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Ushering in a New Era in Power Transmission

1200kV UHVAC Technology
Worlds Highest Transmission Voltage
Introduction
Reliable supply of electrical energy is one of the backbones of modern economy. Economic growth crucially depends on its long-term availability with affordability. Indias installed capacity is expected to quadruple to become more than 437 GW in the next couple of years. Wheeling such an amount of power across the country will require strong and reliable power system network and infrastructure. Building of such huge power system network poses lots of complex challenges in planning, design, construction and O&M area besides constraints like Right of Way (ROW), Land availability etc. POWERGRID plays a significant role in socio-economic development of the country and in pursuing clear objective of transmitting power across the country. To keep pace with the rapid development and growing demand of power, POWERGRID has adopted 800kV UHVAC technology on a large scale. In a bid to further boost the transmission capacity of the country, India has moved towards Ultra High voltage (UHV) transmission level. Higher transmission voltage offer huge advantages in terms of huge power transfer capability, reduced transmission losses, conservation of eco-sensitive Right of Way (ROW) etc. Table I gives the comparison of Power transfer capability (MW/m) for transmission voltages in India.
Table I Description ROW (m) Capacity (MW) MW/m 400kV 46 600-700 15 800kV 64 2500-3000 45 1200 kV 92 6000-8000 87

Need for UHV voltage level to transmit power over large distances was always felt. However, development of UHV technology was always constrained due to non-availability of International Standards, design parameters etc. Thus to meet long term power transfer requirement and gain operational experience, POWERGRID established a 1200kV UHV test station in Bina (MP) under unique Public Private Partnership (PPP) model. The UHV equipment has been indigenously developed and supplied by thirty five (35) Indian manufacturers while POWERGRID has provided the field bed for testing of equipment. Establishment of UHV Test Station has given an

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1200kV National Test Station- Unique Features

1200kV

equipment has been developed ind igenously by Indian manufacturers whereas 400 and 800kV equipment were imported/developed in collaboration with foreign manufacturers system parameters obtained by carrying out various studies and not extrapolated from 4000/800kV system Surge Arrestor due to different system configuration, corona requirements etc. to optimize Insulation level (Ratio of Lightning and Switching Impulse voltage to Power freq. voltage)

1200 kV Single Ph. Transformer Charged on 27th Jan. 2012

1200kV

Development of Multi Column Surge Arresters

India has adopted 1150 kV as the operating voltage 1200 kV Switchyard (S/C Line) Charged on 29th Feb. 2012

opportunity to Indian manufacturers to indigenously develop substation equipment. Further, the equipment will be field tested so that the results and feedback can be used to develop field proven equipment. Field tests and measurements will also help in optimization of system design.

as compared to 1100kV adopted by China while using the same Insulation level without scarifying protection and safety. This has offered increased power transfer capability without any extra cost.

Comparison of Insulation level used by Various Countries

Parameters Highest Voltage Italy 1050 kV Russia Japan China 1100 kV India 1200 kV

1200 kV 1100 kV

Test Station Details

Two 1000 MVA 1200/400/33 kV Auto Transformers

(bank of Single Phase 333 MVA) Two 1200kV & 400kV Bays One 1200kV line Single Circuit (about 1.1 Km long) One 1200kV line Double Circuit Line (about 0.8 Km long) Power transfer through LILO (Line In Line Out) of 400kV Satna-Bina-III line (ref Fig)

Nominal 1000 kV Voltage SIWL (kV) LIWL (kV) 1675 (1.95 pu) 2250 (2.62 pu)

1150 kV 1050 kV 2100 (2.14 pu) 2900 (2.96 pu) 1550 (1.73 pu)

1000 kV 1800 (2 pu)

1150 kV 1800 (1.84 pu)

2250 2400 2400 (2.51pu) (2.67pu) (2.45 pu)

To realize the best design technically and economically throughout the transmission line and the substation, important technical solutions for network problems specifically suiting to the requirement of the UHV system have been introduced. It includes Insulation Coordination with optimized insulation level, Multi Column Surge Arresters and Dead Tank circuit breakers. These sophisticated technologies helped in realization of highly reliable and economical UHV Substations and Transmission Lines.

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What lies in future

1200kV S/C line has been successfully test charged. Construction of 1200kV D/C line is also complete which will be test charged in year 2012-13. It u n d o u b t edly represents t h e 1200 kV S/C Tower (A-Type) most significant International achievement in high voltage power transmission. The project is a key in the development of Indias electric power transmission backbone.

