HIGH VOLTAGE TECHNOLOGY

DEPARTMENT: B.TECH ELECTRICAL

Lecture 1:

Introduction to High Voltage Technology

What is High Voltage?

The IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) and

its national counterparts (IET, IEEE, VDE, etc.) define high
voltage circuits as those with more than 1000 V for AC and
at least 1500 V for DC.
In electric power transmission engineering, high voltage is
usually considered any voltage over approximately 35 kV.
In the United States 2011 National Electrical Code (NEC) is
the standard regulating most electrical installations. There
are no definitions relating to high voltage.
The National Electrical Manufacturer's Association (NEMA)
defines high voltage as over 100kV to 230kV.
The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)
defines supply system low voltage as voltage in the range
50–1000 V AC or 120–1500 V DC.
There are various standards that define Extra-Low Voltage
(ELV) The International Electrotechnical
Commission member organizations and the UK IET (BS
7671:2008) define an ELV device or circuit as one in which
the electrical potential between conductor or electrical
conductor and earth (ground) does not exceed 50 V a.c. or
120 V d.c.
In electric power transmission engineering AC systems:
High voltage levels: 35-220 kV.
Extra high voltage (EHV) levels: ≥330 kV and <1000 kV
Ultra high voltage (UHV) levels: 1000 kV and above.

In electric power transmission engineering DC systems:

HVDC levels: 600 kV and below.
UHVDC levels: above 600 kV.
Comparison of HVDC and HVAC Transmission:

Electric Power can be transmitted either by mean of AC or

DC.
Each system has its own merits and demerits.
It is therefore, describe to discuss the technical advantages
and disadvantages of the two systems for transmission of
electric power.
HVDC Transmission advantages:
Following are advantages of HVDC over HVAC:

It requires only two conductors as compared to three for

AC transmission.
There is no inductance, capacitance, phase displacement
and surge problems in DC transmission.
Due to the absence of inductance, the voltage drop in DC
transmission line is less than the AC line for the same load
and sending end voltage. For this reason DC transmission
line has better voltage regulation.
There is no skin effect in DC system. Therefore, entire
cross-section of the line conductor is utilized.
For the same working voltage, the potential stress on the
insulation is less in case of DC system than that in AC
system. Therefore, DC line require less insulation.
A DC line has less corona loss and reduced interference
with communication circuits.
In DC transmission, there is no stability problems.
Disadvantages of HVDC:

Electric power is not generated in HVDC form due to

commutation problem. Only HVDC is achieved for
transmission from HVAC by rectification. So special
arrangement is required for this conversion.
The DC voltage cannot be stepped up or stepped down for
transmission of power at high voltage.
DC switches and circuit breakers are expensive and with
certain limitations.
Advantages of HVAC:

AC voltage can be stepped up or down as per requirement

easily by transformer.
Maintenance of AC substation is easy and cheaper.
The power can be generated at high voltage.
Disadvantages of AVAC:

AC line require more copper than DC line.

The construction of AC transmission line is more
complicated than a DC transmission line.
Due to skin effect in the AC system, the effective
resistance of the line is increased.
An AC line has capacitance. Therefore, there is a
continuous loss of power due to charging current even
when the line is open.
Conclusion:

From the comparison, it is clear that high voltage DC

transmission is superior to high voltage AC transmission.
Although at present, transmission of electric power is
carried by AC.
The introduction of Mercury-Arc rectifiers and thyratrons
have made it possible to convert AC into DC and vice versa
easily and efficiently.
Present day trend is toward AC for generation, distribution
and high voltage DC for transmission.
HVDC System Schematic:
HVDC System:

Single Line Diagram of HVDC transmission is shown in the

previous slide.
The Electric power is generated as AC in power station and
is stepped up to high voltage by the step up transformer.
The AC power from the secondary of the step up
transformer is fed to the Rectifier ( Mercury-Arc rectifier ).
Rectifier convert that high voltage AC into DC.
The transmission of electric power is carried at high DC
voltage.
At the receiving end DC is converted into AC with the help
of Inverter.
The AC supply is stepped down to low voltage by receiving
end transformer for distribution.
Voltage Surge:

A sudden rise in voltage for a very short duration on the

power system is known as a voltage surge or transient
voltage.
Transients or surge are of temporary nature and exist for a
short duration ( a few hundred micro seconds).
Surges originate from switching and from other causes but
by far the most important surge are those caused by
lightning striking a transmission line.
Surges like lightning may cause the line insulator to flash
over and may damage the nearby transformers etc.
Causes of Overvoltage:

The overvoltage on a power system may be broadly

divided into two main categories:
Internal Causes:
1) Switching.
2) Insulation Failure. Etc
External Causes:
Lightning.
Internal causes do not produce surges of large magnitude.
Experience shows that surges due to internal causes
hardly increase the system voltage to twice the normal
voltage.
Surges due to internal causes are taken care of by
providing proper insulation to the equipment in the power
system.
Surges due to lightning are very severe and may increase
the system voltage to several times the normal voltage.
If the equipment in the power system is not protected
against lightning surges, these surges may cause
considerable damage.