
]t0
n
0

As VC (0)=0, then constant =0

VC (t )  E[1  cos(nt )] Eq.(4)

This is Restriking Voltage

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The maximum value of restriking voltage occurs when ntmRV    tmRV      1
n 2f n 2 f n
t mRV is the time, when maximum value of RRRV had occurred

Hence maximum value of restriking voltage = 2E = 2 x peak value of the system voltage

Expression for RRRV (Rate of Rise of Restriking Voltage):

dVC
RRRV   E  n sin(nt )
dt
   1
Maximum value of RRRV occurs, when ntmRR   tmRR   
2 2n 2  2f n 4 f n
t mRR is the time, when maximum value of RRRV had occurred

Hence the maximum value of RRRV  E  n

For single frequency oscillatory, the natural frequencies are of the order 1kHz to 10kHz

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Double frequency oscillatory transients

The circuit-breaker S may have L and c parameters on its two sides, as shown in Figure (5). Before clearance the
points (a) and (b) are at the same potential. After the fault is cleared, i.e. the arc has been extinguished, both the
circuits oscillate at their own natural frequencies, a composite double frequency transient appears across the
circuit breaker terminals.

Fig. 5

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 The frequencies are given by:
1 1
f n1  and fn2 
2 L1C1 2 L2C2
The magnitude and the waveform for the total voltage is proportional to the inductances and is given by:

ETRV (t )  E[a1 (1  cos(n1t )  a2 (1  cos(n 2t )]

L1 L2 1 1
where a1  , a2  , 1  and 2 
L1  L2 L1  L2 L1C 1 L2C 2

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