1989
Measurements with respect to the electromagnetic compatibilt y (EMC) of
telecontrol systems in substations of medium-voltage distribution networks
W. Hei6, F. Hirsch,
EAM-Kassel, FGH Mannheim
Federal Republic of Germany
Summary
In the construction of substations electro-
magnetic compatibility becomes more and
more important due to the fact that modern
microelectronic components are installed
in the close surroundings of power enginee-
ring systems. Microelectronic elements in
MV-substations are increasingly placed in
the close proximity of the components to be
measured or controlled. Owing to the ear-
thed enclosure of substations, telecontrol
systems are installed directly next to the
functional unit.
Sources of interference, especially swit-
ching operations of the circuit breakers
and disconnectors in the primary circuit,
affect the process environment. The sources
of interference - above all transient ma-
gnetic fields - endanger modern electronic
elements via the coupling devices.
Secondary cables, current transformers
and couplings in the fuctional units re-
present characteristic coupling devices.
Measurements of 24-kV substations were made
in order to determine transient magnetic
field strengths in the room. The following
report presents the first results and com-
pares the behaviour of conventional and gas-
insulated substations in relation to tran-
sient interferences.
1. Introduction
Microelectronics in substations, especially
in telecontrol and protection systems leads
to new developments, i.e. concerning measu-
ring, control and regulating of the com-
ponents. Considering the technological deve-
lopment of the microelectronic elements, a
change can be observed to lower signal am-
plitudes, higher integration and increa-
sing signal speed. Microelectronic ele-
ments are increasingly arranged in the
close proximity of the substation"s compo-
nents relative to power engineering.
A further development can be seen in elec-
trical power engineering in the decentrali-
zation of "intelligence"; in the future,
a sensor with microelectronic elements and
a device carrying out the local evaluation
(in order to reduce the data) will be in-
stalled near the components to be measured
or controlled, e.g. a HV-switching device.
General aspects related to environmental
control and to rationalization, additional-
ly result in an increase of SF6 gas-insula-
allows the compact installation of the sub-
stations in one part of the building.
Due to the earthed enclosure, telecon-
trol systems can be installed directly next
to the substation.
This development is mainly based on econo-
mic considerations and leads to a higher
sensibility of the electronic elements and
circuits against external and internal
interferring signals.
In order to make proper use of the advanta-
ges of microelectronic elements in substa-
tions, the electromagnetic compatibility
of these elements must be considered and
guaranteed when installed in the close sur-
roundings of substations. Basic data was
obtained from measurements made in two 24-
kV substations. The transient magnetic field
strengths in the room were measured (by
means of aerial frames) as well as the con-
ducted transient interference voltage oc-
curring in current transformers during nor-
mal switching operations.
One gas-insulated and one conventional
MV-substation with a nominal voltage of s4 KV
are taken into consideration. The MV-sub-
stations are uniformly equipped with va-
cuum circuit breakers.
2. Interference Sources
High-frequency electromagnetic transient
reactions can result from the operation of
capacitances; these capacitances under- -
ground cable sections, unloaded busbar sec-
tions or cylindrical parts of the enclosure
of gas-insulated substations (GIS) - are
energized and de-energized by means of
circuit breakers or disconnectors. When
making capacitances, the first spark-over
occurs when the switch contacts have rea-
dhed a specific distance. In this process,
the voltage across the contacts in SF6 or
vacuum interruptors changes abruptly in just
a few nanoseconds. Restrikes can occur when
capacitive circuits are de-energized. In-
side the substation, transient waves spread
out as a result of the change in volta-
ge, demonstrating a complex voltage shape
along the substation-s components due to re-
flection and refraction effects. In
gas-insulated metal-enclosed substations the
transient waves leave the enclosure through
the connectors to overhead lines and cables
as well as through discontinuous points in
. - -. . .- - -= ---A..-+-.--
according to the laws of waves. Interferen- 1
ces are furthermore decoupled via current
transformers, sensors and driving shafts of
the switching devices.
In conventional non-gas-insulated substa-
tions, transient waves travelling along
the open busbars cause direct radiation of
transient electromagnetic fields into the
room. Additionally, conducted transient
interference voltage occurs mainly in the
current transformer circuits, as is the case lb
in G I s .

The interferences to be expected during ope-

ration and caused by switching opera-
tions, possess high-energy spectral parts
ranging at above several MHz. For these
wavelengths, integrated circuits and elec-
tronic components are considered to be elec-
trically short, so that interference ra-
diation is not coupled directly into the
components but rather into the conductors
of printed circuit boards and into the cable I,
system. I 1 I

3 . Layout of the substations investigated

In the framework of the electromagnetic

influence to be described and the measure-
ments made, this section shall treat the
construction and layout of the 24-kV substa-
tions investigated.

