Welcome you all

August 10, 2009

Presented by –
Devendra Singh Ruprai
Deputy executive Engineer
400KV GCR KORADI
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Transmission Line, S/S safety -

# Safety against damages to –

# Conductors
# Insulators

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Flash over -

May –
Damage conductors.
Destroy insulators

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Sequence of disaster -

Corona
Arcing
Flash over

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 What is Corona?
# Chemical reaction & voltage problem.
# Ionization of the nitrogen in the air.
# Caused by an intense electrical field.
# Electrical corona can be distinguished from arcing in that
- corona starts and stops at essentially the same
voltage

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When you can see corona?

# Requires darkness to see at night.

# Invisible during day.

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 What is Arcing?
# Arcing starts at a voltage .
# Stops at a voltage about 50% lower
# Visible to the naked eye day or night if
the gap is large enough (about 5/8" at 3500
volts).

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 Indications of Corona -
# Sizzling audible sound
# Ozone ( detrimental to lungs & eyes), Nitric acid (in
the presence of moisture in the air) that accumulates
as a white or dirty powder.
# Light (strongest emission in ultraviolet and weaker into
visible and near infrared) that can be seen with -
# Naked eye in darkness, ultraviolet cameras, and
daylight corona cameras using the solar-blind
wavelengths on earth created by the shielding ozone
layer surrounding the earth.
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 Indications of Corona -

#The electromagnetic emissions can be heard on

an inexpensive AM radio
# Corona sound can be heard by the human ear
or a focused ultrasonic device even though the
sound is directional, may be muffled, reflected
or cancelled .
# Electromagnetic emissions are in all directions.

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 What damage does Corona do?
# Accumulation of the nitric acid and micro-arcing within
it create carbon tracks across insulating materials.
# Also contribute to the chemical soup destruction of
insulating cements on insulators resulting in internal
flash-overs.
# Defects in insulating materials that create an intense
electrical field can over time result in corona that
creates punctures, carbon tracks and obvious
discoloration of NCI(non ceremic insulators)
insulators.
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At what voltage corona occurs?
# At 2.5 V A.C.
# Consistently at 3 to 5 kV in ambient air
at sea level.
# Electric motor winding at 4 kV.
# Normal operating voltage of 13 kV and
test voltage of 35 kV+.
# Application depends upon – type and
configuration of insulator
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 Corona on a conductor -
# Due to conductor configuration (design) -
diameter too small for the applied voltage
# Cause corona and extreme losses during wet
weather
# Opposite occurs during dry weather as the corona
produces nitric acid which accumulates &
destroys the (ACSR) resulting in breakdown.
# Salts and contaminants can also contribute to
starting this deterioration.
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Why should I care?
# The insulator fails due to corona
# Cause break down
# Emergency outages
# Loss of revenue

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What is Corona ?
# It is a symptom & chemical reaction.
# It may be present for years before the
component finally fails.
# Corona can be an indication or the
catalyst of the chemical soup that
permeates insulator bonding cements
preparing them for internal flash-over.

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 Causes of insulator failure.
# Electrical field intensity producing corona on contaminated
areas, water droplets, icicles, corona rings.
This corona activity then contributes nitric acid to form a
chemical soup to change the bonding cements and to
create carbon tracks, along with ozone and ultraviolet light
# Change the properties of NCI insulator coverings.
# Other effects- water on the surface or sub-surface freezing
and expanding when thawing, as a liquid penetrating into a
material and then a sudden temperature change causes
change of state to a gas and rapid expansion causing
fracture or rupture of the material.
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 Causes of insulator failure.
# Other effects- water on the surface or sub-
surface -
- freezing and expanding when thawing, as a
liquid penetrating into a material
# Then a sudden temperature change –
- causes change of state to a gas and rapid
expansion –
# Causing fracture or rupture of the material.
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Prevention .
It is necessary to –
1. Monitor the existence of corona.
2. To assess the reasons for the presence of
corona.
3. Rectify the cause for the presence of corona
4. Use some means to minimize the effect of
corona

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Means to reduce effect of
corona/Arcing .
1. Arcing Horns
2. Corona rings
# Made up of Aluminum alloy
# Connected at the live end of insulator,
equipment.

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Arcing horn -

# It is used on a breaker to "stretch out"

the arc and break the current flow on a
zero crossing.
# Arcing horns are typically a straight light
gauge rod.

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Corona Rings -

# Circular in shape.
# Connected at the live end of insulator,
equipment.

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Corona rings -

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Corona ring -
# A corona ring is used to reduce the
electric field intensity around the
energized end of an insulator, breaker
hardware, connectors.
# At a place where there is electric field
intensities that would cause the air to
break down in corona.
# Corona rings are bent tubing to conform
to the electric field around a specific
hardware. 24
Corona rings

# Installed at > 220kV

# All Non Ceramic Insulators – need
corona rings

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