Questions:

School of Electrical & Electronic Engineering 1. Like HV 50Hz high voltage measurement, can we
use a voltage transformer to step down a high
EEE3206 High Voltage Technology impulse voltage and measure it?

2. What range of frequencies does a lightning

impulse voltage cover?

Measurement of High Voltages

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(1) Peak voltage measurements by spark gaps

Horizontal sphere gap:

Vertical sphere gap:
1. Insulating support.
1. Insulating support. 2. Sphere shank.
2. Sphere shank. 3. Operating gear, showing
3. Operating gear, showing maximum dimensions.
maximum dimensions. 4. High-voltage connection
4. High-voltage connection with series resistor.
with series resistor.
5. Stress distributor,
showing maximum
dimensions.

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EEE3206 – High Voltage Technology: 3. Measurement of high voltages 1

 Why measure HV using spark gaps Clearance around the spheres

• Simple sphere spark gaps insulated by atmospheric

air have fairly stable flashover voltage;
• Can be used to measure the amplitude of a voltage
above about 10 kV;
• The flashover voltage is affected by the geometry of
a spark gap, size of spheres and air density;
• Sphere gaps can be used in the protection of testing
samples during HV tests;
• The limitation in gap distance provides a fairly
homogeneous field distribution.

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Disruptive discharge
voltages Correction factor related to air density

- Relative air density

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EEE3206 – High Voltage Technology: 3. Measurement of high voltages 2

 Spheres are used in HV laboratories
Correction factor related to
the relative air density

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Rod gaps (2) Electrostatic voltmeter

Cheap device for some MV

applications.

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EEE3206 – High Voltage Technology: 3. Measurement of high voltages 3

 Principle of electrostatic voltmeters Characteristics of electrostatic meters

• Electrical field between parallel plates:

• The attracting force is always positive independent of voltage
polarity.
E = V/S, (S – distance between plates) and
• Has extremely high impedance which does not affect the
• Energy stored in a unit volume A·dx is testing circuit.

where A - area of the electrode, dx – the element distance • For a.c. voltage, the average force is proportional to the rms
ε - permittivity value.

• The force experienced by the plate F is

or

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(3) Resistor voltage dividers for a.c. voltage mesurements How to design a high voltage resistor?

Made by

• Temperature stable
• Low inductance requirement
• Sufficient length to withstand high voltages
(reduce voltage gradient)
• Problem of stray capacitance
• There is a limit in measurement frequency range

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EEE3206 – High Voltage Technology: 3. Measurement of high voltages 4

 A 100-MΩ, 100-kV standard resistor
Frequency-dependent
transfer characteristics

- the effect of stray

capacitances and inductances

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How to reduce the effect from stray capacitances?

300-kV divider for d.c.
height 210 cm
(PTB, Germany)
Shielding ring

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EEE3206 – High Voltage Technology: 3. Measurement of high voltages 5

 Generating voltmeters and field sensors
(4) The measurement of peak voltages
- or rotary voltmeter or field mill

Principle of generating
voltmeters and field sensors

1) V is a.c.
2) V is d.c. and M is moving

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Voltage dividers and passive rectifier circuits for a.c.

Error of capacitor voltage divider
voltage measurement

where

There is

Total error:

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EEE3206 – High Voltage Technology: 3. Measurement of high voltages 6

 Active peak-reading circuits
Peak voltmeter for impulse voltage measurements

Simplified circuit of a crest voltmeter for a.c. voltages with

discharge error compensation (Haefely & Co.)
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Question:
(5) Transfer function of measurement system
When using an oscilloscope, why we need to
carefully calibrate the X10 probes with a square wave?

Video

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EEE3206 – High Voltage Technology: 3. Measurement of high voltages 7

 Representation of the measuring system as a four-
Spectra of impulse and chopped impulse voltages
terminal network – transfer function

Therefore Normalized amplitude frequency spectra (Fourier transform) of a lightning impulse voltage of
1.2/50µsec, wave full and chopped at Tc. (Tc = œ means no chopping).

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Step response of a measurement system Unit step response and definition of the
response time To

Step function:

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EEE3206 – High Voltage Technology: 3. Measurement of high voltages 8

 (6) Impulse voltage measurements – voltage dividers Resistor voltage divider

Distributed parameter equivalent

circuit of voltage dividers. The
normalised transfer function:

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Cont….
The normalised transfer function Calculated unit step response for resistor dividers

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EEE3206 – High Voltage Technology: 3. Measurement of high voltages 9

 Cont…
Step responses for various L/R ratios Capacitor voltage divider

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Cont…
Step response Parallel-mixed resistor-capacitor dividers

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EEE3206 – High Voltage Technology: 3. Measurement of high voltages 10

 Cont…
Step response Example – resistor voltage divider

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The unit step method. (a) To d.c. supply. (b) Charging resistor.
cont … (c) Fast switch. (d) (Added) vertical lead. (e) High-voltage lead. (f) Voltage
divider. (g) To recording instrument

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EEE3206 – High Voltage Technology: 3. Measurement of high voltages 11

 (7) The divider’s low-voltage arm Capacitor voltage divider

Circuits for signal cable matching. Resistor or parallel-mixed capacitor- Circuits for signal cable matching. Capacitor dividers, simple matching
dividers.
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(8) Fast digital transient recorders for impulse Sampling rate, frequency band and measurement
measurements (digital oscilloscopes) accuracy – insufficient high of sampling rate

Quantization characteristics for digital transient recorders of different resolutions

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EEE3206 – High Voltage Technology: 3. Measurement of high voltages 12

 Maximum error due to sampling when recording the
Sampling and quantization errors of an ideal recorder
peak of a full standard lightning impulse

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(9) Clearance of top electrode to the wall High Voltage Measurements

Resistance Impulse
Voltage Divider: 1800kV

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EEE3206 – High Voltage Technology: 3. Measurement of high voltages 13

 Damped Capacitance Impulse Voltage Divider: 4.8MV Standard capacitor

• Accurate
• Stable
• Temperature coefficient is
small
• Stray capacitance and
inductance are small
Out door impulse voltage divider with
compensated capacitance.

Can be used for full wave, chopped

wave & switch- impulse waves.

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HV standard capacitors Standard (compressed gas) capacitor for 1000 kV r.m.s.

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EEE3206 – High Voltage Technology: 3. Measurement of high voltages 14

 ‘Stacked’ capacitor units The main requirements for HV measurement capacitors

Stray capacitances affect the

equivalent or effective
capacitance of h.v. capacitors.

• Gas insulated capacitors (compressed air, SF6 or nitrogen)

• Paper/oil/polyester insulated capacitors
• Ceramic insulated capacitors

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Any questions?

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EEE3206 – High Voltage Technology: 3. Measurement of high voltages 15