Measurements were made considering a sin-

gle-pole metal-enclosed gas-insulated sub-
station and a conventional substation with
combined air and solid insulation.
Conventional Substation
Figure 1: Layout of conventional substation
a) Sectional view 1. vacuum circuit breaker
2. current tranef ormer 3. voltage transf ormer
Panel width 800 mm b) Single line diagram

Figure la shows the structure of a functio-

20 - L1 L2 L3

nal unit. All components of the substation

conducting high voltage, are furnished with
air and solid insulation: the vacuum circuit
breaker is mounted on a withrawable part and
performs disconnecting functions by means of
the disconnecting contacts. The functional
units have no metal enclosure. Inductive cur-
rent and voltage transformers are installed
directly in the unit. The sealing ends of
the connected cables are installed in the
cellar. Single busbar sections are coupled
with insulated busbars (cf.Fiaure lb).
The single line diagram of the investiga-
ted double busbar substation is shown in 24 kV
Figure lb. When measurements were made, all
circuit breakers were closed and connected
to underground cable lines, up to several
kilometers in length. For these experiments,
the circuit breakers in units 5,11 and 25
were activated.

Gas-insulated substations
Figure 2a shows the structure of a functio-
nal unit of the substation: there is one
three-position disconnector provided for each
unit - for the function "disconnect" and
117
Figure 2: Layout of gas-insulated substation
a) Sectional view 1. voltage transformer
2. three-position disconnector 3. vacuum cir-
cuit breaker 4. toroidal transformer Panel
width 600 m m b) single line diagram
“earthing - ready“ and one vacuum circuit
breaker. The connection to earth of an
cable unit is put into effect by a three-
position disconnector and a vacuum circuit
breaker. The enclosure of the substation is
made up of aluminum alloy: SF6 is used as
insulating gas. The current is measured by
means of toroidal transformers encompassing
each switch cover.
Figure 2b shows the single line diagram of
the investigated substation. The two busbar
sections are connected by a synthetic cable
5 m in length. Switching operations were
carried out by the circuit breaker in unit
J02. All the remaining units were connec-
ted to the underground cables. During the
switching operation of the three-position
disconnector in the coupler panel JOla, the
circuit breaker of the coupler unit (JO1) was
open.
The transient interference voltage of the
24-kV current transformers was - in both
substations - measured at the secondary
terminals under the condition of normally
loaded windings in the control cubicle,
which was installed in a separate relay room
next to the substation room.
4. Principles and equipment used for measu-
rement
The investigation of the interference
field aimed at the determination of the time
characteristic of the magnetic induction E ,
which also determines the interference vol-
tage in the conductors via its time deriva-
tive.
Measurements were made of voltage U< (in
V) which is produced by the induction B at
the ends of a conductor loop. In order to
obtain the magnetic field fraction only, the
aerials used for measurement were
electrically screened.
The physical relations:
- measured voltage I ‘
dt
1 tional unit 11, aligned horizontally, as
- magnetic flux 4= B e F (F is
area of the aerial)
from
the induction B producing the voltage U;
is calculated
t circuit breaker was inserted into the con-
G
Two circular aerial frames were used;
their maximum operating frequency had been
determined previously.
- Large frame, 6 0 cm diameter, up to 30 MHz
- Small aerial, 15 cm diameter, > 100 MHz
A digital oscilloscope with a scanning
frequency of 100 MHz was used to record the
time characteristics. Uncomplicated treat-
ment - integration and / or frequency ana-
lysis - was guaranteed by this method of di-
rect digitalization. Together with the
small aerial it became possible to present
processes accurately up into the 30 MHz area;
accuracy was still sufficient to allow an
estimation up to approx. 50 MHz.
In order to show even more rapid processes,
an oscilloscope with scanner digitalization
was installed as a support.
The applicability of this principle, howe-
ver, proved to be only limited since supe-
rimposed radiation of curve shapes lying
next to each other was so strong that the
scanner was no longer able to distinguish
the different parts of the curve. Voltage
shapes obtained in this way can give an im-
pression of the frequencies to be expected,
the voltage itself however, cannot be eva-
luated.
5. Survey of the experiments made and of the
numerical evaluation
Conventional substation
1. Field measurement with the 30-MHz frame
in front of functional unit 5 (Figure 1):
Energizing an underground cable line ap-
prox. 1000 m in length with an open end.
The aerial was positioned in the middle of
the control aisle in front of the functional
unit, aligned horizontally approx. 1 m
above the ground.
2.1 Field measurement with a 30-MHz frame
in front of functional unit 11 (Figure 1):
Energizing an underground cable line ap-
prox. 3300 m in length with an open end.
The aerial was positioned in front of func-
described in 1.
Limit frequency of the oscilloscope: 20 MHz
the 2.2 Field measurements with the small ae-
rial under the same conditions as experiment
L.I.
3 . Field measurements with the small aerial
at the location of experiment 2.1, limit fre-
quency of the oscilloscope: 50 MHz.
Inserting the switch truck into functio-
nal unit 11 with open switch. The open
tacts of the busbar, which was energized.
(3)
4 . Field measurements with the small aerial
at the location of experiments 2.1; (limit
frequency of the oscilloscope: 50 MHz)
and measurements at the secondary terminals
of the matching current transformer in
118
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119
operating condition. The voltage appearing at the secondary
Energizing of the bus coupling (unit 25). windings of current transformers ranges
During these experiments, a busbar approx at approx. 100 V in both types of substa-
18 m in length was energized. tions (cf. Table 1). These values however,
largely depend on the local conditions rela-
Gas-insulated substation ted to the geometrical distance to the acti-
ve parts of the substation, the installa-
1. Field measurements with the small ae- tion of secondary circuits as well as on the
rial, aligned vertically, in front of type of transformer used.
functional unit 502, center point approx. 80 The absolute values of the magnetic induc-
cm above the ground, distance to the next tion in the area of the normally accessible
enclosure approx. 50 cm (Figure 2). Measure- operating aisle ranges at approx. 3 0 p T in
ments at the secondary terminals of the cur- both types of substations. In contrast to
rent transformer in operating condition Ener- this, essential differences could be obser-
gizing of an underground cable line ap- ved in the maximum change of the field
prox. 800 m in length with an open end.Limit strength in relation to time. The voltage Ui
frequency of the oscilloscope: 50 MHz induced by the magnetic field in the conduc-
2. Field measurements with the small aerial tor loop is however, determined by dB /at.
as described in experiment 1 in front of Considering the fact that the values are
the functional unit JOla (Figure 2) (circuit nearly 10 times the interference voltage to
breaker in the coupler open). be expected in secondary installations of
Inserting and opening the earthing discon- gas-insulated substations, the difficulties
nector JOla (Figure 2a). In these experiments arising when putting into operation this
the short line between the two busbar sec- type of substation become quite obvious.
tions was energized.
Experiments B,,, Characteristic
frequencies
1
): I V / d (pTI (UHz)
The results obtained from the experi-
ments concerning conventional and gas- I. c a b l e line - 10 17 0.04 : 0.33
1000 m
insulated substations are shown in Table 1.
2. c a b l e line
The values (dB/dt),, and B mO,x 3300 m
a ) 30-MHz frames - 5 46 0.012: 0.08; 0.5
were calculated from -

