INSULATION COORDINATION OF ULTRA HIGH

VOLTAGE AC SYSTEM

TEAM PROJECT:
EE 5220 - TRANSIENT ANALYSIS OF POWER SYSTEM

INSTRUCTOR:
DR. BRUCE MORK

TEAM:
HARSHIL PATEL
RAVI RAJ GUPTA

i
Executive Summary

Insulation Coordination is a designing criteria for any electrical equipment which enables the
design of an insulation for the equipment in such a way that it minimizes interruptions during
steady state conditions and also minimizes damages in case of transient over voltages and this
is done economically.
Insulation coordination of Ultra high voltage (UHV) system plays a vital role as the voltages in
UHV are in the order of 1200 kV hence during faults when the voltage rises up to 7 p.u. the
equipment under consideration can undergo heavy damages. To prevent these effects from
happening and to understand the intensity of these effects these faults are simulated in ATP
EMTP and its effects are observed and presented here. According the data obtained protection
device are used to mitigate the overvoltages to acceptable Basic Lightning Impulse Insulation
Level (BIL) and Basic Switching Impulse Insulation Level (BSL) ratings of the given transmission
system
The procedure of Insulation coordination consists of determination of voltage stress and
selection of insulation strength accordingly while considering the desired probability of failure.
To perform insulation coordination on any system requires the study of stress on the system, in
our case we are considering Ultra High Voltage transmission line and studying the effect of fast
front overvoltage on the line and after calculating the stress the stress is mitigated using various
protection devices to preserve the integrity of the Transmission line.
In this paper of the various fast front over voltages lightning and disconnector switching has
been considered in a UHV transmission line and various cases of faults have been considered.
Based on the faults data we can assess the reliability of the system. Also if the value of faults is
greater than the BIL and BSL rating of the UHV transmission system then various protective
devices have been used to reduce those transients.

ii
Statement of Contribution
Over all the project was well coordinated and worked by both the team members.
Technical:
Both team mates were equally involved in literature survey and designing the ATP
models for lightning and switching overvolyage analysis.
Non-Technical:
Harshil Patel: Introduction, Overvoltages in UHV systems, Implementation in ATP,
Recommendations were covered in the report and also the Presentation for JPR and
Final Report were made.
Ravi Raj Gupta: Executive summery, Background, Technical Parameters while
designing, Results, and Conclusion were taken care of and also the voice over in JPR
and Final Report Presentation were given.

iii
Table of Contents
Chapter 1……………………………………………………………………….1
Introduction……………………….…………………………………………....1
Chapter 2…………………………………………………………………........1
Background/ Literature Survey………………..……………………………..1
Chapter 3……………………………………………………………………….2
Over Voltages in Ultra High Voltage Systems………………………..…….2
3.1 Types of over voltages in UHV system according to their duration….2
3.2 Lightning Overvoltages in Ultra High Voltage Transmission Lines…..3
3.3 Switching overvoltages in Ultra High Voltage Transmission Lines…..3
Chapter 4………………………………………………………………………..5
Technical Parameters while designing……………………………………….5
Chapter 5……………………………………………………………………......8
Implementation in ATP……………………………………………………..….8
5.1 Case-1A: Lightning on Shield wire…………………………………….....8
5.2 Case-1B: Lightning on Shield wire with Surge Arrester………………..9
5.3 Case-1C: Lightning on Phase wire…………………………………….....9
5.4 Case-1D: Lightning on Phase wire with Surge Arrester……………....10
5.5 Case-2A: Switching without Pre-Insertion Resistor……………………11
5.6 Case-2B: Switching with Pre-Insertion Resistor…………………….....11
Chapter 6……………………………………………………………………….12
Results………………………………………………………………………….12
Chapter 7……………………………………………………………………….19
Conclusion………………………………………………………………..........19
Chapter 8……………………………………………………………………….19
Recommendations…………………………………………………………….19
Chapter 9……………………………………………………………………….20
References……………………………………………………………………..20
Appendix I……….……………………………………………………………..21
Appendix II……………………………………………………………………..23

