Chapter-1

Introduction to High Voltage Engineering

Ravindra Arora Bharat Singh Rajpurohit

Professor (Retired) Associate Professor
Department of Electrical Engineering School of Computing and Electrical Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur Indian Institute of Technology Mandi
Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, India
 Learning Objectives

• High voltage in electric power system

• Importance of HV insulation design and testing
• Electric power grid system and its advantages
• Need for higher voltages
• Losses and efficiencies in high voltage installations
• Voltage levels of rated systems and power system
frequencies
• Power consumption voltage levels
• Distinction between neutral and ground in power systems
• Electrical insulation and dielectric materials
 High Voltage In Electric Power Systems

• Three area: generation, transmission, and distribution of

power.
• It needs continuous regulation, control, and monitor to
maintain balance between demand, the load, and the supply
• 200 MW capacities generate power is 11 kV
• For 500 and 650 MW machines it is at 22 kV level
• Pptimizing the electric field intensity in the generator
conductors(to increase the voltage level )
• 1150 kV, being used in practice today in Russia
• Gas Insulated Transmission Lines (GITL) and Gas Insulated
Sub-stations (GIS) enclosed in a metal clad system are built up
to 1100 kV level in Japan
 Importance of HV insulation Design
&Testing
• Electricity- restless(to flow) in conductor and restful in insulation.
• Higher current needs more conductor size (Cross sectional area) to
reduce resistance. But in higher voltage needs more insulation.
• Performance of insulating material depends on electrical, thermal,
and mechanical stress.
• Electrical- stress control techniques- design- high voltage and
ground electrode.
• HV Testing, type test, and knowledge about, gas, liquid and solid
insulation materials.
• CPRI-Bengaluru- High Voltage test Facility
 High Voltage Electric Power Grid System

• Inter-connected Power System Network- Power

Grid
• The generating stations may be located at long
distance from each other
• The transmission lines begin as well as terminate
only at the sub-stations.
• Voltage level generated in India limited to 21.5 kV
• The present highest transmission voltage level in
India is 800 kV ac and 1600 kV (±800 kV) dc.
Structure of Power System

(GT)

Interconnected
transmission
and
transformation
400kv
(GS) (GT) (GT)11KV
220kv (GS)
132kv THE LINE
THE LINE

Sub transmission system

66kv Small generating unit

Primary distribution
33kv,25kv,11kv

Secondary distribution
400v
 Regional Grids

• 230 V single-phase or 400 V three-phase rated

voltage
• State Electricity Power Grids- 5 regional Grids
• National Load Dispatch Centre (NLDC) at Delhi
 Advantages of High Voltage Power Grid

• Secured and reliable power supply

• Smaller reserve capacity requirement
• Ability to install larger unit size
• Ease in meeting the peak load power demand

Fig: A schematic of Smart grid

 Need For Higher Voltages on Power
Systems
The power carried by the system,
P3ɸ = 3VlIl .Cos Φ
the phase voltage,Vph, (between phase and ground),
Il =Vph/ Zc = Vl/ 3 𝑍
Therefore,
P3ɸ =Vl2 / Zc . Cos Φ
Ideal condition, Cos Φ=1
Impedance, 250 and 350 ohm.
• line current magnitudes – down
• I2 R- it heats up the conductor
 Equipment Efficiencies and Losses in
Power Installations
• large generators, transformers and some motors-
efficiency greater than 95 %.
• Theft of electrical power
• The efficiency of the fossil fuel and the thermal
power generating stations within 40%
• Efficiency- Hydro-power is much higher
 Levels of Voltage

• Low
• Medium
• High Voltage (115, 138, 161, 230 kV)
• Extra HV (345, 400, 500 kV)
• Ultra-high voltages (765, 1100 1200 kV)
Rated Voltages and Frequencies in Power
Systems
Consumer level:
• 120 V, 230 V- single-phase, voltage is supplied between
phase and neutral for house hold consumption.
• 230 V, 400 V, 3.3 kV, 6.6 kV, and 11 kV- are three-phase
industrial consumer voltages. However, 3.3 kV and 6.6
kV are being phased out in order to rationalise the
system.
• The railway traction at 25 kV- single-phase, stretch up
to 40 km of track length that supplies power from
2x132 kV/25 kV substation transformers.
Rated Voltages and Frequencies in Power
Systems(Continued..)
• Generation level:
• Three-phase synchronous generators 440 V, 3.3 kV, 6.6
kV (small generators), 11 kV (110 & 220 MW), 21.5 kV
(500& 650 MW), 33 kV (1000 MW and above).
• Distribution level:
• 11 kV/400 V, 33 /11 kV, and 66/33 kV distribution
transformers. (In Germany the rated distribution
voltage levels are 400 V, 3.0 kV 6.0 kV, 10 kV, 30 kV and
60 kV).
Rated Voltages and Frequencies in Power
Systems(Continued..)
Transmission with ac (HVAC):
• kV, 132 kV, 220 kV, 380 – 400 kV, 500 kV, 765– 800 kV, 1000
kV and 1150 kV.

