hinow@highvolt.

de

Investigations on lightning impulses with well-defined overshoots


MARTIN HINOW, RALF PIETSCH, THOMAS STEINER
HIGHVOLT Prftechnik, Germany

HARALD SCHWARZ
Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus, Germany
SUMMARY

High voltage tests with lightning impulses are a fix part of type or routine test of high voltage
equipment, operated in distribution and transmission networks. Especially the routine test of
power transformers requires a detailed test procedure with lightning impulses. The
phenomenon of superimposed oscillation at the peak of the impulse provoked by parasite
inductance of the test circuit (known as overshoot) is a broadly discussed problem and was
investigated in detail mainly only on small scale test objects with low lightning impulse
amplitudes. In order to realize realistic boundary conditions (as they appear in practical test
field) a test set up with only one generator has been chosen. Well-defined inductivities have
been inserted into the generator in order to provide lightning impulses with overshoots with a
maximum amplitude between =5 % and =20 % and an overshoot frequency between f =
230 kHz and f =800 kHz. The tests were performed first on air with a rood-to-plate and a
sphere-to-plate test set up. Positive and negative polarities have been considered as well. As
the extensive tests have been performed on different days, a climatic correction has been
applied as well. For negative polarity the breakdown was triggered at the peak of the impulse.
The effect of overshoot can be observed at 0.5 us after the peak. Breakdowns at this condition
are not influenced by an overshoot but only by the peak voltage of the lightning impulse.
A different situation can be observed for impulses with positive polarity. The breakdown is
triggered in the tail of the impulse, up to 2 us after the peak. In that case overshoot frequency
and, with a bigger impact, higher overshoot amplitudes are influencing the breakdown
behavior of the insulating material. The consequence of that outcome is that each insulation
material requires for positive and negative polarity an individual k factor curve.

KEYWORDS

Lightning impulse testing, permitted parameters, overshoot, and front time, overshoot frequency
breakdown tests


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1. INTRODUCTION

Impulse testing is a major part of high voltage testing of various power apparatuses. Tests
with high-test voltages (U
LI
>2000 kV) require an extended test circuit in order to achieve the
dielectric distances and to generate the test voltage. Those test circuits have by physical
reasons a parasite inductivity, which causes an oscillation at the impulse peak, called
overshoot.
The IEC Standard 60060-1 [1] provides a method to evaluate the overshoot and gives
permitted parameter for the test.
In consequence of a long research work the old rule that has distinguished at an overshoot
frequency of f =500 kHz if the oscillation is considered as an overshoot or not has been
replaced by a smother curve called k-factor curve.
However depending on the kind of power apparatus (that means kind of high voltage
insulation) there are different opinions concerning the maximum permitted amplitude of
overshoot and maximum permitted front time of the test impulse.
The k-factor function bases on a European research project that has investigated the break
down behavior of different insulation materials stressed with impulses. Those impulses where
superimposed by an oscillation. The oscillations frequencies have been varied between f =
200 kHz and f =5 MHz.
The European project carried out all test results up to 200 kV (some test results were in a
range of 70 kV) and with two voltage sources. The first voltage source generated the impulse
the second one generated the oscillation.
In order to improve the understanding of the breakdown behavior the investigations have been
continued by other test laboratories. The goal of the present paper is to investigate the
breakdown behavior of different insulation materials up to 600 kV with one impulse
generator.
2. STATE OF THE ART

2.1 K-Factor method

The definition and possibilities for evaluation procedures of the overshoot have been
investigated in [2, 3]. In order to take oscillation magnitude and duration in account as
frequency weighted overshoot evaluation has been developed. The relative frequency
weighted overshoot |' is given by:

(1)
e
b e
U
U U
= ' |
Where U
b
is the maximum of an ideal impulse which is used as a reference curve and U
t
is the
maximum of the test voltage curve which presents at its peak the equivalent dielectric stress
on the insulation as the recorded curve U
e
. The equivalent dielectric stress on the isolation for
U
t
can be evaluated by using the k-factor method. Therefore the following equation is used:

( ) ( ) (2)
b e b t
U U f k U U + =

The k-factor function has been evaluated experimentally with break down tests by [2, 3] and
can be expressed with:
2

(3)
2 . 2 1
1
) (
2
f
f k
+
=
The corresponding function is shown in figure 1. This means in practice that the k-factor
method reduces the values of overshoots with high frequencies. Overshoots with low
frequencies will be assessed with nearly the same value.