iv
List of Figures
Figure 3.1: Representation of magnitude of over voltages v/s duration
Figure 3.2: V-I characteristic of surge arrester
Figure 4.1: Transmission tower under consideration
Figure 4.2: Current plot for lightning
Figure 5.1: Lightning on Shield wire
Figure 5.2: Lightning on shield wire with Surge Arrester
Figure 5.1: Lightning on Shield wire
Figure 5.2: Lightning on shield wire with Surge Arrester
Figure 5.3: Lightning on Phase A at tower 4
Figure 5.4: Lightning on Phase(A) wire with Surge Arrester
Figure 5.5: Switching in transmission line without pre-insertion resistor
Figure 5.6: Switching in Transmission line with pre-insertion resistor
Figure 6.1: Voltage at tower 4( with 5 Ω grounding resistance)
Figure 6.2: Comparison between the Phase A voltages along the transmission line (Tower
4,5,6,7 and Tower 2,3,4)
Figure 6.3: Voltage at tower 4 (lightning on shield/arrester on Phase A)
Figure 6.4: Comparison between the Phase A voltages along the transmission line (Tower
4,5,6,7 and Tower 2,3,4)
Figure 6.5: Voltage on Tower 4(Lightning on phase A without surge arrester)
Figure 6.6: Comparison between the Phase A voltages along the transmission line with
Lightning on phase A without surge arrester(Tower 4,5,6,7 and Tower 2,3,4)
Figure 6.7: Voltage on Tower 4(Lightning on phase A with surge arrester on phase A)
Figure 6.8: Comparison between the Phase A voltages along the transmission line with
Lightning on phase A with surge arrester on phase A(Tower 4,5,6,7 and Tower 2,3,4)
Figure 6.9: Effects of switching on Tower 4
Figure 6.10: Effects of switching on Tower 3
Figure 6.11: Comparison between the Phase A voltages along the transmission line with
switch(Tower 2,3,4 and Tower 4,5,6,7)
Figure 6.12: Effects of switching on Tower 4 with pre-insertion resistor

v
Figure 6.13: Effects of switching on Tower 3 with pre-insertion resistor
Figure 6.14: Comparison between the Phase A voltages along the transmission line with
switching and pre-insertion resistor (Tower 2,3,4 and Tower 4,5,6,7)
Figure A1: Comparison of towers of lightning on phase A( without surge arrester)
Figure A2: Currents of phase A for switching with pre-insertion resistor
Figure A3: Currents for switching with pre-insertion resistor

vi
1. Introduction 
Over the time there has been a significant rise in demand and to transfer such huge amount of 
power from generating stations to distribution substations via 765kV transmission lines have 
2​
comparatively more losses (I​R losses) than if Voltage is higher. This gives rise to Ultra High 
Voltage (UHV) systems. UHV systems deals with voltages up to 1200kV. 

China has been constructing a 1000kV UHV system and has been facing many technical issues 
and it has been increasing prominently. For any electrical system insulation coordination and 
over voltage protection are the most critical issues to be addressed [6]. Insulation Coordination 
is a designing criteria for any electrical equipment which enables the design of an insulation for 
the equipment in such a way that it minimizes interruptions during steady state conditions and 
also minimizes damages in case of transient over voltages and this is done economically. To 
achieve this goal we must have information regarding stress, strength and protection of the 
system. Stress is the rise in the voltage due to lightning, switching surges, etc. Strength can be 
defined as the dielectric withstand capability of various insulation system. Protection devices 
eliminate surges or reduces their effect. [3] 

Before constructing an actual transmission system for any system, data regarding the 
topological area in taken, these data are useful to predict faults in the foreseeable future and  to 
design the system accordingly.  

2. Literature Survey/ Background 
Ultra High Voltage systems and Insulation Coordination 
Ultra high voltage (UHV) systems are created to satisfy large power transmission requirements 
and hence becomes important to reduce transients over the system which could lead to system 
failure. Similar to Extra high voltage (EHV) a number of factors affect the insulation strength. 
However in UHV the time to crest in switching over voltage can be higher than 250 
microseconds. [7] 

The methodology while implementing insulation coordination is to determine the stresses and 
assess the strength of the system on the basis of quantitative analysis or a perceived degree of 
reliability. So for this process all sources of stress that can be applied to the system is 
considered and the minimum insulation strength should be greater than the applied stress under 
all circumstances.  

