IEEE Transactions on Power Delivery, Vol. 4, No.

1, January 1989

223

Very F a s t Transients i n

GIs

J . M e p p e l i n k , K. D i e d e r i c h

K . F e s e r (SM), W. P f a f f
University o f Stuttgart
S t u t t g a r t , F.R. o f Germany

BBC Brown B o v e r i L t d .
Baden, Swi t z e r l and

Abstract
During switching operations o r earth f a u l t s i n a
SF - g a s - i n s u l a t e d swi t c h g e a r ( G I S ) v e r y f a s t t r a n s i e n t s
( V f T s ) o c c u r and s t r e s s t h e e q u i p m e n t i n G I s , adjacent.
equipment,
air-insulated
swi t c h g e a r (AIS) and i n
secondary equipment.
The d i f f e r e n t t y p e s o f v e r y f a s t t r a n s i e n t s a r e
c l a s s i f i e d and t h e i r c h a r a c t e r i s t i c p a r a m e t e r s a r e
summarized based on measurements i n a 800-kV-SFp-gasi n s u l a t e d p i l o t i n s t a l l a t i o n and a 420-kV-G S i n
service.
The measurements show t h a t t h e VFTs a t t h e i r
o r i g i n i n a G I S a r e c h a r a c t e r i z e d by a s t e e p f r o n t
h a v i n g 4-7 n s r i s e t i m e f o l l o w e d b y a m o n o f r e q u e n t
o s c i l l a t i o n o f some MHz caused by t h e e x t e n s i o n o f t h e
s u b s t a t i o n . A f t e r a VFT has passed a b u s h i n g i t s shape
and a m p l i t u d e w i l l be changed. Two t r a n s i e n t waves a r e
o b s e r v e d o u t s i d e t h e GIS. The e l e c t r o m a g n e t i c f i e l d
between t h e e n c l o s u r e and e a r t h r e s u l t s i n a t r a n s i e n t
e n c l o s u r e v o l t a g e o f u p t o some 10 kV and a t t h e same
t i m e i n a r a d i a t i o n o f an e l e c t r o m a g n e t i c f i e l d f r o m
t h e e n c l o s u r e w i t h a m p l i t u d e s o f some 10 kV/m. The
e l e c t r o m a g n e t i c wave g u i d e d by t h e o v e r h e a d l i n e w i l l
result
in
an
overvoltage
with
a
multifrequent
o s c i l l a t i o n o f some 10 t o 100 kHz depending on t h e
p a r a m e t e r s o f t h e o v e r h e a d l i n e and t h e a d j a c e n t
equipment, e . g . a t r a n s f o r m e r . I n t h i s p a p e r e s p e c i a l l y
t h e t r a n s i e n t e n c l o s u r e v o l t a g e and measures t o r e d u c e
i t a r e analysed.
Keywords :

gas-i nsul ated substation, f a s t

transient enclosure voltage

O R I G I N

O F

V E R Y

F A S T

T R A N S I E N T S

I N GIs

( V F T )

o p e r a t i o n o f d i s c o n n e c t o r s , b r e a k e r s and
grounding switches

o e a r t h f a u l t d u r i n g on s i t e t e s t i n g o r i n
service

V E R Y

F A S T

T R A N S I E N T S

I N T E R N A L V F T
E X T E R N A L V F T
....................................................................................................................................
t r a v e l l i n g waves
inside GIs

OVERVOLTAGES
VFTO
between
i n n e r conductor
and
encapsulation

stress of
insulation
i n GIs

t r a v e l l i n g waves and r a d i a t i o n
o u t s i d e GIs

TRANSIENT
ENCLOSURE
VOLTAGE

I :;;;;;;- 1 1
ELECTROMAGNETIC

OVERVOLTAGES

.........................................
TEMF

s t r e s s of
secoi

FTO

adjacent

transients,
F i g . 1: C l a s s i f i c a t i o n o f t h e f a s t t r a n s i e n t phenomena
i n GIS

~.

1. I n t r o d u c e
I n G I S v e r y f a s t t r a n s i e n t o v e r v o l t a g e s (VFTs)
are generated during disconnector o r breaker operation
o r b y an e a r t h f a u l t . I n t h e p a s t a l o t o f e x p e r i e n c e
has been o b t a i n e d w i t h t h e s e VFTs /9/, / 1 3 / . T h e r e f o r e
t h e r e s e a r c h e f f o r t s have been c o n c e n t r a t e d on t h e i n v e s t i g a t i o n o f the e f f e c t s o f these very f a s t t r a n s i e n t s i n G I S and a d j a c e n t e q u i p m e n t . R e p o r t e d a r e i n s u l a t i o n f a i l u r e s i n GIS /9/, b u s h i n g f a i l u r e s 1131,
resonances i n c o n n e c t e d t r a n s f o r m e r s w i t h c o n s e c u t i v e
i n s u l a t i o n f a u l t s and m a l f u n c t i o n o f e l e c t r o n i c d e v i c e s
/12/, e . g . o f p r o t e c t i v e r e l a y s .
A c c o r d i n g t o t h e IEC- and ANSI-Standards G I S
e q u i p m e n t has t o be d e s i g n e d f o r t h e B I L as t h e w o r s t
case c o n d i t i o n . Up t o now t h e r e a r e n o S t a n d a r d s w i t h
r e s p e c t t o VFTs. On t h e o t h e r hand VFTs were known
i n t h e p a s t and t h e i r consequences were t a k e n i n t o

86 WM 114-1
2 p a p e r recomnended a n d a p p r o v e d
b y t h e ti.:t.:E S u b s t a t i o n s Committee of t h e L E V ?
rower C n g i n e c r i n g S o c i e t y f o r prcsentnt i o n a t t h e
II:F:E/Pk:S 1988 ! ? i n t e r lee; n;;, TTeig Y o r k , Jeur Y o r k ,
January 3 1 - Febru,ary 5 , 988.
lanuscript
s u b m i t t e d August 2 4 , 1987 !lade a v a i l a b l e f o r
p r i n t i n g Decwnber 1 1 . 198

a c c o u n t d u r i n g t h e d e v e l o p m e n t o f G I s . The t e c h n i q u e
t o measure VFTs i s f a r d e v e l o p e d and computer s i m u l a t i o n s o f VFTs a r e u n d e r s t u d y /8/. The VFT i n d u c e d
breakdown mechanism has a l s o been i n v e s t i g a t e d / 1 5 / .
T h e r e f o r e , more q u a n t i t a t i v e u n d e r s t a n d i n g o f VFTs i n
G I S w i l l l e a d t o o p t i m i z e d GIS d e s i g n . The p u r p o s e o f
t h i s paper i s t o g i v e a q u a n t i t a t i v e understanding o f
VFTs based o n measurements i n a 8 0 0 - k V - p i l o t - G I S and a
420-kV-GIS i n s e r v i c e . A c l a s s i f i c a t i o n o f t h e d i f f e r e n t k i n d s o f VFTs s h a l l g i v e an o v e r v i e w . The
o r i g i n o f VFTs and t y p i c a l p a r a m e t e r s o f i n t e r n a l and
e x t e r n a l VFTs,
especially the transient enclosure
voltage are described i n d e t a i l .
R e s u l t s o f VFT-phenomena o u t s i d e a GIS measured
u s i n g a newly developed p o t e n t i a l f r e e e l e c t r i c f i e l d
s e n s o r w i t h an adequate f r e q u e n c y c h a r a c t e r i s t i c / 4 /
w i l l be p r e s e n t e d . V o l t a g e measurement i n s i d e t h e GIS
was made u s i n g a c a p a c i t i v e v o l t a g e d i v i d e r w i t h a
b a n d w i d t h o f 445 MHz / 2 1 / .

2. C l a s s i f i c a t i o n o f VFTs
A c l a s s i f i c a t i o n o f VFTs i s g i v e n i n F i g . 1. I t
shows t h a t d i f f e r e n t phenomena can be r e l a t e d t o
switching operations i n SF6-gas-insulated switchgear
causing a f a s t voltage step w i t h a r i s e time i n the
r a n g e o f 4 t o 7 ns a t t h e l o c a t i o r : o f t h e s o u r c e . The

0885-8977/89/0100-0223$01.0001989 IEEE

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224
1.5

1.5

200 400 600

ns 1000

disconnectorOS

t-

a.

8 psl0

t-

b.

C.

