Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering

High Voltage Engineering 2

Electric Field
Andrew Swanson
July 17, 2017
Contents
1 Introduction 2
1.1 Effect of Electric Field on Persons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

2 Electric Field 3
2.1 Definition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2.2 Poissons Equation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2.3 Electric Field in a Coaxial Arrangement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2.4 Electric Field around a Transmission Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2.4.1 Potential Coefficient . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
2.4.2 Equivalent Bundle Radius . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
2.4.3 Example 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2.4.4 Example 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
2.5 Electric Field in a Transformer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
2.5.1 Example 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

1
1 Introduction
Electric fields around high voltage apparatus raise concerns about:
Compliance with regulations and standards

Health and safety.

Partial ionisation leading to corona.
Full ionisation leading to flashover and breakdown.

1.1 Effect of Electric Field on Persons

The International Commission for Non-Ionising Radiation Protection (ICNIRP)
recommends that the electric field experienced by the general public should be
limited to 5 kV/m and to 10 kV/m for working personnel [1]. According to the
World Health Organisation (WHO) the electric fields at power frequency has
no noticeable effect of persons [2]. Above 15 kV/m a person experiences a mild
to severe shock when touching earthed objects or climbing out of a vehicle that
is in an electric field.

Consider a person with insulated safety shoes (non-conducting).

VHV

C1

C1
V2 V2 = VHV C1 +C2

C2

Figure 1: Capacitance

These shocks are normally just irritating, but can be dangerous in the cases
where:

1. A person working high up may fall when getting a fright from the minor
shock.
2. A person working near high voltage apparatus may cause a distortion in
the electric fields due to the conductivity of the body and this may lead
to flashover where none is expected.

2
2 Electric Field
Due to the ever increasing voltages it is necessary to improve on high voltage
transmission line, apparatus and insulating materials. Calculating the electric
field is essential in the high voltage engineering design process.

2.1 Definition
The magnitude and direction of the force exerted on a stationary electrical
charge define an electric field. If an electric charge of one coloumb is in an
electric field of one volt per metre, it will be subjected to a force of one newton
in the direction of the electric field [3].

2.2 Poissons Equation

Gauss law at a point is given by [4]:
~ =
.D (1)

or
~ =
.E (2)
0
Where:
~ = Electric field [V.cm1 ]
E
= Space charge [C.cm3 ]

and the electric field is the gradient of the electrostatic potential [4]:
~ =
E (3)

Poissons Equation is given by [4]:

2 = (4)
0

In cartesian / planar coordinates it is written as:

2 2 2
2
+ 2 + 2 = (5)
x y z 0

In cylindrical coordinates it is written as:

2 2 2
2
+ + 2 2 + 2 = (6)
r rr r z 0
For charge free space it becomes Laplaces Equation given by [4]:

2 = 0 (7)

3
2.3 Electric Field in a Coaxial Arrangement
Consider the figure illustrated the coaxial arrangement such as a single core
cable or gas insulated busbar, using Laplaces equation the electric field can be
solved.

b
a
~
E

Figure 2: Coaxial Arrangement

Due to the symmetrical arrangement, there is no dependence on z and , and

Laplaces equation is reduced to [4]:
 
1
r =0 (8)
r2 r r

Integration leads to:

=C r (9)
r
Rearranging and integrating with from a to b:
b b
1
Z Z
= C r
a a r

Solving for C gives:

b a
C= (10)
ln ab
Substituting equation 10 into equation 9 and rearranging terms gives:

~ = = b a
E (11)
r r ln ab

Consider a coaxial cable with multiple materials the electric field in each layer
k is given by:
V
Ek = h i (12)
k k
rk 1 ln rr21 + 2 ln rr23 + . . .

4
2.4 Electric Field around a Transmission Line
Consider the three phase transmission line and its images as shown in the figure.
The resultant electric field at any point p can be determined through the vector
addition of the electric field produced by the three phase conductors.

q1 q2 q3

r1 E10

p
a

b
E1
x
(0, 0) x1

r10

q1 q2 q3

Figure 3: Three Phase Transmission Line

~ = 0 E,
From the relationship of the flux density to the electric field, D ~ the
electric field due to line charge q1 at point p is given by [4]:
~ 1 = q1 6 1
E (13)
20 r1
Where: p
r1 = ((a x1 )2 + (b y1 )2
and
b y1
1 = arctan
a x1
Similarly,
~ 10 = q1 6 10
E
2r10
Where: q
r10 = ((a x01 )2 + (b y10 )2

5
and
b y10
10 = arctan
a x01

q2 , q3 , q20 and q30 are calculated in the same manner and the resultant electric
field is given by:
3 3
~R ~n + ~0
X X
E = E En
n=1 n=1
q1 q2 q3
= 6 1 + 6 2 + 6 3
20 r1 20 r2 20 r3
q10 q20 q30
6 0 6 0 6 0
1 2
0
20 r1 0
20 r2 20 r30 3
Writing the equation as a matrix:
1 6 1 6
10

1 r10
1   r11 1 6
~R =
E q1 q2 q 3 r2 6 2 r20 20 (14)
20

1 6 1 6
r3 3 r30 30

~R = 1
E [Q][ 1r 6 + 16
r0 0 ] (15)
20

2.4.1 Potential Coefficient

The potential coefficient P is the ratio of the between the potential acquired by
conductor i to the charge on conductor j causing that potential [5].