The possible choices for Basic lightning impulse insulation level (BIL) for a 1200 kV system 
ranges from 2100 to 2700 kV peak and Basic switching impulse insulation level (BSL)ranges 
from 1675 to 1950 kV [7]. Any system is checked before installation, a severe voltage surge is 
injected in the equipment for various operating conditions to check for maximum overvoltage, 
this result is compared to the specified basic lightning impulse insulation level (BIL) of the 
equipment. 

To be able to perform a productive insulation coordination study, the outcome of the study will 
be selection of specifications of electrical strengths of all equipments, the phase to ground, 

1 
phase to phase clearances and the leakage or creepage distance of external porcelain. 
According to need surge arrester must also be selected. 

The transmission and distribution circuits which connects substation, load centres, act as an 
telephone line picking up surges and delivering them to the opposite end. This is especially true 
when it comes to lightning overvoltages. If these surges have higher voltages than what the 
equipments can withstand then these surges should be prevented from reaching the equipment 
or at least must be mitigated to acceptable values of faults which the system can withstand. Of 
the various overvoltages that occur in any system as mentioned below an insulation 
coordination should withstand all of them and if there are cases where the system fails to 
withstand the overvoltage then protective devices must be implemented in those cases to bring 
the overvoltage range within the required limits. 

3. Over Voltages in Ultra High Voltage Systems 
3.1 Types of over voltages in UHV system according to their duration. 

 
Fig.3.1 Representation of magnitude of over voltages v/s duration [1] 

a. Temporary Overvoltage 

Mainly arises due to single phase earth faults on the lines except on which the fault occurs. 
Temporary over voltages increases the stress on internal insulation and are present for a 
duration of around 1 second. Further temporary voltages can also occur due to resonance 
and Ferro resonance while energizing and de­energizing transformers. Load rejection over 
voltages caused in Ultra High Voltage (UHV) usually are severe compared to extra high 
voltage (EHV) due to lengthier transmission lines higher capacity. Shunt reactors, temporary 
overvoltage protection relay are used to mitigate the effects of temporary over voltages. 

b. Slow Front Overvoltage Analysis 

2 
 Mainly due to earth faults on the faulty line. The consequence could be loss of 3 lines due to 
failure in one phase. The magnitude of such over voltage can reach up to 1.5 p.u. 

c. Fast Front Overvoltages 

Mainly due to lightning on overhead lines and disconnector switching in substations. 
Disconnector switching in substations can have over voltage as high as 7 p.u. Protective 
devices are needed in such cases to reduce the voltage as the nominal voltage itself is as 
high as 1200 kV. This is main focus in this paper as fast front over voltages provides 
maximum stress on the system. 

d. Very Fast Front Overvoltage 

Mainly due to disconnector switching operation and line to enclosure breaks down in SF6 
gas insulated substations.  Over voltages up to 2 p.u. can occur due to these faults. 

Various protection devices such as Surge Arresters, Pre Insertion Resistors/Inductors, 
Synchronous Close/Open Control, Surge Capacitors are among the few equipment that can be 
used to mitigate over voltages in UHV. 

3.2 Lightning Overvoltages in Ultra High Voltage Transmission Lines 
Well as in any cloud after water vapour turns into smaller ice crystals. These ice crystals bump 
into each other as they exchange charge. The ions who lose electron rise higher in the cloud 
and those ions who gain electron sink to the bottom of the cloud. These negatively charged 
bottom can discharge to the ground or the upper half of the cloud. Most lightning occurrence 
don’t discharge to the ground. Lightning is a huge discharge of electron, at times from cloud to 
earth. Most cloud to Earth lightning occurs due to the the negatively charged bottom of the cloud 
travelling to the ground below using a path, generally building, trees or transmission towers. 