IF

4ms5

t-

F i g . 2: D i s c o n n e c t o r i n d u c e d v e r y f a s t t r a n s i e n t
o v e r v o l t a g e i n a 110-kV-GIS measured w i t h
d i f f e r e n t time d e f l e c t i o n s /18/.
a. s t e e p v o l t a g e t r a n s i e n t
b. o s c i l l a t i o n o f t h e G I S w i t h some MHz
c . o s c i l l a t i o n o f t h e t r a n s f o r m e r and t h e
d i r e c t l y c o n n e c t e d G I s w i t h some 10 kHz
o b s e r v e d phenomena a t d i f f e r e n t d i s t a n c e s f r o m t h e
o r i g i n o f t h e VFT can be d i v i d e d i n t o i n t e r n a l and
e x t e r n a l VFTs
and may e x h i b i t d i f f e r e n t shapes,
because o f r e f l e c t i o n s o f t r a v e l l i n g waves g i v e n b y t h e
l a y o u t o f t h e i n s t a l l a t i o n / 8 / and damping e f f e c t s
i n s i d e and o u t s i d e o f t h e G I s . The e f f e c t s o f VFTs on
e q u i p m e n t used i n s u b s t a t i o n s a r e a l s o m e n t i o n e d i n
F i g . 1.
2 . 1 I n t e r n a l VFT
As a t y p i c a l example, t h e VFT measured u s i n g a
c a p a c i t i v e v o l t a g e d i v i d e r d u r i n g disconnector operat i o n i n a 110-kV-GIS /18/ a r e shown i n F i g . 2. Measurements o f t h e same phenomenon w i t h t h r e e d i f f e r e n t t i m e
d e f l e c t i o n s show t h e t y p i c a l waveform o f t h e VFT i n a
GIS a t t h e s o u r c e s i d e o f t h e d i s c o n n e c t o r . The v e r y
f a s t f l a s h o v e r i n SF6 g e n e r a t e s a s t e e p v o l t a g e i m p u l s e
h a v i n g a t y p i c a l r i s e t i m e o f 4 . . . 7 ns ( F i g . 2 a ) . T h i s
p u l s e t r a v e l s w i t h i n t h e G I S and w i l l be f r a c t i o n e d and
r e f l e c t e d . A f t e r some p s a m o n o f r e q u e n t o s c i l l a t i o n on
t h e s o u r c e - and l o a d - s i d e o f t h e d i s c o n n e c t o r can be
o b s e r v e d . A p p r o x i m a t e l y 100 ps a f t e r t h e b e g i n n i n g o f
the flashover the arc i n the disconnector extinguishes
because t h e c u r r e n t g e t s t o s m a l l / 1 8 / . The l o a d s i d e
i s t h e n d i s c o n n e c t e d b u t a t r a p p e d c h a r g e r e m a i n s and
t h e t r a n s f o r m e r on t h e s o u r c e s i d e o s c i l l a t e s w i t h t h e
proper frequency i n t o t h e steady s t a t e c o n d i t i o n /18/.
As a r e s u l t t h e i n t e r n a l VFT i s o f a complex v o l t a g e
shape w i t h a f a s t r i s e t i m e f o l l o w e d b y m u l t i f r e q u e n t
o s c i l l a t i o n s i n t h e r a n g e o f some MHz and some kHz. The
d e s c r i b e d VFT shows a r e p e t i t i o n r a t e o f a b o u t 200 p e r
d i s c o n n e c t o r o p e r a t i o n . Due t o r e f l e c t i o n s and r e f r a c t i o n s t h e y have a s u b s t a t i o n - d e p e n d e n t o s c i l l a t i n g
waveshape w i t h a m a g n i t u d e up t o 1 . 5 p . u .
under
c a p a c i t i v e s w i t c h i n g / 8 / and up t o 2.4 p . u . i n t h e case
o f phase o p p o s i t i o n /19/. T h e r e f o r e t h e y n e v e r r e a c h
t h e B I L o f t h e s u b s t a t i o n . The w i t h s t a n d v o l t a g e o f SF6
i n s u l a t e d s w i t c h g e a r u n d e r VFTs i s r e p o r t e d t o be
h i g h e r o r equal t o t h e l i g h t n i n g impulse w i t h s t a n d
v o l t a g e /9/, / 2 0 / . I n t h e case o f i r r e g u l a r i t i e s t h e
w i t h s t a n d v o l t a g e f o r VFTs d e c r e a s e s d e p e n d i n g on t h e
s i z e o f t h e i r r e g u l a r i t i e s /9/. The e f f e c t may be
u t i l i z e d t o i d e n t i f y i r r e g u l a r i t i e s during on-site
tests with f a s t transients.
2.2

E x t e r n a l VFT
An

internally

generated

VFT

propagates

as

F i g . .3: S i m p l i f i e d e x p l a n a t i o n o f t h e t r a n s i e n t
e n c l o s u r e v o l t a g e (TEV)
a. p r o p a g a t i o n o f t r a v e l l i n g waves caused
by disconnector o p e r a t i o n
0 i n s i d e c o a x i a l bus d u c t
@ on o v e r h e a d t r a n s m i s s i o n l i n e
@ between g r o u n d and e n c a p s u l a t i o n
b . r e p r e s e n t a t i o n o f a . f o r VFT w i t h d i s c r e t e
e l emen t s
c . s i n g l e l i n e d i a g r a m f o r c a l c u l a t i o n of U k
based on t h e a s s u m p t i o n o f i n f i n i t e l o n g
1i n e s
t r a v e l l i n g wave t h r o u g h t h e bus 0 and r e a c h e s
b u s h i n g where a p a r t causes t h e t r a n s i e n t r i s e o f
e n c l o s u r e v o l t a g e @ and a p a r t p r o p a g a t e s a l o n g
overhead transmission
l i n e @ and may s t r e s s
adjacent equipment ( F i g . 3a) / l / .
2.2.1.

the
the
the
the

T r a n s i e n t e n c l o s u r e v o l t a g e (TEV)

VFTs i n s i d e and o u t s i d e a G I s a r e w e l l u n d e r s t o o d
b y t r a v e l l i n g wave t h e o r y .
Reflections
a t short
b r a n c h e s a r e most c r i t i c a l , because t h e s e r e f l e c t e d
waves can sum up a t o t h e r l o c a t i o n s t o h i g h a m p l i t u d e s

181.
F o r t h e i n t e r p r e t a t i o n o f t r a v e l 1 i n g waves o u t s i d e
t h e e n c l o s u r e a s i m p l i f i e d e q u i v a l e n t c i r c u i t can be
used ( F i g . 3 ) . I n t h e i d e a l i z e d F i g . 3a t h e overhead
transmission l i n e i s d i r e c t l y connected t o t h e G I s . I f
t h e d i s c o n n e c t o r DS f l a s h e s o v e r a t r a v e l l i n g wave,
h a v i n g 0.5 p . u . m a g n i t u d e , p r o p a g a t e s t o w a r d s t h e end o f

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225
t h e bus d u c t . When t h e t r a v e l l i n g wave r e a c h e s t h e end
o f t h e bus d u c t , where n o r m a l l y t h e b u s h i n g i s l o c a t e d ,
an e l e c t r o m a g n e t i c f i e l d o c c u r s o u t s i d e t h e bus d u c t
causing t h e t r a n s i e n t r i s e o f t h e enclosure voltage.
T h i s e f f e c t can be e x p l a i n e d u s i n g t h e e q u i v a l e n t
c i r c u i t F i g . 3b
where t h e bus d u c t as w e l l as t h e
t r a n s m i s s i o n l i n e and t h e e n c a p s u l a t i o n a r e r e p r e s e n t e d
by
LC-elements. The e q u i v a l e n t c i r c u i t ( F i g . 3b) can
f u r t h e r be s i m p l i f i e d ( F i g . 3 c ) f o r t h e e s t i m a t i o n o f
t h e w o r s t case peak irk o f any TEV u s i n g t h e
c h a r a c t e r i s t i c impedances o f t h e SF bus (Zi). o f t h e
e n c l o s u r e above e a r t h ( Z ) and 6f,
t h e overhead
t r a n s m i s s i o n l i n e ( Z F ) . The F o l l o w i n g e q u a t i o n does n o t
i n c l u d e t h e s u b s t a t i o n response f a c t o r which g i v e s the
r a t i o between peak a . c . - v o l t a g e and maximum VFTO :
k

k
Zk+ Zit

ZF

W i t h t h i s s i m p l e e q u a t i o n t h e a m p l i t u d e o f t h e TEV
irk can be e s t i m a t e d and i n a d d i t i o n t h e p r i n c i p l e
measures t o r e d u c e t h e TEV can be g i v e n . As an example
t h e TEV irk o f a 420-kV-GIS c o n n e c t e d t o an o v e r h e a d
l i n e w i l l be c a l c u l a t e d . F o r such an arrangement t h e
f o l l o w i n g v a l u e s can be assumed:

U.

zk =

Zi =
ZF

7u m =
vv
60P

1000

-1000
-2000

b.

330 kV

...

a.

100 200 300

100 200 300

ns

500

t -

60P
270Q

k
=

C.

Therefore:
k

-400

500

t -

0.3

20Q

ns

- 0 Z k t

zi+

ZF

= - 5 0 kV

measuring point:

17 kV

The TEV irk i s in t h e r a n g e o f some 10 kV. The

ratio
i s i n t h e r a n g e o f 30 % t o 10 %. I t can be
i n f l u e n c e d r e m a r k a b l y b y t h e v a l u e o f zk w h i c h s h o u l d
be as l o w as p o s s i b l e / 3 / .
I n p r i n c i p l e three p o s s i b i l i t i e s
zk and hence t h e TEV a m p l i t u d e irk:

d.

e x i s t t o reduce

o Increase o f t h e diameter o f t h e encapsulation. T h i s

i s not practical.
o R e d u c t i o n o f t h e h e i g h t o f t h e bus above
T h i s i s p o s s i b l e , b u t n o t always p r a c t i c a l .

earth.

o S h o r t c i r c u i t o f t h e impedance Z between t h e p o i n t s
T h i s i s \he
most p r a c t i c a l
B and C ( F i g . 3 ) .
s o l u t i o n . Because o f t h e h i g h f r e q u e n c i e s i n v o l v e d
t h e s h o r t c i r c u i t s h o u l d be p e r f o r m e d w i t h a l o w
inductance e.g. by t h e metal s t r u c t u r e c a r r y i n g the
b u s h i n g . B u t i n any case such a c o n n e c t i o n a c t s as a
s h o r t inhomogeneous t r a n s m i s s i o n l i n e .

