Introduction to Subject

High Voltage Engineering

LEC#01
What is need of High Voltage?
The first and foremost requirement is to reduce the current being
transmitted to load centers through large distances.

Power sending end

o b l e m
Power receiving end

s is P r
Transmission loss
e l os is I R
2

e d l i n
re a s Transmission loss becomes 4(I R)
2

Inc
Current I from Gen A

Current I from Gen B

With increased voltage level e
l ta g
n vo
Power receiving end
Power sending end
ActualTransmission
need was to is s i o
reduce
n
loss
s m is2
IR
e s
transmission t ra current
l o s s
s e d in e
cr
andinresulted e a
Double voltage level & half current level

eins l
generation of
s d u c
Th u e
r High voltage
Voltage level V and current 2I

Current I from Gen A

Current I from Gen B
What
220kV is high voltage
• High
Step downvoltage is specially referred to 220kV
electrical power
system.
transformer is 220kV Step up
transformer is used
used to reduce
to rise the voltage
the voltage to Long transmission line used to
to 132kV or 220kV
33kV carry the power to other cities

33kV
Step down
In TPS Jamshoro
transformer is used
to reduce the 11kV
power is generated
at 11kV or 21kV
voltage to 11kV

11kV
Another Step down transformer is 400V 220V
used to reduce the voltage further Domestic users get electricity at
to 400V suitable for end user. 220Volt.
Trends in HV generation growth (AC)
Trends in HV generation growth (DC)
Levels of high voltage:
World over the levels are classified as:
LOW VOLTAGE
HIGH VOLTAGE
 VERY HIGH VOLTAGE
EXTRA HIGH VOLTAGE
ULTRA HIGH Voltage

However , the exact magnitude of these levels vary from country to

country. Hence this system of technical terms for the voltage levels is
inappropriate .
In most part of the world even 440 V is considered to be high voltage
since it is dangerous for the living being.
Hence it would be more appropriate to always mention the level of
voltage being referred without any set nomenclature .
Fields of applications of HV
• Power system engineering
• Research laboratories
• Industries
• Nuclear research, particle accelerators
• Electrostatic precipitators
• Automobile ignition coils
• Medical applications like X-ray machine
What we learn in High Voltage Engineering
• Testing of HV equipment like power
transformers, bushings, CB, insulators, cables
etc.
• Usually tests are done at a voltage much
higher than the operating voltage.
• Generation, measurement and control of
different types of HV currents.
What we learn in High Voltage
Engineering
• Failure mechanism of HV equipment caused by
HV stress.
• Breakdown mechanism of different types of
insulating materials ( solid, liquid, gas, vacuum)
under different types of voltages (ac, dc, ).
• Provide technical assistance toward designing
HV equipment to be operated at further higher
voltages.
 Few future prospects of HV
• For cosmopolitan cities overhead distribution lines are
not allowed any more. HV underground cables of
compact size is the solution.
• Compact all-in-one fix-and-forget type GIS substations are
required in near future.
• HV has some residential and industrial applications like
water treatment plant, insect killer/repeller, exhaust air
purifier etc.
 CLO Description Domain Taxonomy Linking to
No. level PLOs

1. Explain the breakdown mechanisms in solid, liquid, Cognitive C2 2

and gaseous dielectrics, along with principles and laws
governing them.

2. Describe Generation, measurement, and testing Cognitive C2 1

techniques in high voltage AC, DC, and impulse.
S# Topic No: of Lecturer hrs. Associate
Required d CLO
01 Generation of DC high voltage (Rectifier) 01 CLO 2
02 Generation of DC high voltage (Voltage doubler and cascade circuits) 03  
03 Generation of AC high Voltage (Transformer in cascade and series resonant circuit) 03 CLO 2
04 Generation of Transient voltage (Single stage and multistage impulse generator) 03 CLO 2
05 Need, levels and problems of generating high voltages 01 CLO 2
06 Ionization and its types 01 CLO 1
07 Decay Process and its types 01 CLO 1
08 Cathode processes and its types 02 CLO 1
09 Townsend’s theory and Second ionization coefficient 02 CLO 1
10 Effect of space charge on breakdown voltage 01 CLO 1
11 Streamer Mechanism of Spark 01 CLO 1
12 Breakdown Field Strength 01 CLO 1
13 Breakdown in Uniform and Non-Uniform Fields 01 CLO 1
14 Breakdown in Gas Mixtures (Penning Effect) and compressed Gases 01 CLO 1
15 Sparking Voltage- Paschen’s Law 01 CLO 1
16 Partial Discharge/ Partial Breakdown- Corona discharge and Applications 02 CLO 1
17 Spark gap and its applications 01 CLO 1
18 Break down in Solids (Intrinsic, Electromechanical, Streamer, Thermal and Erosion 04 CLO 1
Breakdowns)
19 Breakdown in Liquids (Electrochemical, Cavitation and Suspended particle mechanism) 04 CLO 1
20 Measurement of Alternating, Direct and impulse voltages (Series impedance voltmeters, 06 CLO 2
series capacitance voltmeters, CVTs, sphere gap measurements and electrostatic voltmeters)

21 Non-destructive insulation test techniques (Di-electric loss measurement, partial discharge 02 CLO 2
measurement, measurement of DC resistivity, dielectric constant and loss factor

  Total 42  
THANKS