Prepared By: Kazi Newaj Faisal, 071022, 4th Year, EEE, RUET

Impulse Voltage Generation

1. What is the purpose of generating Impulse Voltage in the laboratory?

Lightning impulse is a natural phenomenon created from lightning stroke on transmission lines and open air
substations. In the laboratory we need to generate lightning impulse artificially so as to test the power
equipments under such hazards. We also need it to test the performance of newly designed or developed
insulating materials to be used under such stress.

2. Draw the voltage wave shape of lightning impulse and explain it in detail. Thereby define wave
front and wave tail. Also define a standard li.

An impulse voltage is a unidirectional voltage which,

without appreciable oscillations, rises rapidly to a maximum
value and falls more or less rapidly to zero Fig. 3.1. The
maximum value is called the peak value of the impulse and
the impulse voltage is specified by this value.

The wave front time of an impulse wave is the time taken by

the wave to reach to its maximum value starting from zero
value. Usually it is difficult to identify the start and peak
points of the wave and, therefore, the wave front time is
specified as 1.25 times (t2 – t1), where t2 is the time for the
wave to reach to its 90% of the peak value and t1 is the time
to reach 10% of the peak value. Since (t2 – t1) represents
about 80% of the wave front time, it is multiplied by 1.25 to
give total wave front time. The point where the line CB intersects the time axis is referred to be the nominal
starting point of the wave. The nominal wave tail time is measured between the nominal starting point t0 and
the point on the wave tail where the voltage is 50% of the peak value i.e. wave fail time is expressed as (t3 –
t0).
The standard wave shape specified in BSS and ISS is a 1/50 micro sec. wave i.e. a wave front of 1 micro
sec. and a wave tail of 50 micro sec. The wave is completely specified as 100 kV, 1/50 micro sec. where 100
kV is the peak value of the wave. The wave shape recommended by the American Standard Association is
1.5/40 micro sec. Here wave front time is taken as 1.67 times the time taken by the wave to rise from 30% to
90% of its peak value and wave tail time is computed as in BSS or ISS.

3. Define following terms:

a) Full impulse wave: If an impulse voltage develops without causing flashover or puncture, it is called
a full impulse voltage.

b) chopped wave: If an impulse voltage is applied to a piece of insulation and if a flash over or
puncture occurs causing sudden collapse of the impulse voltage, it is called a chopped impulse
voltage. If chopping takes place on the front part of the wave, it is known as front chopped wave,
Fig. 3.2 (a) else, it is known simply as a chopped wave, Fig. 3.2 (b). Again, if chopping takes place
on the front, it is specified by the peak value corresponding to the chopped value and its nominal
steepness is the rate of rise of voltage measured between the points where the voltage is 10% and
90% respectively of the voltage at the instant of chopping. However, a wave chopped on the tail is
specified on the lines of full wave.

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 Prepared By: Kazi Newaj Faisal, 071022, 4th Year, EEE, RUET

c) Impulse Flash Over Voltage: Whenever an impulse voltage is applied to an insulating medium of
certain thickness, flash over may or may not take place. If out of a total of say ten applications of
impulse voltage about 5 of them flash over then the probability of flash over with that peak voltage
of the impulse voltage is 50%. Therefore, a 50 percent impulse flash over voltage is the peak value of
that impulse flash over voltage which causes flash over of the object under test for about half the
number of applications of impulses. However, it is to be noted that the flash over occurs at an instant
subsequent to the attainment of the peak value. The flash over also depends upon the polarity,
duration of wave front and wave tails of the applied impulse voltages. If the flash over occurs more
than 50% of the number of applications, it is defined as impulse flash over voltage in excess of 50%.
The impulse flash over voltage for flash over on the wave front is the value of the impulse voltage at
the instant of flash over on the wave front.

d) Impulse Puncture Voltage: The impulse puncture voltage is the peak value of the impulse voltage
which causes puncture of the material when puncture occurs on the wave tail and is the value of the
voltage at the instant of puncture when puncture occurs on the wave front.

e) Impulse Ratio for Flash Over: The impulse ratio for flash over is the ratio of impulse flash over
voltage to the peak value of power frequency flash over voltage. The impulse ratio is not a constant
for any particular object, but depends upon the shape and polarity of the impulse voltage, the
characteristics of which should be specified when impulse ratios are quoted.

f) Impulse Ratio for Puncture: The impulse ratio for puncture is the ratio of the impulse puncture
voltage to the peak value of the power frequency puncture voltage.