F i g . 4: E x p e r i m e n t a l t e s t s e t up f o r t h e i n v e s t i g a t i o n
o f TEV e f f e c t s i n a 800-kV-bus d u c t i n c l u d i n g a
800-kV-outdoor bushing
a. t e s t s e t up
b. i n j e c t e d i n t e r n a l low voltage impulse
c. e x t e r n a l t r a n s i e n t enclosure v o l t a g e a t
point
without e a r t h connection E
d. measured r a t i o o f i n t e r n a l f a s t t r a n s i e n t
v o l t a g e and e x t e r n a l e n c l o s u r e v o l t a g e a t
different points
-without
earth connection E
-.- w i t h e a r t h c o n n e c t i o n E

a t p o i n t a w i t h o u t e a r t h c o n n e c t i o n E a t t h e end o f t h e
bus i s g i v e n i n F i g . 4c. As can be seen t h e a m p l i t u d e
o f t h e TEV 6 i s a b o u t 24 % o f Uo, t h e f r e q u e n c y i n t h e
r a n g e o f 5 hHz, showing t h a t t h e i n i t i a l r i s e o f t h e
VFT o f 1 ns i s r e d u c e d c o n s i d e r a b l y . T h i s i s t y p i c a l
f o r TEVs.
2.2.2 T r a n s i e n t e l e c t r o m a g n e t i c f i e l d s

To d e m o n s t r a t e t h e a p p l i c a b i l i t y o f t h i s s i m p l i f i e d c i r c u i t t o e x p l a i n t h e TEV a t e s t a r r a n g e m e n t
c o n s i s t i n g o f a SF6-bus and a b u s h i n g was b u i l t up
( F i g . 4 ) . F i g . 4a shows t h e a r r a n g e m e n t and F i g . 4d t h e
e v a l u a t e d r e s u l t s o f fik/uO a t d i f f e r e n t p o i n t s .

A t t h e b e g i n n i n g o f t h e bus a l o w v o l t a g e s t e p U.
was a p p l i e d . The s t e p g e n e r a t o r was c o n n e c t e d t o t h e
bus t h r o u g h a c a b l e and a c o n i c a l a d a p t o r t o t h e d i a m e t e r o f t h e bus r e s u l t i n g i n a c o n s t a n t impedance. The
i n j e c t e d l o w v o l t a g e s t e p U. w i t h a r i s e t i m e o f <1 n s
i s shown i n F i g . 4b. The v o l t a g e between e n c a p s u l a t i o n
and e a r t h was measured u s i n g a c o n v e n t i o n a l c a p a c i t i v e
d i v i d e r w i t h a r i s e t i m e o f 4 n s . The r e s u l t i n g TEV Uk

I n a d d i t i o n t o TEVs e l e c t r o m a g n e t i c f i e l d s a r e
r a d i a t e d f r o m t h e e n c l o s u r e and s t r e s s secondary
equipment.
E s p e c i a l l y when s o p h i s t i c a t e d
computerc o n t r o l l e d e q u i p m e n t i s used a c o n s e q u e n t p l a n n i n g of
e l e c t r o m a g n e t i c c o m p a t i b i l i t y i s r e q u i r e d /16/.
2.2.3 F a s t t r a n s i e n t o v e r v o l t a g e s a t a d j a c e n t equipment
The second f o r m o f e x t e r n a l v e r y f a s t t r a n s i e n t s
a r e t r a v e l l i n g waves on c o n n e c t e d o v e r h e a d t r a n s m i s s i o n
l i n e where t h e a d j a c e n t e q u i p m e n t may be s t r e s s e d b y
f a s t transient overvoltages.
I n t h e case o f t r a n s -

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f o r m e r s exposed t o t h e s e FTO, resonance phenomena can
occur. I n a design study t h e resonance behaviour o f t h e
t r a n s f o r m e r has t h e r e f o r e t o be a n a l y s e d / 1 3 / .

t h e m e a s u r i n g p o i n t w i t h a known v o l t a g e U,.
That
means, t h e known v o l t a g e U g i v e s t h e f i e l d s t r e n g t h E
and t h e n any unknown v o l i a g e u ( t ) can be d e t e r m i n e 2
w i t h t h e measured f i e l d s t r e n g t h E ( t ) . T h i s l e a d s t o
u(t) =

3 . F i e l d measurements o f v e r y f a s t t r a n s i e n t
overvol taoes

uC

E(t) = k*E(t)

3.1 Measuring devices

Up t o now t h e measurement o f o v e r v o l t a g e s i n subs t a t i o n s was p e r f o r m e d b y v o l t a g e d i v i d e r s / 1 3 / , / 2 / .
F o r t h e measurement o f TEVs s p e c i a l h i g h impedance
v o l t a g e d i v i d e r s were u s e d / l / , / 7 / w h i c h were conn e c t e d t o t h e p o i n t s o f i n t e r e s t . Because o f t h e i r
p r i n c i p l e , t r a v e l l i n g waves w i l l o c c u r i n t h e m e a s u r i n g
apparatus.
The measurement o f TEVs shown i n t h i s p a p e r was
performed u s i n g a s p h e r i c a l e l e c t r i c f i e l d sensor
a p p l i e d f o r v o l t a g e measurement / 4 / , / 5 / .

3 . 1 . 1 The s p h e r i c a l e l e c t r i c f i e l d s e n s o r
The e l e c t r i c f i e l d s e n s o r i s c o n s t r u c t e d as a
s p h e r i c a l c a p a c i t i v e p r o b e f o r t h e measurement o f two
components o f t h e e l e c t r i c f i e l d s t r e n g t h . To p e r f o r m
measurements a t a r b i t r a r y p o i n t s e s p e c i a l l y i n t h e
v i c i n i t y o f high voltages t h e data transmission from
t h e sensor i t s e l f t o t h e r e c o r d i n g instrument i s b u i l t
w i t h an a n a l o g f i b e r o p t i c d a t a l i n k . The m e a s u r i n g
p r i n c i p l e i s based on t h e measurement o f t h e i n f l u e n c e d
c h a r g e s on t h e i n s u l a t e d m e a s u r i n g a r e a s a t t h e s u r f a c e
o f t h e s e n s o r . These c h a r g e s a r e a measure o f t h e f i e l d
s t r e n g t h E ( t ) i n t h e c e n t e r o f t h e s e n s o r . The f i b e r o p t i c d a t a t r a n s m i s s i o n l i n k has a b a n d w i d t h o f a b o u t
25 MHz w h i c h c o r r e s p o n d s t o a r i s e t i m e o f a b o u t 15 n s .
The l o w e r c u t o f f f r e q u e n c y i s a b o u t 10 Hz and t h e
dynamic r a n g e i s 46 dB.
To i n s t a l l t h e r e c e i v e r i n s t r u m e n t i n s i d e a
m e a s u r i n g c a b i n e t t h e o p t i c a l l i n k can be c o n n e c t e d a t
t h e r e c e i v e r s w i t h o p t i c a l c o n n e c t o r s . The a d j u s t m e n t
o f t h e d a t a l i n k can be done w i t h a t e s t g e n e r a t o r
c o n n e c t e d f o r t h i s p u r p o s e t o t h e s p h e r i c a l s e n s o r . The
power s u p p l y i n t h e s e n s o r i s c o n t r o l l e d w i t h a t r i g g e r
u n i t v i a i t s own o p t i c a l c h a n n e l . The measured d a t a can
be r e c o r d e d w i t h a f a s t s t o r a g e o s c i l l o s c o p e o r a
t r a n s i e n t r e c o r d e r w i t h h i g h s a m p l i n g r a t e . The s e n s o r
i s placed a t t h e measuring p o i n t w i t h i n s u l a t i n g
m a t e r i a l and has t h e r e f o r e no i n f l u e n c e on t h e s i g n a l
t o be measured.
The d e s c r i b e d e l e c t r i c f i e l d s e n s o r can be used
f o r v o l t a g e measurement i f t h e s e n s o r i s c a l i b r a t e d a t

-------------------

w i t h t h e c a l i b r a t i o n f a c t o r k , d e p e n d i n g o n l y on t h e
g e o m e t r i c a l a r r a n g e m e n t . Because o f t h e l o w e r c u t o f f
f r e q u e n c y o f 10 Hz, t h e c a l i b r a t i o n f a c t o r k can be
d e t e r m i n e d w i t h a . c . - v o l t a g e s o f 50 Hz.
The m a i n advantage o f t h i s s e n s o r and i t s a p p l i c a t i o n as a m e a s u r i n g d e v i c e f o r v o l t a g e measurement i s
i t s s m a l l s i z e , t h e d i a m e t e r i s 40 mm, t h e p o t e n t i a l
free
data
transmission
and
the
distortion-free
c o n n e c t i o n t o t h e e l e c t r o d e o f i n t e r e s t , e.g. t o t h e
e n c a p s u l a t i o n o f a G I S d u r i n g a TEV measurement.
F o r t h e TEV measurement a s p e c i a l c a l i b r a t i o n
method was d e v e l o p e d ( F i g . 5 ) . An a . c . - v o l t a g e w i t h a
f r e q u e n c y o f 50 Hz and a c a l i b r a t e d a m p l i t u d e o f 10 kV
i s a p p l i e d t o a c o p p e r f o i l s u r r o u n d i n g t h e GIS encaps u l a t i o n very c l o s e b u t i n s u l a t e d from i t through a
P V C - f o i l . By t h e measurement o f t h e e l e c t r i c f i e l d
s t r e n g t h E, w i t h t h e s p h e r i c a l f i e l d s e n s o r t h e c a l i b r a t i o n f a c t o r k = Uc/E
i s determined. T h i s copper
f o i l i n f l u e n c e s t h e impetance and hence t h e TEV s i g n a l
n e g l i g i b l e , because i t means o n l y a s m a l l d i s c o n t i n u i t y
i n t h e impedance.
I n a d d i t i o n t o t h e a p p l i c a t i o n f o r TEV-measurements t h e s p h e r i c a l e l e c t r i c f i e l d s e n s o r can be
a p p l i e d f o r t h e measurement o f o v e r v o l t a g e s o u t s i d e t h e
G I S f o r example a t a t r a n s f o r m e r b u s h i n g . The c a l i b r a t i o n o f t h e s e n s o r can be done w i t h t h e v o l t a g e
transformer a t the a.c.-operating voltage.