The Indian manufacturers will be ready to face

the Global competition

Benefits
POWERGRID has spent more than 22 million US Dollars for the development of the test station. This amount is in addition to the amount spent by various manufacturers for developing different equipment. The test shall provide the following benefits:
All the UHV equipment will be field tested under

full operating voltage for sufficient period

Field testing of indigenously developed 1200kV

class equipment will facilitate design review of technical parameters and thus development of field proven equipment.
The 1200kV transmission line (both S/C and D/C)

1200 kV CVT with BPI

has the provision for changes in bundling, phase-to-phase spacing and line insulation, if necessary, which thus gives greater flexibility for future development of 1200kV Technology in country.
To

Transformer Cooler Bank Assembly

master operating and servicing 1200 kV equipment and to train utility personnel on safely executing those duties. 1200 kV S/C Tower (D-Type)

PSC Team that contributed in the successful charging First 1200 kV Transformer at 1200 kV Test Station

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What Power System Experts have to say on Successful Charging of First Single Phase 1200kV Transformer...
Congratulations to you {Dr. Agrawal), your team and all the members of PSC. Please communicate to all the members. Sorry not to be present on this great day. All the best R N Nayak, CMD, POWERGRID Worlds Highest Voltage level 1200kV test charged at 12 PM today and with this our dream of being world leader in transmission technology is realized. Congratulations!!! I S Jha, Director (Projects), POWERGRID in development and accomplishment of such a herculean task. The dream of the visionary person, Sh. R N Nayak, CMD, POWERGRID has come true. The charging of first phase 1200kV National Test Station at Bina is a great achievement and matter of pride for all of us. It will be remembered as a landmark / milestone in the history of Indian Power sector as well as for the world energy sector. Similar effort should also be initiated for indigenous development of 800kV /1000kV HVDC test station and indigenous development of EHV/UHV (400kV, 800kV and 1200kV) GIS. S K Ray Mohapatra, NERPC, CEA, Shillong

Dear Dr. Agrawal, Congratulations to you, your

team, participating manufactures, and members of CPRI who were directly or indirectly involved

Mr I S Jha Director (Projects)

Dr S K Agrawal Executive Director (TD)

Mr B N De Bhowmick Addl. General Manager (TD) POWERGRID

Mr S B R Rao Chief Manager (TD)

Mr Avinash Choudhary Engineer (TD)

When this magnificient project of 1200 KV Test station was initiated and developed by PGCIL, it was very well supported by more than 30 Indian manufacturers. The project has been a great success due to tremendous technological capabilities demonstrated by all these manufacturers. IEEMA Journal would have been happy to capture this journey of all of them. However due to space constraints, presented here are some representative experiences of a few manufacturers. Needless to say here, all those involved in this project are equal partners in success and our kudos to their efforts for achieving this national pride.

Country flags 1200 KV transmission on the wheels of BHEL transformer A matter of great pride for the nation
A day after the Republic day this year, the Country created another history at Bina, MP when its , transmission line was charged from BHELs UHVAC transformer, at 1200 kV voltage level. 1200 KV is the pinnacle of the highest voltage levels of the world. This historic moment was achieved in presence of Mr IS Jha, Director (Projects) & EDs from POWERGRID and Shri R K Tiwari, General Manager (TCB), BHEL, Bhopal. This is one of the first and foremost leaps of the country towards excellence in the UHVAC system and establishment of commercial 1200 kV transmission system in India. India is now in the elite list of a very few countries in the world to achieve such a rare accomplishment. This is really a moment of pride for the country. Charging the line was a real challenge owing to extremely onerous dielectric stresses and due

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to worldwide paucity of its experience. However, whole project more creditable, as it has been made possible due to capability of Indian manufacturers and rigorous research of Indian engineers. The voltage level of 1200 KV was generated by UHVAC transformer of its Navratna BHEL. While designing this transformer, factors like the worst electrical surges viz 2.25 Million Volts (2250 KVp) of Lightning Impulse, 1.8 Million Volts (1800 KVp) Switching Impulse and 1.5 times of rated voltage 1200 kV with Partial Discharge Measurement, etc were taken into consideration. There were also some other challenges while designing the transformer. Generation of Lightning/ Switching surges and creation of Partial Discharge free connection at 1.5 X 1200 kV was another biggest challenge for the test engineers. 1200 KV Corona Shield, which is one of the most critical test equipment, was developed by BHEL engineers after rigorous analysis with the aid of sophisticated 2-D/ 3-D FEM technique. The entire test set up was created to cater to the stringent test requirements of 1200 kV level, specially the effect of stray capacitances, influence of proximity to earth electrodes due to higher height/ size of test object. The technical considerations of 1200 kV testing demanded critical modifications in the complete test arrangement/ Partial Discharge free connections followed by successful test trials.

The successful development and commissioning of 1200 kV system has paved way for Indias first giant leap towards excellence in the field of UHVAC system. The development of 1200 kV UHVAC system will go a long way in enhancing the transmission efficiency from power hubs to distant load centers, which is a need of the country from not only technical perspective and power demand-supply equation, but also, a lower environmental impact due to significantly lower Right of Way.