The self potential coefficient is given by:

1 2hi
Pii = ln (16)
20 ri
Where:
hi = Height of the conductor
ri = Radius of the conductor

The mutual potential coefficient that exists between conductors is given by:
1 Dij
Pij = ln (17)
20 dij
Where:
Dij = Distance between conductor i and the image of conductor j
dij = Distance between conductor i and conductor j

And: q
Dij = ((xi xj )2 + (yi + yj )2

6
 q
dij = ((xi xj )2 + (yi yj )2

The potential coefficients for the transmission line are written as:

P11 P12 P13
[P ] = P21 P22 P23 (18)
P31 P32 P33

Since [Q] = [P ]1 [V ] the equation for the resultant electric field is now given
by:
~ R = 1 [P ]1 [V ][ 1 6 + 10 6 0 ]
E (19)
20 r r

2.4.2 Equivalent Bundle Radius

Triangular, rectangular and hexagonal conductor bundles are shown.

R
R R
2r
2r
2r

Figure 4: Conductor Bundles

The equivalent bundle radius is given by [5]:

1
req = nrRn1 n (20)

7
2.4.3 Example 1
A 400 kV 50 Hz line has a maximum value of 420 kV. Three no. twin conductors
with a conductor radius of 3.18 cm are arranged in a horizontal configuration
with bundle spacing of 45.72 cm, phase spacing of 12 m and a line height of
13 m. Calculate the maximum electric field at ground level below the centre
phase.

8
2.4.4 Example 2
Consider a 765 kV three phase transmission line with a 4 conductor bundle
where each conductor has a radius of 1.48 cm and a separation of 45.72 cm.
The transmission line has a linear phase arrangement with a phase spacing of
13.72 m and a height of 18.29 m.

Determine:
The equivalent radius of the conductor bundle, the total charge on each
conductor bundle and the average bundle gradient.
Determine the maximum voltage before corona occurs. The corona incep-
tion gradient is given by Peeks empirical expression for an AC voltage:
0.301
|E~c | = 29.8m(1 + ) [kV /cm]
rc
and the relative air density is given by:
P 273 + t0
=
P0 273 + t

2.5 Electric Field in a Transformer

The transformer consists of multiple layers of insulation and must be designed
to and comply with the values shown in the table below.

Table 1: SANS 780 - Standard Insulation Values for Distribution Transformers

Highest Voltage Um Nominal Voltage Un Lightning withstand 50 Hz withstand

kV kV kVpeak kVrms
1 30 2.5
3.6 3.3 60 16
7.2 6.6 75 22
12 11 95 28
24 22 150 50
36 33 200 70

2.5.1 Example 1
The insulation between the low voltage and high voltage of the winding consists
of layers of pressboard and transformer oil. Consider a 22 kV transformer with
three layers with the parameters shown below.

You are required to re-design the insulation so that the electric field is below
5.5 kV/mm.

You may consider the equation for the electric field in layer k in a uniform
dielectric with multiple layers and permittivities:
V
Ek = k k
1 d1 + 2 d 2 + ...

9
 Table 2: Transformer materials

Layer Material Thickness (mm)

Layer 1 Paper ( = 4) 3mm
Layer 2 Paper ( = 2.2) 2mm
Layer 3 Paper ( = 4) 4mm

References
[1] International Commission for Non-Ionising Radiation Protection,
http://www.icnirp.de, last accessed, 11 July 2013.

[2] World Health Organisation, http://www.who.int/peh-emf/en/, last ac-

cessed, 11 July 2013.
[3] R. Serway and R. Beichner, Physics for Scientists and Engineers with Mod-
ern Physics, 5th ed. Saunders College Publishing, 2000.
[4] J. Kraus, Electromagnetics, 4th ed. McGraw-Hill, Inc, 1991.

[5] P. Sarma Maruvada, Eskom Power Series: Corona in Transmission Systems:

Theory, Design and Performance. Crown Publications, 2011.
[6] S. Farlow, Partial Differential Equations for Scientists and Engineers, 1st ed.
Dover Publications, Inc, 1993.

[7] D. Meeker, Finite Element Method Magnetics - Version 4.2.

http://www.femm.info, 2009.
[8] Tera Analysis Ltd, Quickfield Users Guide Version 5.6. Tera Analysis Ltd,
2009.

10
Tutorial Questions
Question 1
Consider a conductor bundle with spacing of 45 cm and conductor radius of 1.5
cm. Calculate the equivalent bundle radius for:
1. Triangular spacing

2. Rectangular spacing
3. Hexagonal spacing

Question 2
Consider a single phase line with conductors spaced 2 m apart and at a height
of 6 m. Calculate the potential coefficient for each line.

Question 3
Calculate the potential coefficients for a three phase distribution line with a
linear phase arrangement, a conductor radius of 1.5 cm, a phase spacing of 2.5
m and a line height of 6.5 m. For a voltage of 33 kV, calculate the charge on
each conductor and subsequently the average conductor surface gradient.

Question 5
A 600 kV bipolar high voltage direct current transmission line has a linear con-
figuration with a spacing of 15.40 m between poles and a height of 18 m, a
4 conductor bundle with a conductor radius of 1.71 cm and a separation of
45.72 cm.

Determine:
The equivalent radius of the conductor bundle, the total charge on the
conductor bundle and the average bundle gradient.

Determine the maximum voltage before corona occurs. The corona incep-
tion gradient is given by Peeks empirical expressions for a positive and
negative DC voltage:

~ 0.24
|Epositive | = 33.7m(1 + ) [kV /cm]
rc
~ 0.308
|Enegative | = 31m(1 + ) [kV /cm]
rc

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