3 . 1 . 2 The c a p a c i t i v e p r o b e
F o r t h e measurement o f VFTs i n s i d e t h e G I S a
c a p a c i t i v e p r o b e w i t h an u p p e r c u t o f f f r e q u e n c y o f
445 MHz was used / 2 1 / .
The c a l i b r a t i o n o f t h i s
c a p a c i t i v e p r o b e i s a l s o p e r f o r m e d b y an a . c . - v o l t a g e .
The p r o b e i s c o n n e c t e d t o t h e o s c i l l o s c o p e v i a an
impedance c o n v e r t e r and a c o a x i a l c a b l e .

3 . 2 . T e s t arrangements
The d e s c r i b e d m e a s u r i n g methods were a p p l i e d t o
two t e s t a r r a n g e m e n t s . The f i r s t one was a 800-kV-SF6gas-insulated p i l o t i n s t a l l a t i o n a t the high voltage
l a b o r a t o r y o f BBC, Z u r i c h , S w i t z e r l a n d . The second one
was
t h e 420-kV-GIS,
Kupferzell,
Energie-Versorgung
Schwaben AG, Germany.

3.2.1 Results w i t h t h e 800-kV-pilot

conductor

F i g . 5: Voltage c a l i b r a t i o n o f t h e s p h e r i c a l e l e c t r i c
f i e l d sensor w i t h a.c.-voltage

installation

The open a i r v i e w o f t h e 8 0 0 - k V - p i l o t i n s t a l l a t i o n
i s shown i n F i g . 6 . The d i s c o n n e c t o r and o t h e r G I S components a r e i n s t a l l e d i n s i d e t h e b u i l d i n g . The SF6bus d u c t i s c o n n e c t e d t o a b u s h i n g . A S F 6 - i n S U l a t e d
zinc-oxide
surge a r r e s t e r
is
l o c a t e d beyond t h e
b u s h i n g . The TEV was measured v e r t i c a l l y beyond t h e
SF bus d u r i n g a CLOSE-operation o f t h e d i s c o n n e c t o r
an a . c . - v o l t a g e o f 8 0 0 / f l kV rms. F i g . 7 shows t h e
r e s u l t s o f t h e TEV-measurement w i t h t h e s p h e r i c a l
e l e c t r i c f i e l d sensor a t d i f f e r e n t distances from the
bus. A t a d i s t a n c e o f 9 cm an e l e c t r i c f i e l d o f 57 kV/m
was measured w i t h a m a i n f r e q u e n c y o s c i l l a t i o n o f
10 MHz ( F i g . 7 ) . I n a d i s t a n c e o f 5 m f r o m t h e bus t h e
e l e c t r i c f i e l d i s a b o u t 5 kV/m, b u t h i g h e r f r e q u e n c i e s
can be o b s e r v e d i n t h e o s c i l l o g r a m . The e l e c t r i c f i e l d

with

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1
2
3
4
5

encapsulation
bushing
surge arrester
building
earthmesh

M measuring point

E
t

SOkVim

1 1 kVlm

F i g . 8: VFT measurement i n s i d e and o u t s i d e o f t h e

b u i l d i n g and t h e G I s d u r i n g a CLOSE-operation
= 800/fl kV
o f t h e d i s c o n n e c t o r a t, , ,U
t h e s t e e p f r o n t o f t h e VFT i s reduced and r e f l e c t i o n s
and r e f r a c t i o n s r e s u l t i n g f r o m t h e i n t e r n a l s t r u c t u r e
can be observed ( F i g . 8 ) .
3.2.2 R e s u l t s w i t h t h e 420-kV-GIS " K u p f e r z e l l "
Fig.

6: 8 0 0 - k V - p i l o t i n s t a l l a t i o n

reduces w i t h a b o u t 1 / R , as can be e x p e c t e d f r o m t h e o r y
( F i g . 7 ) . I n F i g . 8 measurements a r e shown w i t h t h e
e l e c t r i c f i e l d sensor a t t h e same d i s t a n c e R f r o m t h e
b u t l o c a t e d i n s i d e and o u t s i d e t h e
bus ( 9 cm),
b u i l d i n g . The b u i l d i n g c o n s i s t s o f a m e t a l l i c mesh
c o n n e c t e d t o t h e e n c a p s u l a t i o n o f t h e bus and t o
ground. The damping e f f e c t o f t h e m e t a l l i c mesh can be
seen ( F i g . 8 ) .
Additionally
Fig.
8 presents
the
measured VFT i n s i d e t h e G I S a f t e r a d i s c o n n e c t o r
o p e r a t i o n . The VFT a t t h e source has a s t e e p f r o n t o f 4
t o 7 ns / 1 5 / . A t some d i s t a n c e f r o m t h e d i s c o n n e c t o r

701

I \

iok

ioons

*\-="

0 1
RGIS

R-

F i g . 7: Measured magnitude o f t h e v e r t i c a l e l e c t r i c
f i e l d component beyond t h e 800-kV-SF6-gas
i n s u l a t e d bus d u c t v e r s u s d i s t a n c e d u r i n g a
disconnector operation a t service voltage
800 / fl kV

Measurements w i t h t h e m e a s u r i n g d e v i c e d e s c r i b e d
above have been p e r f o r m e d i n t h e 4 2 0 - k V - s u b s t a t i o n
KUPFERZELL o f t h e E n e r g i e - V e r s o r g u n g Schwaben AG (EVS),
S t u t t g a r t , West Germany. The G I s KUPFERZELL i s conn e c t e d t o t h e 420-kV-West European power t r a n s m i s s i o n
network and i s l o c a t e d i n t h e s o u t h w e s t e r n p a r t o f
Germany. To g e n e r a t e v e r y f a s t t r a n s i e n t s i n t h i s
s u b s t a t i o n t h e second bus d u c t was s w i t c h e d on w i t h t h e
d i s c o n n e c t o r s w i t c h . Measurements have been p e r f o r m e d
a t d i f f e r e n t p o i n t s i n t h e system. F i g . 9 shows t h e
arrangement o f t h e s u b s t a t i o n and t h e l o c a t i o n of
measuring p o i n t s 1 and 2. The o p e r a t e d d i s c o n n e c t o r was
i n s i d e t h e b u i l d i n g . F o r t h e o v e r v o l t a g e measurement a t
t h e t r a n s f o r m e r bushing t h e s p h e r i c a l e l e c t r i c f i e l d
sensor was p l a c e d n e a r t h e t r a n s f o r m e r a t a d i s t a n c e
f r o m t h e t o p o f t h e b u s h i n g o f a b o u t 3 m. The cal i b r a t i o n o f t h e sensor f o r t h i s measurement was done
w i t h t h e a . c . - o p e r a t i n g v o l t a g e U, = 420 k V . F i g . 10
shows t h e r e c o r d e d s i g n a l s . I t can be o b s e r v e d t h a t a t
t h e t r a n s f o r m e r o v e r v o l t a g e s o f a b o u t 170 X ( 1 . 7 P . u . )
o f t h e o p e r a t i n g v o l t a g e were measured. The f r e q u e n c i e s
o f t h e o s c i l l a t i o n s a r e a b o u t 10-20 MHz.
The main aim o f t h e measurements p e r f o r m e d i n
KUPFERZELL was t o measure t h e t r a n s i e n t e l e c t r i c f i e l d s
o u t s i d e t h e e n c l o s u r e caused b y d i s c o n n e c t o r o p e r a t i o n
i n a r e a l s u b s t a t i o n . The e l e c t r i c f i e l d s were measured
a t d i f f e r e n t distances from the encapsulation i n s i d e
t h e b u i l d i n g ( F i g . 11). The b u i l d i n g has no s p e c i a l
s c r e e n i n g hence t h e damping o f t h e t r a v e l l i n g wave
coming f r o m t h e b u s h i n g i s s m a l l . The a m p l i t u d e o f t h e
f i e l d s t r e n g t h n e a r b y t h e e n c a p s u l a t i o n i s a b o u t 20
kV/m. A rough c a l c u l a t i o n leads t o a t r a n s i e n t enclosu r e v o l t a g e o f a b o u t 70 kV. From t h e o s c i l l o g r a m s i t
can be deduced t h a t t h e a m p l i t u d e o f t h e e l e c t r i c f i e l d
s t r e n g t h i s reduced w i t h i n c r e a s i n g d i s t a n c e t o t h e enc a p s u l a t i o n b u t i t does n o t v a n i s h n e a r t h e e a r t h s y s tem. A t l a r g e r d i s t a n c e s t h e f r e q u e n c y i n c r e a s e s f r o m
10-20 MHz n e a r t h e e n c a p s u l a t i o n t o 30-40 MHz n e a r t h e
e a r t h because o f m u l t i p l e r e f l e c t i o n s i n t h e e a r t h i n g

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I,

F i g . 9: S F 6 - s w i t c h g e a r K u p f e r z e l l / E V S :
arrangement, m e a s u r i n g p o i n t s 1,2
.3m

system ( F i g . 1 1 ) . T h i s i s comparable t o t h e r e s u l t s o f
t h e measurements w i t h t h e 8 0 0 - k V - p i l o t i n s t a l l a t i o n . I n
t h a t case h i g h e r f r e q u e n c i e s can a l s o be o b s e r v e d i n
t h e o s c i l l o g r a m taken a t a l o c a t i o n near t o t h e e a r t h
(Fig. 7).