Lightning problems in Transmission lines[4]: 

Lightning is the major factor behind the failure in the transmission lines and distribution systems. 
The probability of lightning strike depends on the height of transmission tower. When the 
lightning strikes on the power system equipment the working is similar to closing of the switch of 
a large current source. The phases of the transmission lines have to be protected by such a 
huge current, hence shield wires are provided on top of transmission towers to give a grounding 
path to the lightning surge. Even after shielding when the lightning strikes the shield wire large 
magnetic field is generated and results into the electrical transients which alters the power 
system circuit. Probability has to be considered that the shielding wire fails to protect the 
lightning from striking the phase. 

Surge arrester is used to protect lightning effect the system in case if shielding failure. As per 
the probability and location of lightning an appropriate estimate has to be made for the quantity 
of surge arresters to be installed.  

3.3 Switching Overvoltage in Ultra High Voltage Transmission Lines 

3 
In the power system when the abnormal event occurred the the values of voltage and current 
raised above the normal limits of the system. In the power system there are two types of over 
voltages occurred. One is the external over voltages and other is the internal over voltages. 
Switching overvoltage is the part of the internal over voltages . Due to the suddenly switching 
activities  of system creates the transient in to the power system. 

Switching Overvoltage in Transmission lines[8][9] 

At the time of the designing of the transmission line the switching overvoltage is consider 
because this is the important factor for the designing. In low voltage transmission lines below 
400 kV the lightning overvoltage creates the more impact on the system compare to the internal 
over voltages like switching over voltages.[9] 

But for systems above 400 kV transmission line switching overvoltages creates the similar level 
of magnitude when compared to lightning. So at the time of designing the switching overvoltage 
protection devices are considered. Switching overvoltage is depend on the voltage level of the 
system. With the increase of the voltages of the system the switching over voltages increases. 
For the insulation coordination of the power system the value of highest overvoltage in 
transmission line should be less than the switching impulse withstand level. [9] The level of 
insulation and the equipment  cost is depend upon the magnitude of the over voltages. The 
major reason behind the over voltages in transmission lines are line energization and 
re­energization, breakers closing and opening activities, faults in the system, connection and 
disconnection of the loads. 

Transmission line switching transient and its severity depend on the difference between the 
supply and the line voltages at the instant of energization. If energization occurs at an instant 
when the difference between supply voltage and the line voltage is high, a large traveling wave 
would be injected on the transmission line. IEC specifies one, two, or three BIL levels for each 
system voltage, thus giving the customer some room for adapting the BIL to the actual switching 
over voltage conditions. The manufacturer is simply required to produce cables that satisfy the 
switching test voltages. To avoid cable failures due to Switching Over voltages, it is essential to 
keep the protective level provided by arresters within a safe margin. For long transmission lines, 
traditionally the switching transient over voltages are limited through the adoption of 
pre­insertion resistors in the line circuit breakers but it presents a decreasing acceptance due to 
the high cost of implementation and maintenance 

4 
 

 
4 Technical Parameters while designing 
Base voltage kV: 1200 kV ­ 3 phase (line to line) 

Frequency: 50 Hz 

Transmission line parameters 

The distance between towers: 400 meters 

Surge impedance, 

  Z 
√
L
C  = C   
 ​

Phase velocity, 
1
 ν = √LC
 

Z AK = 60(ln√2 2h
rA − 1)  
r1(h1+h2+h3)+r2H+r3h4
r= 2H  
4
H = ∑ h 1  
i=1
−zztln√γ 
Ri = h1+h2+h3  hi  ​
where ,i=1,2,3 

R4 =− 2Z tln√γ  
2αRiH
Li = V t   ​
where i=1,2,3,4 

Z t  = Tower Surge Impedance 

V t = Surge Propagation Velocity
   

γ  =Attenuation Coefficient 

R=Damping Resistance 

L=Damping Inductance 

5 
 

There are various models that can be chosen from, the JMarti model is used to study the 
varying frequency parameter. The modelling of UHV transmission line is shown below: 