1200 kV Experience
Only those who were present on 27th Jan 2012 at Bina sub-station can explain, if at all they could, what a moment that was. History was made on that day at 12.05 PM and that feeling was incredible. A sense of pride and achievement was palpable in each ones face and everyone was speechless for some time, simply soaking in that accomplishment. When the first call was made by PowerGrid, about developing a transmission system at 1200 kV level with indigenously developed products, it was just unbelievable. While the challenge was very enticing on the surface, everybody knew too what it means to develop a 1200 kV product given the expertise that we have had at that time. The developments at Crompton Greaves (CG) had begun with deriving the product specifications itself through collaborative efforts of all experts in each product group. The result was that even on paper the requirements were highly overwhelming. One lesson what everyone knew was very handy: when in doubt, go to the fundamentals. Eventually the designs evolved gradually and the solutions emerged. Finer aspects were critically analyzed using sophisticated softwares and designs were fine tuned, optimized and validated. When the proto-types were assembled, the anticipation was conspicuous. The successful testing of first product, the 1200 kV CVT, brought smiles on the faces of the development team. The enthusiasm spread like wild fire and the next two products, namely the 1200 kV Power Transformer and the 1200 kV Surge arrester, were developed rapidly. Today CG is proud to be the only company which has successfully developed indigenously & delivered 3 UHV products for this research centre of National importance. The success of developing 3 new UHV products indigenously at CG is certainly due persistent

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encouragement of the CG Leadership and the enthusiasm & determination of our R&D teams. Just the sheer size of products designed had warranted new infrastructures to be developed just for these products. Manufacturing infrastructures were diverted for these developments despite business pressures. International High Voltage experts were consulted for design validation and analysis. Huge investments were allocated for the products development and reliability tests. All the way it has been our commitment to the promises made to our esteemed partners and making their dreams come true. Never measure the height of a mountain until you have reached the top. Then you will see how low it was. An old saying; but how true it is.

1200 kV National Test Station at Bina, Madhya Pradesh SUPREMEs contribution and experience
1200 kV Transmission System is an indigenous development in India under the aegis of PGCIL. Supremes hardware fittings and conductors, hardware accessories, clamps and connectors for substation equipment involving Octagonal conductor bundle called for special consideration w.r.t. design, manufacturing and testing. Supreme & Co, shares their experience in developing and exhibiting such products for 1200kV transmission Line. The transmission capacity of 1200kV is between 6000 MW to 8000 MW and hence a much needed solution for a myriad problems concerning the Indian Power Sector. Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd have set up Indias first 1200kV National Test Station at Bina, Madhya Pradesh. Supreme has developed a wide range of products along with few other companies. For implementing this project PGCIL formulated a PSC (Project Steering Committee) and a few WGs (Working Groups). Supreme signed a MOU with PGCIL on 12 November 2008 to work as an active technical member of the following groups. 1. WG for Transmission Line Insulator Hardware Fittings and Conductor Accessories. 2. WG for Sub-station Hardware Fittings, Clamps & Connectors. 3. WG for Pre-fabricated Jumpers. All the working groups were working collectively on this futuristic project and meeting time to time to discuss the development and progress of the project. System Design Several studies, experiments, tests and trials were conducted by Supreme along with PGCIL to determine the configuration and design particularly for meeting such a huge electrical, mechanical and dimensional requirements. Technically and from the manufacturing point of view it was great challenge to design and develop such items with huge dimensions and high electromechanical requirements.

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Studies including transmission line and switch yard including corona cage, air gap insulation studies, test for voltage distribution on insulator strings, RIV (Radio Interference Voltage) and Voltage gradient measurements. Based on the above studies the conductor configuration, air gap clearance and string configuration were finalized. Bundle Conductor Selection Corona Cage Studies PGCIL carried out these tests in a Corona cage at UHV test lab at CPRI, Hyderabad. Octagonal Bersimis ACSR (Dia 35.1mm) bundle conductor was chosen. Three types of bundle arrangements, with different sub conductor spacing of 350 mm. 450 mm and 550 mm were adopted. Eight bundle Bersimis with both 450mm and 550mm sub-conductor spacing considered for 1200 kV system. System Studies conducted with eight bundle Moose also gave good results and hence, in 1200kV National Test Station, both Bersimis (D/C line) and Moose (S/C line) conductors were adopted. Developing 1200 kV Line Hardware and SubStation Clamps & Connectors 2. Steel Forging Typically for 400kV system, 20mm B&S designation is adopted for 120kN and 160kN Insulators for 1200kV. PGCIL have introduced higher capacity insulators of 320kN and 420kN. These call for higher B&S designation which resulted in use of 24mm and 28mm Ball & Socket size with chrome molybdenum alloy high strength steel designated as EN19 grade to withstand the Electro-mechanical strength requirement. Obviously, same designation was adopted for Ball and Socket components for respective hardware fittings for 1200kV. Major dimensions were initially selected based on previous experience of design used for EHV segment and extrapolating the higher mechanical strength withstand ability as well as addressing certain aspects arising purely due to levels of mechanical stresses so significantly higher that mere extrapolation would not have sufficed. Stress concentration at roots and run outs of the thread are avoided by use of thread rolled bolts. Providing higher edge distance and generous radius at the edges and may mitigate other stress concentration related problem. 3. Fabricated Steel Plates Design of plates for 1200kV Hardware Fittings also called for innovation owing to number of subconductors which was decided as 8(eight) per phase based on system consideration. Design parameters viz. thickness, edge clearance etc. of Suspension Yoke Plate was selected based on previous experience of 400kV strings and subsequently validation was done through calculation of Tensile, Bearing, Shearing Strength of Plate and Bearing Strength of Bolt as per guidelines of IS 800.