F7
F i g . 11: E l e c t r i c f i e l d o u t s i d e t h e S F 6 - e n c a p s u l a t i o n
( p o i n t 2) i n d i f f e r e n t d i s t a n c e s ( 2 I - 2)
from the encapsulation

a.

t-

b.

t-

F i g . 10: O v e r v o l t a g e s a t t h e 4 2 0 - k V - t r a n s f o r m e r b u s h i n g
a f t e r a disconnector operation i n the G I s
(measuring p o i n t 1 o f F i g . 9)
a. t i m e d e f l e c t i o n 500 n s / d i v
b. t i m e d e f l e c t i o n 50 n s / d i v

4. C o n c l u s i o n

t h e b u i l d i n g . Thus t h e t r a n s i e n t v o l t a g e o f t h e encaps u l a t i o n o f a G I S i n s i d e a b u i l d i n g can be r e d u c e d t o

acceptable values.
Acknowledgement
The a u t h o r s w o u l d l i k e t o thank t h e E n e r g i e V e r s o r g u n g Schwaben AG f o r a l l o w i n g t h e p e r f o r m a n c e of
measurements i n K u p f e r z e l l and e s p e c i a l l y M r . Haug f o r
h i s h e l p d u r i n g t h e measurements.

The measurements p e r f o r m e d show t h a t t h e s p h e r i c a l

e l e c t r i c f i e l d s e n s o r i s an adequate m e a s u r i n g d e v i c e
t o measure o v e r v o l t a g e s and TEVs i n s u b s t a t i o n s .

5. R e f e r e n c e s
Switching
operations
in
a
SF6-gas-insulateds w i t c h g e a r l e a d t o v e r y f a s t t r a n s i e n t phenomena, w h i c h
can be s u b d i v i d e d i n t o i n t e r n a l and e x t e r n a l v e r y f a s t
t r a n s i e n t s . These VFTs s t r e s s t h e e q u i p m e n t i n G I S as
w e l l as t h e s e c o n d a r y equipment.

/1/ G.L. F o r d , S.A.

groundrise i n
A p r i l 1982

Boggs, N. F u j i m o t o : T r a n s i e n t
T r a n s m i s s i o n and D i s t r i b u t i o n ,

GIs.

/2/ N . F u j i m o t o , E.P. D i c k , S . A . Boggs, G.L. F o r d :

The o v e r v o l t a g e s i n s i d e t h e G I S have r i s e t i m e s i n
t h e range o f 4 t o 7 n s . Due t o r e f l e c t i o n s and
r e f r a c t i o n s t h e y have a s u b s t a t i o n d e s i g n dependent
o s c i l l a t i n g waveshape w i t h a m a g n i t u d e up t o 1,5 p.u.
u n d e r c a p a c i t i v e s w i t c h i n g / 8 / and up t o 2,4 p.u. i n
case o f phase o p p o s i t i o n / 1 9 / .
Two k i n d s o f e x t e r n a l v e r y f a s t t r a n s i e n t s can be
o b s e r v e d . The one w h i c h l e a d s t o o v e r v o l t a g e s a t t h e
a d j a c e n t e q u i p m e n t . The m a g n i t u d e o f t h e s e o v e r v o l t a g e s
i s i n t h e r a n g e o f up t o 2 p . u w i t h f r e q u e n c i e s o f
a b o u t 1 0 MHz. The o t h e r phenomenon i s t h e s o c a l l e d TEV
w i t h a m p l i t u d e s o f 1 0 % t o 30 % o f U. and a g a i n w i t h
f r e q u e n c i e s o f 10 t o 20 MHz.
The TEV can be c o n t r o l l e d b y adequate e a r t h i n g o f
t h e b u s h i n g . An a d d i t i o n a l way t o r e d u c e t h e TEV
effectively inside the b u i l d i n g containing a G I s i s the
e a r t h i n g o f t h e i n c o m i n g busses a t t h e e n t r a n c e i n t o

T r a n s i e n t Ground P o t e n t i a l R i s e i n Gas I n s u l a t e d
S u b s t a t i o n - E x p e r i m e n t a l s t u d i e s . I E E E T r a n s . on
PAS, PAS-101, 1982, pp. 3603-3609
/ 3 / E.P. D i c k , N. F u j i m o t o , G.L. F o r d , S . H a r v e y :
T r a n s i e n t Ground P o t e n t i a l R i s e i n Gas I n s u l a t e d
S u b s t a t i o n s - P r o b l e m I d e n t i f i c a t i o n and
M i t i g a t i o n . I E E E T r a n s . on PAS, PAS-101, 1982, pp.
59-66

/ 4 / K. F e s e r , W. P f a f f : A P o t e n t i a l F r e e S p h e r i c a l
Sensor f o r t h e Measurement o f T r a n s i e n t E l e c t r i c
F i e l d s . IEEE T r a n s . on PAS, PAS-102, 1983, pp.
2501-2508
/ 5 / K. F e s e r , W . P f a f f , G. W e y r e t e r , E. Gockenbach:
D i s t o r t i o n - F r e e Measurement o f H i g h I m p u l s e
V o l t a g e s . IEEE /PES, 1987 W i n t e r M e e t i n g New
O r l e a n s 87 WM 177-9

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229
/ 6 / J . M e p p e l i n k : E l e c t r o m a g n e t i c c o m p a t i b i l i t y i n Gas
I n s u l a t e d S w i t c h g e a r . IEEE Montech 86 Conference
on AC Power Systems.Proceedings: C o n f e r e n c e on
Power Systems O c t o b e r 1-3, 1986, No de CAT.
No.TH0152-9.

/ 7 / G.Newi: A High-Impedance, Nanosecond R i s e Time

Probe f o r M e a s u r i n g H i g h V o l t a g e I m p u l s e s . IEEE
T r a n s . on PAS, Vol PAS-87, 1968. pp. 1779-1789

/ 8 / K . F e s e r , H.A. M a i e r : C o n s i d e r a t i o n s r e l a t e d t o
t h e d i e l e c t r i c f i e l d t e s t i n g o f GIS. I n S.A.
Boggs, F.Y. Chun, N. F u j i m o t o ( E d s ) Gas I n s u l a t e d
S u b s t a t i o n s - T e c h n o l o g y and P r a c t i c e . Pergamon
P r e s s , New York, 1986

i n s t r u m e n t a t i o n f o r measurement o f t r a n s i e n t s
i n g a s - i n s u l a t e d s w i t c h g e a r . IEEE T r a n s . on E l . , E l 19, No. 2, 1984, p . 84

/15/ W. W i e g a r t , L . Niemeyer, F. Pinnekamp, W. Boeck,

J . K i n d e r s b e r g e r , R. Morrow, W . Zaengl, M. Zwicky,
J. Gal 1 i m b e r t i , S . Boggs: Inhomogeneous f i e l d
breakdown i n GIS - t h e p r e d i c t i o n o f breakdown
p o s s i b i l i t i e s and v o l t a g e s . IEEE PES W i n t e r
M e e t i n g 1987 New O r l e a n s , WM 192-8
/16/ J. M e p p e l i n k , H. Remde: E l e c t r o m a g n e t i c
C o m p a t i b i l i t y i n GIS S u b s t a t i o n s . Brown B o v e r i
Review No. 9, 1986

/ 1 7 / F . F r e i s i n g e r , M. Muhr, A. D i e s s n e r , H. Schenner:
/ 9 / W . Boeck, W . Taschner, J. G o r a b l e n k o v , G.F. Luxa,
L. Menten: I n s u l a t i n g b e h a v i o u r o f SF6 w i t h and
without S o l i d I n s u l a t i o n i n care o f Fast
T r a n s i e n t s . CIGRE P a r i s , 1986, Paper No. 15-07

/ l o / A.J. D i r e n e , M.P.

Leme, P.C. Neves: F a i l u r e s o f a

500 kV b u s h i n g c o n n e c t e d t o gas i n s u l a t e d
s w i t c h g e a r . Paper p r e s e n t e d a t t h e 5 0 t h Annual
I n t e r n a t i o n a l Conference o f Doble C l i e n t s , A p r i l
1983

/11/ F.Y. Chu and S.A. Boggs: G a s - i n s u l a t e d s u b s t a t i o n

r e l i a b i l i t y s u r v e y e d . T r a n s m i s s i o n and
D i s t r i b u t i o n , J a n u a r y 1983

F i e l d Measurements o f F a s t T r a n s i e n t V o l t a g e s i n
t h e 420 kV-GIS Wien Sued. CIGRE-Symposium, Wien,
1987, 5.-7. Mai

/18/ D . K o n i g , G. Imgrund, C . Neumann, K . Maatz, L.

Schiweck: Vorgange b e i m S c h a l t e n k l e i n e r
k a p a z i t i v e r Strome m i t S F 6 - i s o l i e r t e n , m e t a l l g e k a p s e l t e n T r e n n s c h a l t e r n i m 110 kV-Netz und i h r e
S i m u l a t i o n i m Hochspannungslaboratorium.
E l e k t r i z i t a t s w i r t s c h a f t 85, 1986, H . 4 pp. 131-138
/19/ A. E d l i n g e r and a l . : D i s c o n n e c t o r s w i t c h i n g o f
C h a r g i n g C u r r e n t q i n M e t a l E n c l o s e d SFg-GaS
I n s u l a t e d S w i t c h g e a r a t EHV. CIGRE P a r i s , 1984,
Paper No. 13-14

/ 1 2 / S.M.

H a r v e y : C o n t r o l w i r i n g t r a n s i e n t s and
e l e c t r o m a g n e t i c c o m p a t i b i l i t y i n GIS. I n S.A.
Boggs, F.Y. Chun and N. F u j i m o t o ( E d s ) Gas
I n s u l a t e d S u b s t a t i o n s - T e c h n o l o g y and P r a c t i c e .
Pergamon P r e s s , New York, 1986.