Transmission with dc (HVDC):

• The dc single pole and bipolar lines at ± 100 kV, ± 500 kV,
and ± 800 kV.
•
Frequency:
• 50 Hz is adopted in India and in most parts of the world.
• American continent, comprising Canada and USA, and in
Latin American countries 60 Hz.
 Advantages and Disadvantages of 120 vs
230 V Consumer Voltage
• USA- 120 V rated voltage (safer touch potential )

Disadvantages

• At 120 V double the magnitude of current is required to deliver the same

amount of power as at 230 V.
• same magnitude of I2R losses- required to limit the temperature rise of the
conductor or that of the insulation, for example, up to 70° C for PVC
insulation,
• The cross-sectional area of the cable conductor has to be increased four
folds in this case.
• Thus the consumption of power at 120 V requires four times more copper
dumped in the building walls as compared to a 230 V system. It is,
therefore, an extremely expensive venture.
• Due to higher magnitude of currents, a high magnetic field prevails in the
buildings, which is not good for health.
 Neutral Vs. Ground In Electrical
Installations
Neutral:
• 3-phase, three-wire system- All power system network at 11 kV
• IR + IY + IB = 0.

Ground wire
𝐼𝑅

1-Φ loads
R 𝐿𝑅 3-Φ load

𝐼𝑛
B 𝐼𝑛 Y 𝐿𝑌
𝐼𝑌 In= 0
Transformer LV side
𝐿𝐵
IB

Fig: Three-phase five wire power distribution network for single and three phase loads
 Neutral Vs. Ground In Electrical
Installations (Continued..)
Ground
• It is a completely separate grounded (earthed) conductor.
• In a broad sense it can be said that the role of ground conductor in
the power system is for protection.
• All transmission lines are provided at the top-most position a ‘ground
conductor’ for protection from lightning. It is simply connected to the
grounded towers, which keeps it at ground or zero potential. If the
width of the arms of the transmission tower is very wide, there may
be even two ground conductors required for the protection of all the
live conductors from lightning.
• Being at the topmost position, the lightning strikes the ground
conductor, which protects the phase wires below that are at lower
height levels.
 Electrical Insulation and Dielectrics
• Gaseous Dielectrics:
• Atmospheric air is the cheapest and most widely used
dielectrics are Nitrogen , Sulphur hexafluoride SF6(an
electro-negative gas) and it's mixtures with CO2 and N2 . SF6
is very widely applied for Gas Insulated Systems (GIS),
• Circuit Breakers and gas filled installations i.e. sub-stations
and cables. It is being now applied for power transformers
also

• Vacuum as Dielectric : Vacuum of the order of 10-5 Torr and

lower provides an excellent electrical insulation. Vacuum
technology developed and applied for circuit breakers in
the last three decades is phenomenon .
 Electrical Insulation and Dielectrics
Liquid Dielectrics:
Organic liquids, the mineral insulating oils and impregnating
compounds, natural and synthetic, of required physical,
chemical and electrical properties are used very widely in
transformers, capacitors, cables and circuit breakers.

Solid Dielectrics:
• Very large in number.
• Most widely used are : XLPE, PVC, ceramics, glass, rubber,
resins, reinforced plastics, polypropylene, impregnated
paper, wood, cotton, mica, pressboards, Bakelite, Perspex,
Ebonite, Teflon, etc.
• Introduction of nano materials are in offing.
 Thank You
&
References
• Ravindra Arora and Bharat Singh Rajpurohit, "Fundamentals of High-Voltage
Engineering" Wiley India, 2019.
• High Voltage and Electrical Insulation Engineering, By R. Arora, W. Mosch, IEEE Press,
August 2011.
• High Voltage Insulation Engineering: Behaviour of Dielectrics ; Their Properties and
Applications by R. Arora, W. Mosch, New Age International, 1995