EE8701 HIGH VOLTAGE ENGINEERING

UNIT-1: OVER VOLTAGES IN ELECTRICAL POWER

SYSTEMS

CLASS 2 TOPICS:
1. OVER VOLTAGES IN POWER SYSTEMS
2. CHARGE FORMATION IN CLOUDS
08.08.2023

Presented by
Dr.C.MAHALAKSHMI
Associate Professor
Dept of Electrical and Electronics Engineering
Sengipatti, Thanjavur.
Causes of over voltages

Artificial or
system
generated
Natural
• Switching
Lightning surges
• Power
frequency over
voltages
 Causes of over voltages
■ Caused by switching or fault clearing process
■ Highly damped short duration over voltages
■ Frequency – either power frequency or its harmonic frequency
■ Magnitude – proportional to operating voltage
■ 500 kV – From lightning to switching surges
■ 300 – 750 kV – Both lightning and Switching
■ Beyond 700 kV – Switching surges
 Internal over voltages
 Switching surge
 Arcing ground
 Insulation failure
 Resonance
 External over voltages
 Lightning
 Internal Causes of over voltages
 Caused by sudden changes in the circuit condition
 Abnormal switching operation such as opening of a circuit breaker
 Fault condition such as grounding of a line conductor
i. Switching surges
 Over voltages produced on the power system due to switching operations
 Case of open line
 Case of loaded line
 Current chopping
ii. Arcing ground
 Phenomenon of intermittent are taking place in line-to-ground fault of a three phase
system with consequent production of transient is known as arcing ground
iii. Insulation failure
 Grounding of conductors (insulation failure between line and earth)
iv. Resonance
 Occurs when inductive reactance of the circuit becomes equal to the capacitive
reactance
Over voltages in Electrical Power Systems
Different kinds of over voltages
External or Lightning over voltages
■ Generated internally by connecting or
disconnecting the system or due to the
systems fault initiation or extinction
Temporary over
voltages

Internal over voltages

Switching over
voltages
 Cloud Formation
■ Clouds form when moist, warm rising air cools and
expands in the atmosphere.
■ The water vapor in the air condenses to form tiny
water droplets which are the basis of clouds.
 Charge formation in the clouds
Lightning
■ Natural form of high voltages
■ Transfer positive charge upward to restore the system’s dynamic
balance
What is meant by Lightning phenomenon?
■ Lightning phenomenon is a peak discharge accumulated in the clouds
discharge into a neighbouring cloud or to the ground.
■ It is defined as the discharge between two clouds and between cloud
and earth through the air which acts as a dielectric medium
Charge formation in the clouds
Charge formation in the clouds
Charge formation in the clouds
Charge formation in the clouds
Charge formation in the clouds
Raindrops:

■ Raindrops elongate and become unstable under an electric field, the limiting
diameter being 0.3 cm in a field of 100 kV/cm.

■ A free falling raindrop attains a constant velocity with respect to the air depending
upon its size.

■ This velocity is 800 cm/sec for drops of the size 0.25 cm diameter and is zero for
spray. This means that in case the air currents are moving upwards with a velocity
greater than 800 cm/sec, no rain drop can fall.

■ Falling raindrops greater than 0.5 cm in diameter become unstable and break up
into smaller drops.
 Water drop vs. Ice crystal

- +
- +
- +
- +
- +
Air current

When a drop is broken up by air currents, the water particles

Air current become positively charged and the air negatively charged.
When an ice crystal strikes with air currents, the ice crystal is
negatively charged and the air positively charged.
Various Theories of Charge formation
■ Simpson’s Theory
■ Wilson’s Theory
■ Reynold and Mason Theory
Simpson’s Theory
Below Region A: Air currents above 800 cm/sec and
no rain drops fall through

Region A: Air velocity is high to break the falling

raindrops causing a positive charge sprays in the
cloud and negative charge in the air

Region B: It becomes negatively charged by air

currents

Region C: Temperature is low and only ice crystals

exist. The impact of air on these crystals makes
them negatively charged
Wilson’s Theory
Large number of ions present in
atmosphere

These ions are attached with dust

and water particles

So, electric field exists in the

earth’s atmosphere

Field is assumed to be directed

downwards towards the earth
surface

Intensity of field decreases with

the increase in height
 Wilson’s Theory
■ The intensity of the field is approximately 1 volt/cm at the surface of the earth and
decreases gradually with height so that at 9,500 m it is only about 0.02 V/cm.
■ A relatively large raindrop (0.1 cm radius) falling in this field becomes polarized, the
upper side acquires a negative charge and the lower side a positive charge.
■ Subsequently, the lower part of the drop attracts –ve charges from the atmosphere
which are available in abundance in the atmosphere leaving a preponderance of positive
charges in the air.
■ The upwards motion of air currents tends to carry up the top of the cloud, the ve air and
smaller drops that the wind can blow against gravity.
 Wilson’s Theory
■ Meanwhile the falling heavier raindrops which are negatively charged settle on the
base of the cloud.
■ It is to be noted that the selective action of capturing –ve charges from the
atmosphere by the lower surface of the drop is possible. No such selective action
occurs at the upper surface.
■ Thus in the original system, both the positive and negative charges which were
mixed up, producing essentially a neutral space charge, are now separated.
■ Thus according to Wilson’s theory since larger negatively charged drops settle on the
base of the cloud and smaller positively charged drops settle on the upper positions
of the cloud, the lower base of the cloud is negatively charged and the upper region
is positively charged.
Wilson’s Theory
 Reynold and Mason Theory
■ Thunder clouds are developed at heights 1 to 2 kms above
ground
■ May extend upto 12 to 14 km
■ Air currents controlled by the temperature gradient move
upwards carrying moisture and water droplets
■ Temperature is 00C at 4km and may reach -400C at about 12km
height
■ Water droplets freeze below -40C and solid particles on
the crystalline ice patterns develop and grow.
■ Water droplets are blown up by air currents and get super
cooled over a range of height and temperatures.
■ Crystals grown into large masses and due to weight and
gravitational force start moving downwards.
 Reynold and Mason Theory
■ Lower warmer portion will have a net negative charge density
and upper cooler portion will have a net positive charge
density.
■ Hail packets get negatively charged when impinged upon by
warmer ice crystals.
■ Hail stones travelling downwards carry an equivalent
negative charge to the lower regions of the cloud
■ Thus,
– Upper region – Positively charged
– Lower region – Negatively charged
 Hail is a form of solid precipitation, which is formed in thunderstorm clouds
What is meant by hail?
 Summary
■ Different kinds of over voltages
■ Formation of cloud
■ Various theories of charge formation in the cloud