/13/ N. F u j i m o t o , S.A. Boggs: C h a r a c t e r i s t i c s o f GIS

Disconnector-Induced Short Risetime Transients
I n c i d e n t on E x t e r n a l l y Connected Power System
Components. IEEE PES W i n t e r M e e t i n g , New O r l e a n s ,
1987, Paper No. 87 WM 185-2

/ 1 4 / S.A. Boggs, N. F u j i m o t o : T e c h n i q u e s and

K u r t F e s e r was b o r n on December 10, 1938 i n

G a r m i s c h - P a r t e n k i r c h e n , F.R. Germany. From 1958 t o 1963
he s t u d i e d E l e c t r i c a l E n g i n e e r i n g a t t h e T e c h n i c a l
U n i v e r s i t y o f Munich, f i n i s h i n g w i t h t h e " D i p l o m I n g e n i e u r " . A f t e r a y e a r w i t h Brown B o v e r i and C i e AG
i n Mannheim, Germany, he j o i n e d t h e h i g h v o l t a g e
i n s t i t u t e o f t h e U n i v e r s i t y o f Munich.
I n 1970 he r e c e i v e d h i s D r . - I n g . f r o m t h e U n i v e r s i t y o f Munich, and i n 1971 he j o i n e d H a e f e l y & C i e AG,
B a s e l , S w i t z e r l a n d as c h i e f d e v e l o p m e n t e n g i n e e r f o r
high voltage
t e s t equipment.
From 1980 he was
responsible a t Haefely & Cie f o r capacitors,
high
v o l t a g e t e s t e q u i p m e n t and a c c e l e r a t o r s and was as
d i r e c t o r member o f t h e e x e c u t i v e b o a r d o f H a e f e l y .
D u r i n g 1977 t o 1980 D r . F e s e r was member o f t h e b o a r d
o f D i r e c t o r s o f American H i g h V o l t a g e T e s t Systems,
Accident, Maryland.
In April
1982 he j o i n e d t h e U n i v e r s i t y o f
S t u t t g a r t as head o f t h e power t r a n s m i s s i o n and h i g h
v o l t a g e i n s t i t u t e . P r o f . F e s e r i s a member o f IEEE, VDE
and CIGRE, c h a i r m a n o f CIGRE WG 33-03 " H i g h v o l t a g e
t e s t t e c h n i q u e " and a u t h o r o f a b o u t 100 p a p e r s .

/ 2 0 / J.P. Reynders, J . M e p p e l i n k : C h a r a c t e r i s t i c s o f
D i s c o n n e c t S w i t c h T r a n s i e n t s and C o n t r o l o f t h e
Consequent E l e c t r o m a g n e t i c I n t e r f e r e n c e . Open
C o n f e r e n c e on EHV T r a n s m i s s i o n Systems and
M e e t i n g s o f S t u d y Committees 22 and 23,
19-21 O c t o b e r 1987, Johannesburg, S o u t h A f r i c a

/ 2 1 / J. M e p p e l i n k , P. H o f e r : D e s i g n and C a l i b r a t i o n o f
a H i g h V o l t a g e D i v i d e r f o r Measurement o f V e r y
F a s t T r a n s i e n t s i n Gas I n s u l a t e d S w i t c h g e a r .
5. I n t . Symposium o n H i g h V o l t a g e E n g i n e e r i n g ,
1987, Braunschweig, Paper No. 71.08

Wolfgang R . P f a f f was b o r n i n S t u t t g a r t , F.R.

Germany, on May 20, 1955. He r e c e i v e d t h e D i p 1 . - I n g .
f r o m t h e U n i v e r s i t y o f S t u t t g a r t i n 1982.
S i n c e 1982 he i s w i t h t h e power t r a n s m i s s i o n and
high voltage i n s t i t u t e o f the University o f Stuttgart,
S t u t t g a r t , Germany.
H i s c u r r e n t r e s e a r c h e s a r e c o n c e r n e d w i t h t h e EMP,
e l e c t r i c f i e l d c a l c u l a t i o n s and m e a s u r i n g p r o b l e m s i n
h i g h v o l t a g e t e c h n o l o g y . M r . P f a f f i s a member o f VDE.
Jan M e p p e l i n k was b o r n on A p r i l 2 4 , 1950 i n Fed.
Rep. o f Germany. He r e c e i v e d h i s D i p 1 . - I n g . i n 1978 and
h i s Dr.-Ing.
i n 1984 f r o m T e c h n i c a l U n i v e r s i t y o f
B e r l i n . S i n c e 1984 h e i s head o f H i g h V o l t a g e and EMC
Engineering i n
BBC
Brown
Boveri
Ltd,.
Zurich,
Switzerland.
K a r l J o s e f D i e d e r i c h was b o r n on November 16, 1949
i n Fed. Rep. o f Germany. He r e c e i v e d h i s D i p 1 . - I n g . i n
1979 and h i s D r . - I n g .
i n 1985 f r o m Aachen T e c h n i c a l
U n i v e r s i t y . S i n c e 1985 he i s Member o f t h e Development
D e p t . f o r H i g h V o l t a g e S w i t c h g e a r w i t h BBC Brown
Boveri Ltd., Zurich, Switzerland.

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230
Discussion

N. Fujimoto and G. L. Ford (Ontario Hydro Research, Toronto, ON,

Canada): The paper gives an overview of very fast transient (VFT)
phenomena in CIS, reviews the mechanisms of some aspects of VFT and
presents some measurements in actual CIS. We are encouraged that the
results and conclusions presented in the paper, in general, support our own
data and conclusions published some years ago (paper reference [ 1]-[3],
discussion reference [I]). Although we agree with the general conclusions
of the paper, we identified some specific inconsistencies in the paper which
should be addressed. We ask the authors to comment on these points and,
where appropriate, clarify or elaborate on their point of view as presented in
the paper.
Section 2.2.1 is a discussion of transient enclosure voltage (TEV), which
is also known as transient groundrise (TGR) or transient ground potential
rise (TGPR). in this section, an equation is given which relates the TEV
voltage, uk to the peak of the phase-to-ground operating voltage, U,. This
equation implies, as also indicated in previous publications, a specific
relationship between an internally propagating traveling wave incident on
the bushing and the voltage coupled onto the enclosure as TEV. This
relationship is based on traveling wave effects as indicated by the
dependencies on the various characteristic impedances. The equation, as
presented in the paper, apparently assumes the statement in the previous
paragraph that the initial transient is a traveling wave of 0.5 pu. This
assumes that the surge impedances on either side of the disconnector (DS)
are equivalent, that there are no trapped charges, and the DS intercontact
voltage is 1 pu. However, this is not always true. For instance, for a DS at a
T junction, the impedance on one side of the DS is half of that on the
other and the traveling wave generated on the higher impedance side has a
magnitude of 67 percent of the DS intercontact voltage. If the intercontact
voltage is 2.0 pu, which is possible under some conditions such as phase
opposition switching, then the traveling wave will have a magnitude of 1.33
pu. The equation for Uk must then be adjusted by a factor of 2.67. In
addition, the experiment described in Fig. 4 injects a pulse of magnitude U.
between the phase conductor and ground. In this case, a traveling wave of 1
pu (1 pu = UO)is generated and the equation should be adjusted by a factor
of 2. The equation is better stated as a relationship between the TEV
magnitude and the magnitude of the traveling wave, Ul which is easily
accomplished by adding a scaling factor of 2. The equation then becomes

In the example which follows in the paper, the equation is used to

estimate TEV magnitudes. The value of the characteristic impedance of the
CIS enclosure above earth, Z,, is stated to be in the range of 60-20 0.
However, for a CIS enclosure of radius r and a height-to-center h, the
characteristic impedance can be calculated with an equation found in most
electromagnetic textbooks.
Zk-60

. cos k l ( h / r )

For 500-kV class GIS, r is usually in the range of 25-30 cm. Therefore,
for a relatively low height of about 1.5 m, z k is in the range of 150 Q. To
achieve the 20-60 0 suggested by the authors, the CIS bus needs to be just a
few centimeters above the ground. Otherwise, a low value of z k could be
interpreted as a composite impedance which takes into account the
influence of ground leads, support structures, etc. However, this point is
not made in the paper.
In the concluding remarks of Section 2.2.1, an observation is made that
the initial rise of the TEV is considerably reduced from that of the
internal VFT. Although the measurements presented in the paper support
this statement, we caution against the following statement that this effect is
typical. Our own measurements of TEV (paper reference [2]) indicated a
much faster risetime in the range of 10 ns. The reasons for this discrepancy
can be several, including the geometry and construction of the bushing
assembly (for instance, gas bushing or condenser type), the bus support
structures, and ground leads. In addition, the graph shown in Fig. 4(d)
could be misunderstood. The TEV distribution along the bus is shown to
have a maximum at some point midway on the bus. This is presumably
caused by some standing wave phenomena resulting from the limited
dimensions of the laboratory setup. Measurements in actual GIS (paper
reference [2]) indicate clearly, as predicted by theory, that TEV originates
at the bushing and is generally highest at that point. Because the
transmission mode along the enclosure is lossy, TEV magnitudes are less
severe as the distance from the bushing increases. Our own measurements
in GIS with an enclosure about 1 m above grade indicate an attenuation in
the range of 0.3 db/m for transient propagating away from the bushing.

