2020 7th International Forum on Electrical Engineering and Automation (IFEEA)
Analysis on Secondary arc Current of 500kV Power
Station Transmission Line
Ren Hongtao
HuaDong Engineering Corporation Limited
HangZhou China
2020 7th International Forum on Electrical Engineering and Automation (IFEEA) | 978-1-7281-9627-5/20/$31.00 ©2020 IEEE | DOI: 10.1109/IFEEA51475.2020.00096
rrhhtt@126.com
Abstract—This paper uses EMTP (Electro-Magnetic
Transient Program) software to establish the secondary arc
current calculation model of a 500kV Power Station’s
transmission line, and through theoretical derivation combined
with simulation calculation to study the influence of transmission
line’s length on the magnitude of secondary arc current, and
draw the following conclusions: The capacitance component
produced by the interphase capacitance mixing of the non-faulty
phase accounts for the main part, which is basically linear with
the line length. Line length has obviously effect on the secondary
arc current. As the line length increases, the peak value of the
secondary arc current also increasing and decays slower,
meanwhile, the stable secondary arc current is greater.
Keywords-secondary arc current; transmission line; EMTP
I. INTRODUCTION
China has a vast territory and extremely rich resources that
can be used, but the energy resource location are usually not
the same as power load center. For the purpose of meeting the
optimal allocation of energy resources across the country, the
western energy resources are transferred to the eastern where
the power load center is through high-voltage transmission,
such as the development strategy of large-scale west-to-east
power transmission, north-south mutual supply, national
interconnection, and construction of a strong national power
grid. The construction of large-capacity, cross-regional, long-
distance, and low-loss UHV (Ultra High Voltage) transmission
projects will definitely be the top priority in future grid
planning [1].
According to statistics, most of the faults in UHV lines are
single-phase ground faults, the probability of permanent faults
is very small [1]. In practical engineering applications, in order
to improve the reliability of power supply and the stability,
single-phase automatic reclosing is generally used to eliminate
transient faults in UHV. The secondary arc current is a transient
phenomenon that occurs after an arc is extinguished during the
single-phase reclosing process, and the size of the secondary
arc current is also largely limited. Reclosing time is an
important factor that affecting the single-phase reclosing
success. For systems with super-high voltage and above, the
high voltage level, large transmission capacity, and long line
length, these system factors will lead to large secondary arc
current. When the system is single-phase reclosing, once the
secondary arc power arc cannot self-extinguishing, it will cause
the arc to continue to burn, leading to reclosing failure [2,3].
978-1-7281-9627-5/20/$31.00 ©2020 IEEE
DOI 10.1109/IFEEA51475.2020.00096
Authorized licensed use limited to: Universiti Malaysia Pahang. Downloaded on January 07,2023 at 15:50:58 UTC from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.
Literature [4] shows that the calculation of secondary arc
parameters should include the operating mode and conditions
of the systems on both sides of the transmission line. Literature
[5] uses the second-order model method to compile a special
calculation program for the secondary arc current on the basis
of deriving the formula for the secondary arc current. The
number of equations is reduced and the calculation time is
greatly shortened. In literature [6], the author made a detailed
analysis of the secondary arc current and recovery voltage of
the UHV grid, but the analysis model is based on lumped
parameters, and the distributed resistance is not considered, so
the calculated secondary arc current will be too small.
Considering that the UHV long-distance transmission line is a
distributed parameter, compared with the results of the
distributed parameter model calculation, the error caused by the
lumped parameter model can be about 20% as the leakage
current distributed along the line is completely ignored. This
paper uses EMTP to establish a distributed parameter model of
a 500kV power station transmission line, focusing on the
analysis of the relationship between line length, secondary arc
arc recovery voltage and secondary arc current, which has
reference significance for similar projects.
II. THEORETICAL ANALYSIS OF SECOND ARC CURRENT
A. The generation mechanism of secondary arc current
Assuming that the transmission line occurs instantaneous
single-phase grounding fault in phase C somewhere, the circuit
breakers at both sides of phase C are tripped, as shown in
Figure 1. The short-circuit current provided by the power
supply and the system from both sides to the fault point is cut
off. The short-circuit current causes a grounding arc. Then as
the fault disappears, the system should return to normal [7].
BA UA IA B' A
A
BB UB IB C
B' B
B C
BC B' C
C
EM IXL C0
Figure.1 f secondary arc current generation
Due to the capacitance and inductance between the wires of
the three-phase line, the voltage sum of the two non-faulty
phases will pass through the interphase capacitor C to provide
capacitive currents to the fault point respectively, and then
there will continue to flow on the non-faulty phase and the
current will pass through the line the mutual inductance M
428
induces a mutual inductance potential on the fault phase. This
potential provides a mutual inductance current to the fault point
through the fault-to-ground capacitance, and their sum is the
secondary arc current. The arc current continues to flow along
the fault point after the fault short-circuit current is cut off. The
arc produced by this current is called the second arc. The
recovery voltage is the voltage that appears on the arc
the line resistance of the faulty phase; 3) Omit all the ground
active leakage.
Therefore, the following partial differential equations that
express the distribution of the fault phase voltage U and current
I can be written [11].
wU
immediately after the secondary arc is extinguished [8].  jZ LI  jZ M  I A  I B  (1)
wl
In summary, during the single-phase reclosing period of the wI ª 1 º
UHV transmission line, the secondary arc current and the  jZC0U  jZ 2C «U  U A  U B  » (2)
recovery voltage both contain two components. Since the non- wl ¬ 2 ¼
fault phase is still in working condition, its voltage is provided Among them, l is the line length (km); Z is angular
to the fault point through the interphase capacitor. The energy frequency; U and I are the voltage and current distributed along
produced by the coupling is called the capacitive component; the line in the fault phase, in order to facilitate the solution.
the non-fault phase current and the fault phase current have
mutual inductance coupling, so that there is an induced voltage When l = 0, that is, at the beginning of the line, set U=U1,
on the fault phase, which also provides energy to the fault point, I=I1, when l=L, that is, at the end of the line, set U=U2, I=I2,
called the mutual inductance component. we can obtain the relationship between the terminal voltage U2,
current I2, the line length l, the first section voltage , etc.
B. Theoretical calculation U2 U1chJ l  Z C I1 shJ l 
In the power system, the long-distance high-voltage power D M (3)
transmission line is a typical distributed parameter circuit. In U AB 1  chJ l   Z C I AB shJ l
the 50Hz power frequency system, the current and voltage have J2 L
a wavelength of 6000km, but the long-distance transmission U1
line is hundreds or even thousands of kilometers in length. I2  shJ l  I1chJ l 
ZC
Which is the same magnitude as wavelength. Therefore, the (4)
following uses the distributed parameter circuit model to derive D M
I AB 
U AB shJ l 
chJ l  1
the parameters of the second arc. Figure 2 shows an equivalent J 2 ZC L
circuit in the form of distributed parameters of a transmission Formula (3) and (4) are the basic equations of the fault
line. phase voltage and current distribution. The algorithm for the
fault phase secondary arc current is now derived. The line is
divided into two sections, 0 to x and x to l. At the beginning of
the line, U=U1, I=I1=0; at the end of the line, U=Ux=0, I=Ix1.
Bring the above conditions into equations (3) and (4), and
solve them in parallel to obtain:
D
Figure.2 Distributed parameter equivalent circuit I x1 U AB thJ x 
J 2 ZC
(5)
As shown in Figure 3, suppose that the fault occurs on M § 1 ·
phase C, the circuit breakers BC and B'C at both ends of phase I AB ¨  1¸
C have been disconnected, and the short-circuit current has
L © chJ l ¹
been removed; phases A and B are still running, and the The above equation only represents the secondary arc
voltages on them are respectively. Stipulate the voltage and current component flowing from the beginning of the line to
current in the fault phase are U and I respectively, the self- the fault point on the faulty phase. Next, continue to derive the
inductance along the line within the phase is L, the mutual amount of current Ix2 flowing from the end of the line to the
inductance between the lines is M, the relative ground fault point. From x to l, there is a relationship U=Ux=0, I=Ix2
capacitance C0, and the interphase capacitance C [9,10]. at the beginning; and a relationship U=U2, I=I2=0 at the end.
Similarly, bring the above conditions into equations (3) and (4),
and solve them in parallel to obtain:
D
I x2 U AB thJ  l  x  
J 2 ZC
(6)
M § 1 ·
I AB ¨ 1  ¸
L © chJ l ¹
Fig.3 Basic parameters of secondary arc current Therefore, the secondary arc current at the fault point x is:
In order to simplify the calculation, it could be assumed that:
1) Ignore the non-faulty phase-to-ground capacitance; 2) Ignore

