Function of Surge Arrester

Surge Arrester is a protective device

for limiting surge voltages on
equipment by discharging or
bypassing surge current.
It prevents continuous flow of follow
current to ground and is capable of
repeating these functions.
Creepage distance 25 mm / kV.

Working principle of LA
Ref Figure
The LA conducts at Impulse Spark over
Voltage and surge is diverted to the Earth.
The voltage across the LA remains at
Residual Value B for a short time.

Power follow current (Follow current) :

The current which flows from connected
power source through lightning arrester
following the passage of discharge
current.
So the arrester has to act as a circuit
breaker to quench this current.
The time given for this function is half a
cycle.

Rating of LA
Arrestor ratings ( IS 3070/ 1974 Part1)
1) Voltage rating of LA
= Line to line voltage 1.1 coefficient of
earthing.
(Assuming coefficient of earthing equals 0.8
for effectively earthed system ie, ELG/ ELL)

Voltage rating of 110 KV, LA

= 1.1 1100.8 = 96.8KV

Rating of LA

2) Power frequency spark over voltage

= 1.5 Voltage rating of LA.
Power frequency spark over voltage
= 1.5 96.8 = 145.2KV
3) Normal Discharge current:
It is the surge current which flows through the
LA, it is expressed in crest value (peak value)
for a specified wave shape 8/20 Second.
Example 10, 5, 2.5, 1.5, 1kA rating.

General Classification of LAs

1) Distribution Class:
For lighter duty up to 34.5 kV.
2) Intermediate class:
For moderate duty up to 138 kV.
3) Station Class:
For heavy duty applications from 2.4 KV to
800 KV.

Classification based on working principle.

Gapless Arrester: Zinc Oxide Arrester.
It offers extremely high impedance at
normal voltage and very low impedance at
high voltages.
It will work like a Zener diode.
High purity ZnO is a semiconductor.
ZnO with additive materials such as Bi 2O3,
MnCO3, and Sb2O3 are added to obtain the
required characteristics.

Zinc Oxide Arrester

Each ZnO grain will be coated with Bi2O3 which is
insulating in nature.
This mix is compressed at high pressure and
temperature (1200 0 C) to form hollow cylindrical
discs.
Out side diameter of light duty LA element is
50mm to 70mm and that of heavy duty is 90 mm.
Each ZnO grain will be surrounded by thin barrier
of insulating material which will not conduct at
normal voltage.

Micro structure and equivalent circuit of Zn O Arrestor.

Characteristics of Zinc- oxide element.

The electrical
equivalent
circuit of Zn O
element.

r
R

Comparison of ZnO Arrestor and SiC Spark Gap Arrestor

SiC Arrester

Normal operating Characteristics of

duty
Impulse response

Zn O Arrester

Comparison of ZnO Arrestor and SiC Spark Gap Arrestor

Comparison of ZnO Arrestor and SiC Spark

Gap Arrestor

From the comparative study it may be

seen that ZnO has practically no follow
current.
The current at operating voltage of SiC
arrester is of the order of 10 -2 Amps but it
is only 10 4 in the case of ZnO.
So SiC need a gap to isolate the system.

Comparison of ZnO Arrestor and SiC Spark

Gap Arrestor
SiC arrester respond only to surges of large
magnitude.
But ZnO arrester will respond for all type of
surges.
Quick response during steep front surges.
Discharge energy level = 5KJoules/KV.
Better contamination and pollution performance.
In order to reduce follow current in SiC arrester,
its protective level is increased which will reduce
the protective margin.
So ZnO offers better protective margin

Volt- ampere characteristics of Zn O element.

VOLTAGE

Region 1
Leakage
region

Non linear conduction

Region

Region 3

Region 2
High Current
Region

Volt- ampere characteristics of

Zn O element.
In region 1 the metal oxide composition
will appear to be a ceramic capacitor, with
capacitive and resistive currents having a
dissipation factor in the range 5 % to 20 %.
Region -2 : is the nonlinear region.
Variation of current with voltage is
nonlinear.
Region 3 : High current density region.
Losses the nonlinearity due to the linear
resistance of ZnO grains.

VOLTAGE

Volt- ampere characteristics of Zn O element.

Leakage
Region

Non linear
conduction Region

High Current
Region

Discharge current

COV

MCOV
Normal operating voltage

Surge
current
10 KA

Special characteristics of ZnO

1) MCOV :
Maximum continuous Operating voltage
(MCOV) is the maximum rms value of
power frequency voltage which can be
applied continuously between the arrester
terminals.

Special characteristics of ZnO

2) COV :
Cross over voltage or threshold voltage or
critical voltage.
It is the voltage at which the ZnO element
go into conduction and ceases to
conduction when voltage drops below this
level.

VOLTAGE

Volt- ampere characteristics of Zn O element.

Leakage
Region

Non linear
conduction
Region
Discharge current

COV

MCOV
Normal operating voltage

High Current
Region

Specification of Gapless arrester.

System
voltage
kV rms

Arrester
rating
kV rms

MCOV
kVrms

COV
kV crest

11

33

30

26

38

66

60

51

83

132

120

102

184

220

198

168

290

400

360

306

490

Technical Specification as per IEC 99-4 for ZnO Arrestor

Max. System Voltage kV

420

245

145

1425

1050

650

Arrester Rated Voltage kV

390

198

120

MCOV

306

168

102

10

10

10

3 or 2

100

100

100

System BIL

kVp

kV

Normal Discharge Current kA

Line Discharge Class

High Current withstand

kA

Technical Specification as per IEC 99-4 for ZnO Arrestor

Max. System Voltage kV

Creepage Distance

mm

Weight

kg

Height

mm

420

245

145

10500

6125

3625

570

230

135

4265

2755

1560