The authors mention in the conclusions that TEV can be controlled with
adequate earthing of the bushing, although a discussion of adequacy
is lacking in this context. More robust grounding leads, for instance, might
only slightly reduce TEV levels because the ground lead, no matter of what
size, is a vertical transmission line with finite transit time and relatively high
surge impedance for ns-risetime transients. As discussed thoroughly in the
papers references [1]-131, effective grounding requires the use of very
short leads or grounding arrangments with very low surge impedances. The
connection of CIS busses to an earthing mesh incorporated in the wall of
station buildings, as discussed in the paper, is an example of a low-surge
impedance ground connection. Such a connection can be effective in
reducing the propagation of TEV into the station building if properly
implemented. Some of the parameters of such an implementation are
discussed at length in the papers reference [3] and discussion reference [ 11.
Circumstantial evidence seems to indicate that the startle effect from
unexpected shocks is probably the greater concern for safety rather than the
direct physiological hazard. With careful design, TEV voltages can be
reduced to acceptable levels. Although previous research has addressed the
question of acceptability for problems related to electromagnetic interference [2], the adequacy of fundamental physiological knowledge to define
acceptability from a personnel safety point of view has been the subject
of practical concern [3]. Can the authors suggest acceptable levels in terms
of peak TEV voltage, transient body current, TEV energy, or some other
relevant parameters and their basis in terms of documented scientific
research?
References
Study of fault-produced overvoltages as related to grounding
practices for SF6-insulated substations, Canadian Electrical Association Reserach Report 071T101, Mar. 1982.
S. Harvey, Control wiring transients and electromagnetic compatibility in GIS, in S. A. Boggs, F. Y. Chu, and N. Fujimoto (Eds.)
Gas-Insulated Substations, Technology and Practice, Pergamon
Press; New York, 1986.
G. L. Ford and L. A. Geddes, Transient ground potential rise in gasinsulated substations-Assessment of shock hazard, IEEE Trans.
PowerApp. Syst., vol. PAS-101, no. 10, Oct. 1982.
Manuscript received February 18, 1988.

Ernst Gockenbach (E. Haefely, Basel, Switzerland): The authors are

congratulated for their contribution to the problem of very fast transients in
GIS. Up to now the different Standards, e.g., ANSI, IEEE, IEC, VDE, and
others recommend the lightning impulse voltage level as the basic insulation
level. But very fast transients are well known in the past and all
manufacturers of GIS have taken into account the consequences of fast
transients during the development of GIS.
The measuring techniques of fast transients are well developed and
computer simulations are under study, as already mentioned by the authors.
Due to the importance of very fast transients, the WG 03 high voltage test
and measuring technique of Study Committee 33, Overvoltages and
Insulation Coordination, of CIGRE is also dealing with the fast transients
as a preferential subject. Within this year a contribution of the WG
members will be prepared for the next meeting in September in which the
origin of fast transients and its consequences and the different measuring
devices and its calibration and measuring results will be described. The
purpose of this CIGRE work is to give an overview on the present
knowledge of fast transients and its measuring technique and to use it as a
basis for future standards.
The authors have shown that with new measuring devices such as the
spherical field probe and the capacitive probe, the fast transients can be
measured inside and outside of a GIS. But in both cases the calibration of
the measuring device is difficult and needs some precautions. For only
electrical field or voltage shape measurement, the analog data transmission
via fiber optic line should be calibrated or adjusted. For this purpose the
receiver has a built-in calibrator which is battery-powered and can be used
in the measuring position of the electrical field probe. For voltage amplitude
measurements, an addithnal calibration is necessary which can be carried
out at lower frequency, e.g., at 50 or 60 Hz. In case of fast transient
measurements in a power system under service, the well known power
frequency voltage can be used directly for amplitude calibration.
At least it would be very interesting to have the authors comment on the
necessary bandwith for the measurement of very fast transients. Is a
bandwith of about 25 MHz for the spherical electrical field probe sufficient
or should the it be higher, up to 100 MHz, and can the existing measuring
equipment be extended?
Manuscript received February 22, 1988

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23 1

Leslie C. Campbell (University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, United Kingdom): The authors have described a most useful arrangement to measure the
transient E fields associated with disconnector operations, both inside and
outside the GIS enclosures. In several European GIs installations the
insulated but earthed section of GIS passing through an externally mounted
current transformer has experienced sparking between its flanged ends and
the flanges of other GIS sections adjacent to it. Would the authors indicate
how their model, shown in Fig. 3, could be modified to represent this
insulated section of GIS and also give typical values for c k and Lk?
Have the authors undertaken measurements of the field adjacent to such
an arrangement and, if so, can they comment on whether it is the fast
fronted internal waveform which results in the flashover between the
insulated flanges, or the slower external waveform shown in Fig. 4(c)
which is responsible?
Calculations carried out on a MESH-connected 420-kV substation have
indicated that overvoltages of less than 3 pu can be expected, even when
including 1 pu trapped charge [I]. These studies have identified transient
voltages with frequencies in the 0.7-80-MHz range. A typical trace is
shown in Fig. 1, where three distinct frequency components are evident.
Have similar frequencies been obtained by the authors and do the external
waves in general have lower or non-frequency components? Also, have the
authors measured disconnector switch overvoltages greater than this and, if
so, could they comment on the reasons for such large overvoltages?

Our aim in this contribution is to support

such measurement techniques and to present a
practical application in a large opexational
765 kV GIS [l], [2]. In addition, using such
measurements as a reference, we illustrate
the
complementary use of
sophisticated
computer simulations as an efficient means of
determining overall VFT characteristics in
extensive
and complex GIS installations,
(thereby taking account of the variety of
switching permutations).
1
depicts
a
sample
switching
Figure
configuration in the 1 6 5 kV GIS concerned.
(GIS bus lengths of more than 200 m are
involved).
IwClOR

765 KV LINE

Fig. 1: Sample l a y o u t in 765 kV GIS

D: operated disconnect switch
M: VFT measurement location

that
A capacitive VFT probe similar to
described by the authors was located at the
point M. (In fact, a number of such probes
have been installed permanently in
this
particular GIS).

Id0

1 - 3

r--T

IO

l1OZ

Tlnt I u 1

Fig. 1. Frequency components of GIS voltage transient.

Figure
2
depicts
the
resultant
VFT
characteristics recorded at this position,
during operation of the disconnect. In this
case, the VFT are relatively complex - due to
the coupling across the open circuit-breaker
grading
capacitor,
and because of
the
impedance
transitions
at
the
bushing
interface to the overhead line.
000.

Reference

[I]

J. Lewis et al., Disconnector operations in GIS insulated substations. Overvoltage studies and tests associated with 420kV installation. To be published, CERE, August 1988.

Manuscript received February 25, 1988.

G. MAUTHE, A.J. ERIKSSON, and J.GRANDL.

(ABB Asea
Brown
Boveri
AG,
Zurich,
Switzerland).

2ool I
0

The authors of this paper have demonstrated

the use of wide-band capacitive probes as
means of characterising VFT during disconnect
GIS
switching
operations
in
sample
installations.

..

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

nanoseconds

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232

By way of contrast, Figure 3 depicts the VFT

characteristics computed at the same position
in a
computerised simulation of the above
switching configuration.
aooi

?
200

0.

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

nanoseconds

t o be t a k e n i n t o a c c o u n t t h r o u g h t h e
response f a c t o r m e n t i o n e d i n t h e p a p e r .

substation

The impedance o f one phase o f t h e G I S e n c l o s u r e

above e a r t h can be c o n s i d e r e d as a s i m p l e l i n e above
t h e e a r t h i n g system as done by t h e d i s c u s s o r s . B u t i n
r e a l i t y each e n c a p s u l a t i o n o f t h e o t h e r phases have
t o be c o n s i d e r e d . These r e d u c e t h e impedance zk
s i g n i f i c a n t l y . I n o u r paper ( F i g . 4 ) measurements a r e
shown f o r a s i m p l e t e s t arrangeinent where t h e TEV
amplitude i s higher i n a c e r t a i n distance from the
b u s h i n g . Such h i g h e r a m p l i t u d e s zan o c c u r a l s o i n
r e a l substations through the superposition o f the
t r a v e l l i n g wave phenomena. TEV a m p l i t u d e s can be
reduced s i g n i f i c a n t l y b y "adequate e a r t h i n g "
as
e x p l a i n e d a g a i n by t h e d i s c u s s o r s .
S c i e n t i f i c r e s e a r c h on t h e e F f e c t s o f VFT-s on
t h e human body a r e n o t known. A c c e p t a b l e e x i s t i n g
values i n t h e standards ( v o l t a g e s , c u r r e n t s , e l e c t r i c
o r m a g n e t i c f i e l d s ) c o v e r t h e power f r e q u e n c y range
as we1 1 as t h e microwave r a n g e .

-2001

A so c a l l e d "go o r no go" t e s t was p e r f o r m e d by

3 . Meppelink p u b l i s h e d i n / 2 / . I n t h i s t e s t t h e t e s t

Fig. 3: Comparative computed VFT waveform

p e r s o n exposed h i s body u s i n g an i r o n r o d i n h i s hand

t o an e l e c t r o d e w i t h a v o l t a g e o f 30 kV o s c i l l a t i n g
w i t h a f r e q u e n c y o f 1 MHz. C u r r e n t and v o l t a g e d r o p
was measured d u r i n g t h e t e s t w h i l e t h e t e s t p e r s o n
was s t a n d i n g i n a c o n t a i n e r i n o r d e r t o measure t h e
s t r a y c u r r e n t s , t o o . C u r r e n t s w i t h peak a m p l i t u d e s up
t o 35 A and s t e a d y s t a t e c u r r e n t s o f some ampere were
measured.