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 I qx I x1  I x 2 model is established as follows. Single-phase grounding is
simulated by time-controlled switches and fixed-value resistors.
2C
U AB ª¬thJ x  thJ  l  x  º¼  (7) Fixed-value resistors are used to simulate arc grounding
L  C0  2C  resistance. Due to the large loop impedance during the transient
process, the grounding resistance can basically be ignored, so
M § 1 1 · the value is 2Ω.
I AB ¨¨  ¸¸
L © chJ x chJ  l  x  ¹
It can be seen from the above formula that the two
components of the secondary arc current are not only related to
the line parameters M, L, C0 and C, but also related to the
location of the fault point. The former component Ix1 is the
main part of the capacitance component produced by the
interphase capacitance mixing of the non-faulty phase, and is
basically linear with the line length. The latter component Ix2
is caused by the mutual inductance coupling between phases.
When x=l/2, its value is zero, so it can be seen that the current
component caused by mutual inductance is symmetrical with
the line midpoint as the origin, but the sign is opposite.
III. SIMULATION CALCULATION OF SECONDARY ARC CURRENT
C. Introduction to Simulation Results Analysis
The EMTP simulation model is established based on the
above conditions. In the model, a single-phase short-circuit
occurs in the system at 0.12s, and the circuit breakers on both
sides of the line trip at 0.17s. And disconnect the secondary arc
current loop at 0.4s to calculate the amplitude of the recovery
voltage. The fault point is 198km from the first section of the
outgoing line. The single-phase grounding fault point selects
the two ends of the line with the most serious secondary arc
current, that is, the outlet side of the power station and the inlet
side of the opposite converter station. Obtain the single loop
secondary arc current waveform as shown in Figure 5.

