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What Is Insulation Coordination

insulation coordination with respect to power system is breifly explained here.all the components in power system are covered

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379 views

What Is Insulation Coordination

insulation coordination with respect to power system is breifly explained here.all the components in power system are covered

Uploaded by

narik
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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What is Insulation

Coordination?

Insulation Coordination is the process of determining the


proper insulation levels of various components in a power
system as well as their arrangements.

It is the selection of an insulation structure that will


withstand voltage stresses to which the system, or
equipment will be subjected to, together with the proper
surge arrester.

The process is determined from the known characteristics


of voltage surges and the characteristics of surge arresters.

Insulation Coordination in Power System was introduced to arrange the


electrical insulation levels of different components in the electrical
power system including transmission network, in such a manner, that the
failure of insulator, if occurs,confindes to the place where it would result in
the least danmage of the system, easy to repair and replace, and results
least disturbance to the power supply.

When any over voltage appears in the electrical power system, then there
may be a chance of failure of its insulation system. Probability of failure of
insulation, is high at the weakest insulation point nearest to the source of
over voltage. In power system and transmission networks, insulation is
provided to the all equipment and components.
Insulators in some points are easily replaceable and repairable compared to
other. Insulation in some points are not so easily replaceable and repairable
and the replacement and repairing may be highly expensive and require long
interruption of power. Moreover failure of insulator at these points may
causes bigger part of electrical network to be out of service.
So it is desirable that in situation of insulator failure, only the easily
replaceable and repairable insulator fails. The overall aim of insulation
coordination is to reduce to an economically and operationally acceptable
level the cost and disturbance caused by insulation failure. In insulation
coordination method, the insulation of the various parts of the system must
be so graded that flash over if occurs it must be at intended points. For
proper understanding the insulation coordination we have to understand
first, some basic terminologies of the electrical power system. Let us have a
discussion.

Nominal System Voltage


Nominal System Voltage is the phase to phase voltage of the system for
which the system is normally designed. Such as 11KV, 33KV, 132KV, 220KV,
400KV systems.

Maximum System Voltage


Maximum System Voltage is the maximum allowable power
frequency voltage which can occurs may be for long time during no load or
low load condition of the power system. It is also measured in phase to
phase manner. List of different nominal system voltage and their
corresponding maximum system voltage is given below for reference,

Nominal System
Voltage in KV
Maximum System
Voltage in KV

11 33

66

132

220

400

12

72.5

145

245

420

36

NB - It is observed from above table that generally maximum


system voltage is 110% of corresponding nominal system voltage up
to voltage level of 220 KV, and for 400 KV and above it is 105%.

Factor of Earthing
This is the ratio of the highest rms phase to earth power
frequency voltage on a sound phase during an earth fault to the rms phase
to phase power frequency voltage which would be obtained at the selected
location without the fault.

This ratio characterizes, in general terms, the earthing conditions of a


system as viewed from the selected fault location.

Effectively Earthed System


A system is said to be effectively earthed if the factor of earthing does not
exceed 80% and non-effectively earthed if it does. Factor of earthing is
100% for an isolated neutral system, while it is 57.7% (1/3 = 0.577) for
solidly earthed system.

Insulation Level
Every electrical equipment has to undergo different abnormal transient
over voltage situation in different times during its total service life period.
The equipment may have to withstand lightning impulses, switching
impulses and/or short duration power frequency over voltages.
Depending upon the maximum level of impulse voltages and short duration
power frequency over voltages that one power system component can
withstand, the insulation level of high voltage power system is determined.
During determining the insulation level of the system rated less than 300 KV,
the lightning impulse withstand voltage andshort duration power
frequency withstand voltage are considered. For equipment rated more
or equal 300 KV, switching impulse withstand voltage and short duration
power frequency withstand voltage are considered.

Lightning Impulse Voltage


The system disturbances occur due to natural lightning, can be represented
by three different basic wave shapes. If a lightning impulse
voltage travels some distance along the transmission line before it reaches
to a insulator its wave shaped approaches to full wave, and this wave is

referred as 1.2/50 wave. If during travelling, the lightning disturbance wave


causes flash over across an insulator the shape of the wave becomes
chopped wave. If a lightning stroke hits directly on the insulator then
the lightning impulse voltage may rise steep until it is relieved by flash
over, causing sudden, very steep collapse in voltage. These three waves are
quite different in duration and in shapes.
Switching Impulse
During switching operation there may be uni-polar voltage appears in the
system. The wave form of which may be periodically damped or oscillating
one. Switching impulse wave form has steep front and long damped
oscillating tale.
Short Duration Power Frequency Withstand Voltage
Short duration power frequency withstand voltage is the
prescribed rms value of sinusoidal power frequency voltage that the
electrical equipment shall withstand for a specific period of time normally 60
seconds.
Protection Level Voltage of Protective Device
Over voltage protective device like surge arrestors or lightning arrestors are
designed to withstand a certain level of transient over voltage beyond which
the devices drain the surge energy to the ground and therefore maintain the
level of transient over voltage up to a specific level. Thus transient
over voltage can not exceed that level. The protection level of
over voltage protective device is the highest peak voltage value which should
not be exceeded at the terminals of over voltage protective device when
switching impulses and lightening impulses are applied.

Now let us discuss the insulation coordination methods one by one-

Using Shield Wire or Earth Wire

Lightning surge in over head transmission line may be caused due to direct
hits of lightening strokes. It can be protected by providing a shield wire or
earth wire at a suitable height from the top conductor of transmission line. If
the conducting shield wire is properly connected to transmission tower body
and the tower is properly earthed then direct lightning strokes can be
avoided from all the conductors come under the protective angle of earth
wire. Over head earth wire or ground wire or shield wire is also used to over
the electrical substation to protect different electrical equipment from
lightning strokes.

Conventional Method of Insulation


Coordination

As we discussed above that a component of electrical power system may


suffer from different level of transient voltage stresses, switching impulse
voltage and lightning impulse voltage. The maximum amplitude of transient
over voltages reach the components, can be limited by using protecting
device like lightning arrestor in the system. If we maintain the insulation
level of all the power system component above the protection level of
protective device, then ideally there will be no chance of breakdown of
insulation of any component. Since the transient over voltage reaches at the
insulation after crossing the surge protective devices will have amplitude
equals to protection level voltage and protection level voltage < impulse
insulation level of the components.
Generally, the impulse insulation level is established at 15 to 25% above the
protective level voltage of protective devices.

Statistical Methods of Insulation Coordination

At higher transmission voltages, the length of the insulator strings and the
clearance in air do not increase linearly with voltage but approximately to
V1.6. The required number of insulator disc in suspension string for different
over voltages is shown below. It is seen that increase in the number of disc
is only slight for 220 KV system, with the increase in the over voltage factor
from 2 to 3.5 but that there is a rapid increase in the 750 kV system. Thus,
while it may be economically feasible to protect the lower voltage lines up to
an over voltage factor of 3.5(say), it is definitely not economically feasible to
have an over voltage factor of more than about 2 to 2.5 on the
higher voltage lines. In the higher voltage systems, it is the switching over
voltages that is predominant. However, these may be controlled by proper
design of switching devices

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