Figure 1: k factor function [1]

2.2 DE Method

The idea of the k factor bases on the disruptive effect (DE) method. That means that a certain
area under the voltage curve, also called disruptive area, causes the breakdown of the
insulation as is it shown in figure 2. According to the figure T
1
is the front time, t
d
is the time
of disruption, T
2
is the time to halve value, U
0
the onset ionization voltage and U
P
is the peak
voltage. This approach is applicable to all impulse waves having the position of T
1
and break
down t
d
not close to each other. The area of disruptive effect is given by:

(4)


Figure 2: lightning impulse with break down, principle of DE method

According to the mentioned method an overshoot with a short duration and a high magnitude
causes the same break down as a smooth impulse with a lower peak
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3. TEST SET UP
A test set up with one generator has been chosen in order to apply typical conditions as in the
practical work of a test laboratory. Therefore defined inductivities have been designed in
inserted into the impulse generator of the test set up. The following types of inductivities
were applied:
- 13 H
- 32 H
- 44 H
- 57 H

Figure 3 shows how the inductivities were inserted.
Figure 3: impulse generator with inserted inductivities

In combination of the damping resistors lightning impulses with oscillations of different
amplitudes and frequencies have been applied. An additional load capacitor (variable in
discrete steps) was inserted in order to generate impulses with comparable front times. The
entire test set up is shown in figure 4.

Figure 4: test set up

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The following test configurations have been tested:
- Homogeneous field Positive polarity 600 kV
- Homogeneous Negative polarity 600 kV
- Inhomogeneous Positive polarity 600 kV
- Inhomogeneous Negative polarity 600 kV

In order to have a statistic guaranty the multi level test has been applied. In a first period tests
on air insulation have been performed. In a second status of the project oil insulation will be
tested. An atmospheric correction has been applied to the test results. Every test day started
with a smooth curve (without oscillation), at the end of the test day the smooth curve was
again applied in order to prove that the condition were constant during the tests.
4. TEST RESULTS
4.1 Insulation breakdown at the peak of the impulse
All test with negative polarity ware characterized by an insulation break down at the peak of
the impulse U
e
. Those break downs require a higher electric field. The breakdown appears
about 2 s after the peak. Figure 5a shows that behavior at two lightning impulse without
oscillation. The blue line (channel 1) shows the break down, the black line (channel 2) is
without break down. The figure 5b shows the same comparison at two lightning impulses
with overshoot. The lightning impulses of both figures have the same breakdown voltage.
Because of the short time between voltage peak and the break down the DE method is well
applicable. In those cases the k factor method is not recommended.

A) Lightning impulses with and without break
down U
e
=470 kV smooth curves of the test
day
B) Lightning impulses with and without break
down U
e
=470 kV impulses with overshoot
Figure 5 lightning impulses with and without break down


4.2 Insulation breakdown at the tail of the impulse

In contradiction to the previous tests all tests with positive polarity showed a breakdown at
the tail of the impulse. Figure 6 a shows two smooth impulses. The blue line (channel 1)
shows a break down about 10 s after the peak. The black line (channel 2) has no break down.
Figure 6 b shows the same comparison with oscillation. The break down voltage (same
insulation) is with oscillation higher. These results fit to the k factor function very well.
5

A) Lightning impulses with and without break
down U
e
=480 kV smooth curves of the test
day
B) Lightning impulses with and without break
down U
e
=565 kV impulses with overshoot
Figure 6 lightning impulses with and without break down

Those tests were repeated at different insulation distances, see figure 7. The ration between
the different break down voltages is constant. The influence of the overshoot frequency on the
breakdown voltage is also very well documented. In those cases the k-factor method is very
well applicable.

0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
0 0,2 0,4 0,6 0,8 1 1,2
U
e
5
0
/

k
V
l / m
0 kHz
275 kHz
480 kHz

Figure 7 break down voltages for different insulation distances


5. Summary

Impulse test with defined overshoots have been applied on air insulation with different
polarities and field characteristics. Basically it can be distinguished between break downs
which occur immediately after the peak of the impulse or at the tail of the impulse. For the
impulses of the first category a dependence of the overshoot frequency on the breakdown
voltage is difficult to determine. The latter category shows the influence of the overshoot
frequency on the breakdown voltage very well. The consequence of that outcome is that each
insulation material requires for positive and negative polarity an individual k factor curve.
6


BIBLIOGRAPHY

[1] IEC 60060-1 (1989-11) High-Voltage Test Techniques Part 1: General Definitions and Test
Requirements.
[2] Pascal Simon Comin: Research of the characteristic parameters of the behavior of
dielectric media under non standard lightning impulse in high voltage; PHD thesis
University of Zaragoza Spain 2004.
[3] Sonja Berlijn, "Influence of lightning impulses to insulating systems, PhD thesis TU
Graz Austria, 2000.