A. Overview of a 500kV system project

The Hydropower Station involved in this study is located in
Yunnan Province, China. The installed capacity of the power
station is 1,400MW. In the initial stage of production, it will be
connected to Substation via a single-circuit 500kV transmission
line. The transmission line is transposed many times to ensure
the symmetry of the distribution parameters between phases
and ground. The line model takes section A-B of the high-
voltage transmission line, 500kV line system, with a total
length of 198km, as shown in Figure 4. Figure.5 Secondary arc current waveform
EM EN
500kV 198km Figure 6 shows that the single-phase grounding fault is
N
removed in 0.17s, and then the secondary arc current flowing
M
arc through the fault point is the waveform of the oscillation
attenuation as a whole. Without the reactor, the maximum
secondary arc current can reach 1000A. But it decays faster,
Figure.4 500kV transmission line system diagram
decays to a stable peak value of 57.35A after 0.074s.

B. Simulation model introduction

The secondary arc current is caused by the mutual
inductance and capacitance relationship between the lines. The
basic parameters of the line must be involved in the simulation,
including the positive sequence impedance and zero sequence
impedance of the transmission line, the capacitance to ground
and the capacitance between phases of each phase wire. Enter
these parameters in the distributed Clarke model of ATP-
EMTP, the distributed parameter model of the line can be
obtained.
The 500kV transmission line single circuit line tower Figure.6 Fault phase voltage
adopts wine cup type tower, the conductors are arranged
horizontally, the spacing is 13m, and the average height of the Figure 6 shows that the single-phase grounding fault is
conductors is 28m; the double-circuit line on the same tower removed in 0.17s, and then the secondary arc current flowing
uses drum towers with ABC three-phase conductor spacing through the fault point is the waveform of oscillation
The neutral distances of the towers are 4.5m, 6m, and 5m attenuation as a whole. The maximum secondary arc current
respectively, and the average distance to the ground is 30m, can reach 1000A without installing a reactor. But it decays
24m, and 14m. According to the above data, the line faster, decays to a stable peak value of 57.35A after 0.074s.
distribution parameters can be obtained, and the simulation