11 1
b ) small aerial 4 36 0.012; 0.08; 0.5
the measured values with the aid of 3. S w i t c h truck - 13 0.07 40; 1 0 0 $1)
equation(2) and (3). 4. switch bus
coup11ng
a) f i e l d
6 . Comparison of the two types of substations measurement - 2: 1;41 2.5; 25: 40
b ) at t r a n s -
former 120 4; 17: 25; 50

One of the targets of the experiments car-

1; I “1
1. c a b l e line
ried out, was to compare conventional sub- 800 m
a) f x e l d
stations with gas-insulated substations. b ) at trans-
measurement :11 0.2; 2.4; 25: 60
In addition to Table 1, Figures 3 - 5 farmer 0.2: 2.2; 4.5; 22

show examples of the recorded voltages I I I I 50

and the calculated inductions .

In the course of the - chronologically -
first experiments related to substations, the ( 1 ) Frequency evaluation from incomplete scanner oscillograms

characteristic frequencies of up to approx. -T Numerical evaluation of t h e experiments

500 KHz can be explained by the propagation

time of the current ripple inside the con-
nected cable lines. A frequency of the same
order of magnitude also appears in relation
to measurements executed in a gas-insulated
substation when a cable line is energized.
7. Concluding remarks
The present results allow a first impres-
sion of the interferences to be expected
due to transient magnetic fields.

When energizing a longer busbar section in
the conventional substation (experiment K4a),
the voltage at the aerial includes fre-
quencies ranging from 2 MHz to approx. 40
MHz. Similar frequencies can be observed
when evaluating all switching operations in
the gas-insulated substation: in both ca-
ses, transient waves within the respective
substation or busbar are probably responsi-
ble for this phenomenon. Still higher fre-
quencies, exceeding 100 MHz, must be expec-
ted from the oscillograms (unfortunately in-
complete) when inserting extremely short
busbar sections. This applies to both types
of substations.
120
MV-substations definitely have a higher sha-
re of high-energy frequency, owing to
their substantially smaller size as compared
to HV-substations: nevertheless, it can
also be observed - although to a lesser
degree - in conventionally built substa-
tions. Since the prevention of interference
fields would not be reasonable technically
and economically, special attention must be
paid to the immunity to interference of se-
condary equipment and its cable connec-
tions, which are increasingly installed
in the close proximity of the interference
sources.