I. LINE HARDWARE DESIGN

After obtaining such data from PGCIL and also compiling some more from a few other sources, the design parameters were selected and the aspect was categorized in three broad groups for: 1. Aluminum Tubes for CC/ Grading Ring 2. Steel Forging 3. Fabricated Steel Plates 1. Aluminum Tubes for CC/ Grading Ring Corona Control (CC) Rings are deployed in EHV/ UHV level for dual purpose of reducing electrical stresses to ensure extinction of corona below a certain voltage level thereby reducing losses due to corona as well as taking care of voltage gradient along insulator string. The design of CC ring also ensures Radio Influence Voltage (RIV) under the acceptable limit. Two numbers of Couplings having inner diameter near to tube outer diameter have been deployed at the two adjoining points of the two halves of CC ring. To facilitate smooth fitment, the couplings are tapered inside from centre to outermost point on either side. Opening up of CC ring has been arrested by two structural steel flats bolted with the bracket of CC ring and fastening both the halves of CC ring together.

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II. SUB-STATION CLAMPS & CONNECTORS

According to required design criteria, the corona performance of the connectors must be better than that of the conductors as the conductors are designed to control surface voltage gradients below the negative corona onset level. This is achieved by providing smooth contours on all surfaces and eliminating all projections. In compression elements, tapers are provided to keep the voltage gradient at a level lower than that of the cables. The major challenge was development of all casting dies which are of huge dimension and called for augmentation of handling facilities. This was done inhouse successfully to cope up with the requirement. All casting dies were indigenously manufactured and all components were produced by gravity die casting at Aluminum Casting Plant of Supreme. Current carrying capacity for all items were validated by calculation and found safe. Corona & RIV performance has been validated by testing at laboratory/ test station. Due care has been taken regarding smoothness of surface, providing generous radius at all edges, adopting low corona Dome nuts etc. Ensure that no sharp corners like bolt head or threads project out of the clamp body. Electro-Mechanical Performance : After installation of all the Transmission Line and Sub-Station Insulator Hardware Fittings, Clamps & Connectors, it was observed that the Physical and Mechanical properties of the fittings, clamps and connectors are very satisfactory . The performance of the products has been good and as per expectations. Observations after installation confirmed functional integrity of the project from the electromechanical point of view as well as installation compartibility with mating parts supplied by other partners. Again major concern in these kind of UHV lines is the Corona effect which leads to a huge loss of power on transmission, so utmost care was taken

while designing the Corona rings. So corona rings were the major concern and special attention was given to design and manufacture such big corona rings to cover a big dimension of hardware fittings. It may also be added that no visible Corona discharge or any audible noise was observed. Supremes experience working with PGCIL and other Working Group Delegates It was our privilege to work with a team of people with excellence in their respective fields and through professionals. The Project steering committee and the working groups were very cooperative and committed towards the project. The project has been a great success due to combined effort, co-operation and thorough professionalism of PGCIL, Working Committee members and Project Steering Committee Members. Supremes experience after charging of 1200 kV Line Supreme is proud and honored to be a part of the project and an active member in the work group which took the responsibility of designing and developing the transmission line, sub-station insulator hardware fittings and connectors. Supreme has put its years of experience in developing the above mentioned products which was a great challenge to manufacture due to the complexity of the design, huge physical dimensions of the products and parts, high electrical and mechanical requirements and above all the production constraints. At last the efforts and time put in to the project yielded result on 27.01.2012 , when the Test line for 1200 kV was charged in presence of all the company delegates and the PGCIL project steering committee, who took an active part in designing and developing the project. This project may be regarded as a game changing event in global transmission. What we see today is the triumph of the spirit of co-operation and synergy among the partners who formed a perfect team with professionals having excellence in cross functional disciplines working together for a common goal.

1200 kV 8 bundle string display, also seen are senior officials from POWERGRID

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