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IV. ANALYSIS OF INFLUENCING FACTORS OF SECONDARY ARC
CURRENT
A. Location of single-phase ground fault
It can be seen from the previous theoretical derivation that
the location of the single-phase grounding fault affects the ratio
From Table 2 above, it can be seen that different line
lengths have obvious effects on the secondary arc current. As
the length of the line increases, the peak value of the secondary
arc current is increasing, and the attenuation becomes slower,
and the stable secondary arc current is greater.
1800 0.26

of x/L and the magnitude of the secondary arc current. The 1600 0.24
following simulation calculations are used to analyze the 嚀 1400
Maximum peak submersible
current 0.2
impact of different fault locations on the secondary arc current. 嚀

A
噿
1200 0.18
The total length of the line is 198km. The simulation is set to

s
噿

Potential supply current

Decay speed of

Attenuation time
three sections, and the distances to the head end of the different 1000 submersible current 0.16

fault points are 0, 76km, 152 km and 198 km respectively. The 800 0.14

statistical data is shown in Table 1 below. 600 0.12

Table.1 Statistics of the influence of different fault locations on the secondary
arc current
Fault location secondary arc Decay time Stable peak
˄km˅ current (S)
Peak (A)
0 1021 0.096
76 928.8 0.055
152 1005 0.053
198 1011 0.074
It can be seen that the secondary arc current at the end of
the line is greater than the midpoint, which is consistent with
the theoretical analysis. When the fault point occurs at the head
or end of the line, the direction of the secondary arc current
flows from the ground to the line, and the mutual inductance
component of the secondary arc current and the capacitive
component add up to the largest maximum; when the fault
point occurs at the end of the line, the direction flowing is from
the line to the ground, the mutual inductance component and
the capacitance component are subtracted, and the value is
slightly lower than the end. If the fault occurs in the middle of
the line, due to the symmetry relationship, the two parts before
and after the mutual inductance is component with the
secondary arc current cancel each other, and the current with
the smallest mutual inductance component is present.
B. Line length
It can be seen from the previous theoretical derivation that
the magnitude of the secondary arc current has a linear
relationship with the length of the line. Simulation calculations
can be used to verify its conclusions. The simulation sets the
distance between the fault point and the head of the line as:
98km, 198km, 498km and 1098km, the statistics are different
The maximum peak value of the secondary arc supply current
of the length line and the time to decay to a stable smaller peak
value, and the simulation data are recorded in Table 2 below.
Table.2 Influence of different lines on the secondary arc current
400 0.1
Stable peak value after
200
submersible current
0.08
attenuation
0
0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200
Line length ˄km˅
(A)
Figure.7 Secondary arc current supply for different line lengths
55.61
52.54 Figure 7 shows that the maximum peak value of the
51.63 secondary arc current and the stable peak value after
57.35 attenuation both increase with the increase of the line length,
and the former increases at first fast and then slow, and the
latter is first slow and then fast, also in line with the previous
theoretical analysis conclusions. At the same time, as the length
of the line increases, the attenuation speed of the secondary arc
current is also slower, and the required attenuation time
becomes longer. This is because the secondary arc current
becomes larger and the attenuation becomes more difficult.
V. CONCLUSION
This paper uses ATP-EMTP to establish the secondary arc
current calculation model of the 500kV transmission line of a
power station, and through theoretical derivation combined
with simulation calculation to study the influence of line length
on the magnitude of secondary arc current, and draw the
following conclusions:
(1) In the secondary arc current, the capacitance component
produced by the interphase capacitance mixing of the non-
faulty phase occupies the main part, which is basically linear
with the line length.
(2) The short-circuit secondary arc current at the end of the
line is greater than the short-circuit current at the midpoint.
(3) Different line lengths have obvious effects on the
secondary arc current. As the length of the line increases, the
peak value of the secondary arc current is also increasing, and
the attenuation becomes slower, and the stable secondary arc
current is greater.

Line length secondary arc Decay time Stable peak

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