Once such a computer model is available, it

is of course very simple to determine the
related VFT characteristics at a variety of
alternative locations in the GIs - where
measurements may no longer be possible.
The
computational models used foi
this
purpose
have
been
developed
in
an
evolutionary approach, which incllided basic
circuit
analysis and low voltage
pulse
response
measurements on individual
GIS
components, as well as transfzr response
studies in complex layouts - both analytical
and empirical [2].
We
have found that the combination
of
specialised measuring systems - such as those
presented by the authors - together with
modern computational procedures, provides an
optimised
and cost-effective approach to
characterising
VFT
in
practical
GIs
installations.
and Brinzer R. "World's first
[l] Lohmann V .
800 kV GIS substation"
Brown Boveri Review, Vol. 74 No 10, Oct. 1988
121 Grand1 J . Eriksson A., et al; "Studies of
very fast transients (VFT) in a 765 kV
subst at ion"
CIGRE Paper 1988 33-12, Paris, Aug/Sept 1 9 8 8 .
Manuscript received February 29, 1988.

J . M e p p e l i n k , K . D i e d e r i c h , K . F e s e r , W. P f a f f :
The a u t h o r s a p p r e c i a t e t h e v a l u a b l e c o n t r i b u t i o n s
p r o v i d e d by t h e d i f f e r e n t d i s c u s s o r s . T h e i r comments
g i v e some f u r t h e r i n f o r m a t i o n a b o u t t h e s u b j e c t and
i n a d d i t i o n an e x c e l l e n t o p p o r t u n i t y t o c l a r i f y some
ooints.
The c o n t r i b u t i o n s by N. F u j i m o t o , and G . L . F o r d
a r e v e r y much a p p r e c i a t e d . I t i s c o r r e c t , t h a t t h e
i n i t i a l v a l u e o f t h e a m p l i t u d e o f t h e t r a v e l l i n a wave
i n d u c e d by d i s c o n n e c t o r o p e r a t i o n i n a r e a l subs t a t i o n dspends on t h e g e o m e t r i c a l arrangement. The
i n f l u e n c e o f such s u b s t a t i o n - d e p e n d e n t r e l a t i o n s has

F u r t h e r more t h e d a i l y exposure o f humans t o

e l e c t r o s t a t i c d i s c h a r g e s up t o 20 kV d e m o n s t r a t e s t h e
w i t h s t a n d c a p a b i l i t y t o f a s t t r a n s i e n t v o l t a g e s . From
o u r p o i n t o f view no r i s k f o r t h e h e a l t h e x i s t s by
t h e exposure t o TEV-s f o r human b e i n g s .
Some " s u r p r i s i n g " e f f e c t s may be t a k e n i n t o
account f o r
t h e employees
i n s u b s t a t i o n s when
t o u c h i n g t h e e n c a p s u l a t i o n i n case o f TEV. I n most o f
t h e p r a c t i c a l s i t u a t i o n s r e p a i r o r maintenance t a k e s
p l a c e on equipment l o c a t e d n e a r g r o u n d where t h e
magnitude o f TEV i s low compared t o t h e magnitude a t
t h e equipment p l a c e d o u t s i d e t h e s w i t c h g e a r b u i l d i n g .
I f employees a r e w o r k i n g a t t h e bus d u c t o r b u s h i n g
t h e p a r t i c u l i a r bus has t o be d e e n e r g i z e d and
t h e r e f o r e t h e e f f e c t o f TEV i s reduced s i n c e o n l y t h e
TEV r e s u l t i n g f r o m f a r l o c a t e d o t h e r d i s c o n n e c t o r s
can o c c u r . F u r t h e r m o r e t h e employees have t o use
s a f e t y b e l t s o r s i m i l a r a i d s t o p r e v e n t f a l l i n g down.
T h e r e f o r e i n most cases " s u r p r i s i n g " e f f e c t s w i l l n o t
l e a d t o a severe a c c i d e n t .

E. Gockenbach m e n t i o n s some i n t e r e s t i n g h i n t s on
present
international
efforts
i n standardisation
e s p e c i a l l y f r o m t h e work o f C I G R E WG 33-03.
F o r t h e measurement o f t h e VFT phenomena i n s i d e
t h e G I s a b a n d w i d t h up t o more t h a n 100 MHz /21! i s
n e c e s s a r y t o r e c e i v e t h e whole i n f o r m a t i o n . F o r t h e
measurement o f t h e c h a r a c t e r i s t i c TEV v a l u e s l i k e t h e
r i s e t i m e o r t h e main o s c i l l a t i n g f r e q u e n c i e s a measu r i n g system w i t h a b a n d w i d t h o f 2 5 MHz i s s u f f i c i e n t . I n s p e c i f i c cases o s c i l l a t i o n s w i t h h i g h e r
f r e q u e n c i e s b u t v e r y s m a l l a m p l i t u d e s can be measured
(see F i g . 11 o r / 1 7 / ) . F o r t h e measurement o f t h e s e
t r a n s i e n t s a s p h e r i c a l e l e c t r i c f i e l d sensor w i t h an
analog b a n d w i d t h o f 100 MHz has been developed / l / .
R e f e r r i n g t o t h e q u e s t i o n s o f L. C . Campbell
i n s u l a t e d p a r t s c o n n e c t e d b y s t r i p s can be t a k e n i n t o
c o n s i d e r a t i o n . The m e n t i o n e d model ( F i g . 3 ) has t o be
modified according t o the d e t a i l e d construction. I n
many p r a c t i c a l cases t h e s e p a r t s can be m o d e l l e d by

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233
i n d u c t a n c e s . The c h a r a c t e r i s t i c v a l u e s o f ck and Lk
a r e depending s t r o n g l y on t h e s p e c i f i c d e s i g n o f t h e
GIS as m e n t i o n e d above. E s p e c i a l l y t h e e a r t h system
e . g . t h e i n d u c t a n c e o f t h e s u p p o r t s t r u c t u r e and t h e
s c r e e n i n g e l e m e n t s have i n f l u e n c e on t h e a m p l i t u d e s
and f r e a u e n c i e s o f t h e TEV.
I n t h e e q u i p m e n t m a n u f a c t u r e d by ABB t h e gap
necessary f o r c u r r e n t transformers i s b u i l t i n s i d e
t h e e n c l o s u r e . The c o r e i s c o v e r e d b y a c o n d u c t i v e
s h i e l d . The i n t e r n a l gap can be d e s i g n e d t h a t no
s p a r k i n g o c c u r s . To p r e v e n t c u r r e n t f l o w t h r o u g h t h e
i r o n v e s s e l o f t r a n s f o r m e r s i t i s o f t e n i n use t o
i n s u l a t e t h e e n c a p s u l a t i o n . I n t h i s c3se s p a r k i n g
m i g h t o c c u r caused b y i n t e r n a l VFT. K e t a l o x i d e
a r r e s t e r s can be used t o p r e v e n t t h o s e s p a r k s .
The c a l c u l a t e d m a g n i t u d e and f r e q u e n c i e s o f VFT
d u r i n g d i s c o n n e c t o r o p e r a t i o n depends on t h e modell i n g o f t h e i n d i v i d u a l G I S components and t h e assumed
e l e c t r i c a l p a r a m e t e r s as t r a p p e d c h a r g e , phase oppos i t i o n etc.
From o u r e x p e r i e n c e we can c o n f i r m t h e t y p i c a l
v a l u e s f o r VFT-s m e n t i o n e d by C. L. Campbell. I n
practice the overvoltages are normally less than
2 . 4 ?.U.
and t h e h i g h e s t f r e q u e n c i e s l e s s t h a n
100 MHz as a l s o r e p o r t e d i n many o t h e r p u b l i c a t i o n s .
E x t e r n a l VFT- s have l o w e r f r e q u e n c i e s t h a n i n t e r n a l
VFT- s .
G. Wauthe, A . J . E r r i c s o n ,
and J . Grand1 g i v e
interesting
additional
information
for
a
real
765 kV G I S . The a u t h o r s a g r e e c o m p l e t e l y t o t h e

p r o p o s a l o f c o m b i n i n g measurements and c a l c u l a t i o n s .
Measurements can be p e r f o r m e d f o r example w I LII
permanently b u i l t - i n c a p a c i t i v e v o l t a g e sensors.
Especially f o r the investigations o f the internal
VFT-s t h e approach d e s c r i b e d i n t h i s d i s c u s s i o n i s a
convenient
solution
because t h e m a i n l y
coaxial
i n t e r n a l s t r u c t u r e o f t h e G I S can be m o d e l l e d
adequate. As shown t h e v a l i d i t y o f t h e c a l c u l a t i o n s
can be c o n t r o l l e d t h r o u g h measurements a t a few
points.
To c h a r a c t e r i z e t h e TEV phenomena i t i s much more
c o m p l i c a t e d t o model t h e c h a r a c t e r i s t i c components
w i t h t h e i r d i s t r i b u t e d impedances e s p e c i a l l y i n t h e
e a r t h i n g system. T h e r e f o r e measurements w i t h adequate
measuring devices l i k e t h e s p h e r i c a l e l e c t r i c sensor
a r e good t o o l s t o s t u d y t h e phenomena and t o d e v e l o p
a c c e p t a b l e models f o r t h e c a l c u l a t i o n .

Reference:
/1/
W . P f a f f : A c c u r a c y o f a S p e r i c a l Sensor f o r t h e
Measurement of T h r e e d i m e n s i o n a l E l e c t r i c F i e l d s .
F i f t h I n t e r n a t i o n a l Symposium on H i g h V o l t a g e
E n g i n e e r i n g , B r a u n s c h w e i g 1987, Paper 32.05
/2/

S. A . Boggs, F . Y . Chun, N . Fujimot.0: Gasi n s u l a t e d S u b s t a t i o n s , T e c h n o l o g y and P r a c t i c e .

Pergamon P r e s s , New York, 1986, pp 161-162.

Manuscript received April 25, 1988.

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