4. Draw the circuit diagram and describe the operation of an impulse voltage generator.

Prepared By: Kazi Newaj Faisal, 071022, 4th Year, EEE, RUET Page 2
 Prepared By: Kazi Newaj Faisal, 071022, 4th Year, EEE, RUET

Fig. 3.3 represents an exact equivalent circuit of a single stage impulse generator along with a typical load.
C1 is the capacitance of the generator charged from a d.c. source to a suitable voltage which causes
discharge through the sphere gap. L1 is the inductance of the generator and the leads connecting the
generator to the discharge circuit and is usually kept as small as possible. The resistance R1 consists of the
inherent series resistance of the capacitances, leads and often includes additional lumped resistance inserted
within the generator for damping purposes and for output waveform control. L3, R3 are the external elements
which may be connected at the generator terminal for waveform control. R2 and R4 control the duration of
the wave.
However, R4 also serves as a potential divider when a CRO is used for measurement purposes. C2
and C4 represent the capacitances to earth of the high voltage components and leads. C4 also includes the
capacitance of the test object and of any other load capacitance required for producing the required wave
shape. L4 represents the inductance of the test object and may also affect the wave shape appreciably.
Usually for practical reasons, one terminal of the impulse generator is solidly grounded. The polarity of the
output voltage can be changed by changing the polarity of the d.c. charging voltage.

5. Why a single stage impulse generator is not suitable for generating very high impulse voltage?
Then what is the solution?

In order to obtain higher and higher impulse voltage, a single stage circuit is inconvenient for the following
reasons:
(i) The physical size of the circuit elements becomes very large.
(ii) High d.c. charging voltage is required.
(iii)Suppression of corona discharges from the structure and leads during the charging period is difficult.
(iv) Switching of very high voltages with spark gaps is difficult.

6. Draw the circuit diagram and describe the operation of a multistage impulse voltage generator.

Fig. 3.7: A 3-stage Marx impulse generator in circuit ‘b’ connections.

Fig. 3.7 shows a 3-stage impulse generator circuit due to Marx employing ‘b’ circuit connections. The
impulse capacitors C1 are charged to the charging voltage V0 through the high charging resistors RC in
parallel. When all the gaps G breakdown, the C1′ capacitances are connected in series so that C2 is charged
through the series connection of all the wave front resistances R1′ and finally all C1′ and C2 will discharge
through the resistors R2′ and R1′. Usually RC >> R2 >> R1. If in Fig. 3.7 the wave tail resistors R2′ in each

Prepared By: Kazi Newaj Faisal, 071022, 4th Year, EEE, RUET Page 3
 Prepared By: Kazi Newaj Faisal, 071022, 4th Year, EEE, RUET

stage are connected in parallel to the series combination of R1′, G and C1′, an impulse generator of type
circuit ‘a’ is obtained.
In order that the Marx circuit operates consistently it is essential to adjust the distances between
various sphere gaps such that the first gap G1 is only slightly less than that of G2 and so on. If is also
necessary that the axes of the gaps G be in the same vertical plane so that the ultraviolet radiations due to
spark in the first gap G, will irradiate the other gaps. This ensures a supply of electrons released from the
gap electrons to initiate breakdown during the short period when the gaps are subjected to overvoltages.

Prepared By: Kazi Newaj Faisal, 071022, 4th Year, EEE, RUET Page 4