Voltage Swell

oltage Swell is defined as the increase in the RMS voltage level to 110% - 180% of
nominal, at the power frequency for durations of cycle to one (1) minute. It is classified
as a short duration voltage variation phenomena, which is one of the general categories

of power quality problems mentioned in the second post of the power quality basics series of this
site. Voltage swell is basically the opposite of voltage sag or dip.

Voltage Swell
The disturbance is also described by IEEE C62.41-1991 as A momentary increase in the powerfrequency voltage delivered by the mains, outside of the normal tolerances, with a duration of
more than one cycle and less than a few seconds. However, this definition is not preferred by
the power quality community.
Swells are subdivided into three categories:

Voltage Swell Categories

Voltage swells are characterized by their RMS magnitude and duration. The gravity of the PQ
problem during a fault condition is a function of the system impedance (i.e. relation of the zerosequence impedance to the positive-sequence impedance of the system), location of the fault
and the circuit grounding configuration. As an example, on an ungrounded system, the line-toground voltages on the un faulted phases can go as high as 1.73 pu during a SLG fault. On the
contrary, on a grounded system close to the substation, there will be no voltage rise on the un
faulted phases because the substation transformer is usually connected delta-wye, providing a
low impedance zero-sequence path for the fault current.
Voltage

Swell

Terminology

Usage

The term "momentary overvoltage" is used as a synonym for the term swell.
According to IEEE 1159-1995, voltage swell magnitude is to be described by its remaining
voltage, in this case, always greater than 1.0 pu. For example, a swell to 150% means that the
line voltage is amplified to 150% of the normal value.

Causes and Effects of Voltage Swells

Voltage swells are usually associated with system fault conditions - just like voltage sags but are
much less common. This is particularly true for ungrounded or floating delta systems, where the
sudden change in ground reference result in a voltage rise on the ungrounded phases. In the
case of a voltage swell due to a single line-to-ground (SLG) fault on the system, the result is a
temporary voltage rise on the un faulted phases, which last for the duration of the fault. This is
shown in the figure below:

Instantaneous Voltage Swell Due to SLG fault

Voltage swells can also be caused by the deenergization of a very large load. The abrupt
interruption of current can generate a large voltage, per the formula: V = L di/dt, where L is the
inductance of the line and di/dt is the change in current flow. Moreover, the energization of a
large capacitor bank can also cause a voltage swell, though it more often causes an oscillatory
transient.
Although the effects of a sag are more noticeable, the effects of a voltage swell are often more
destructive. It may cause breakdown of components on the power supplies of the equipment,
though the effect may be a gradual, accumulative effect. It can cause control problems
and hardware failure in the equipment, due to overheating that could eventually result to
shutdown. Also, electronics and other sensitive equipment are prone to damage due to voltage
swell.