Fig. 4.1 Transmission tower under consideration 

Table 1 

Ph  Rin  Rout  Resis  Horiz  Vtower  Vmid  Separ  Alpha  NB 
No. 
  [cm]  [cm]  [ohm/km  [m]  [m]  [m]  [cm]  [deg]   
DC] 
1  0.4  3  0.05912  ­22.2  38.5  21.5  40  45  4 
2  0.4  3  0.05912  0  41.7  24.7  40  45  4 
3  0.4  3  0.05912  22.2  38.5  21.5  40  45  4 
4  0  1.6  0.57  ­18.5  62.325  47.32 0  0  0 
5 
4  0  1.6  0.57  18.5  62.325  47.32 0  0  0 
5 
 

6 
 

Lightning source details: 

The equation of surge current provided is given below along with the current plot. 
t t
i(t) = 250 * 103(e 4*10−6 − e 5*10−5 )  

Fig.4.2 Current plot for lightning 

Surge Arresters: 

Surge Arrester uses non­linear resistance with a series of gap between them. This enables for 
the surge arrester to be isolated from the system under steady state conditions but during a fault 
due to a surge appearing by spark over of the gaps. Usually Zinc oxide (ZnO) is used within the 
surge arrester. Hence metal oxide varistors (MOV) play in ideal role in protection of phase 
conductors from lighting by bypassing the excess current to ground without interrupting in 
steady state conditions. This V­I characteristics curve have been used to obtain the values of V 
and I for designing the surge arrester used in the ATP EMTP simulation.  

     Fig 4.2 V­I characteristic of surge arrester[10] 

7 
 

5 Implementation in ATP 
Of all the faults lightning and switching over voltages causes maximum stress on UHV 
transmission system and hence their effect have been simulated and effect on a transmission 
tower is being observed. 
The two major cases are subdivided into the following categories 

1. Lightning over voltages in UHV transmission line 
1.A Lightning on Shield wire 
1.B Lightning on Shield wire with Surge arrester 
1.C Lightning on Phase A 
1.D Lightning on Phase A with Surge arrester 
 
2. Switching overvoltages in UHV transmission lines 
2.A Switching overvoltage without PIR 
2.B Switching overvoltage with PIR 

Case­1A: Lightning on Shield wire 

Fig.5.1 Lightning on Shield wire 

Lightning strikes on shield wire of tower 4 and propagates through though the shield wire. 
Depending on the magnitude of lightning and also the equivalent impedance of the tower the 
transients will be observed on the phase cables. 

8 
 

Case­1B: Lightning on Shield wire with Surge Arrester 

Fig.5.2 Lightning on shield wire with Surge Arrester 

A three phase surge arrester is considered and its effect on the phases is compared to the one 
without a surge arrester. 

Case­1C: Lightning on Phase wire(Phase A in our case) 

      Fig.5.3 Lightning on Phase A at tower 4 

In this case Lightning is applied on Phase A at tower 4 and its effect is studied. This could occur 
in case of a shielding failure. 

9 
 

Case­1D: Lightning on Phase wire with Surge Arrester   

Fig. 5.4Lightning on Phase(A) wire with Surge Arrester 

Shielding exists to protect phases from a direct lightning strike, but in case of a shielding failure 
there is a possibility of direct hit on the phase conductor by lightning. When this happens as the 
phase wire cannot be grounded, there is a huge problem while mitigating this phase over 
voltage without affecting the steady state voltage. To achieve this as explained in the working of 
a surge arrester, a surge arrester is used to mitigate the overvoltage without interrupting the 
steady state voltage. 

Case­2A: Switching without Pre­Insertion Resistor 

Fig.5.5 Switching in transmission line without pre­insertion resistor 

10 
Switching overvoltages in phases can cause transients up to 1.4 p.u. As our base voltage is 
1200 kV the overvoltages are much higher when compared to HV and hence requires a 
protection while closing a switch to protect transients due to inrush. 

Case 2B: Switching with Pre­Insertion Resistor 

            Fig.5.6 Switching in Transmission line with pre­insertion resistor 

 
To prevent sudden inrush current as soon the switch is closed Pre Insertion Resistor (PIR) is 
used. While designing the switch such as to reduce losses due to the PIR, a parallel switch is 
considered with negligible resistance which will take over the main switch once the voltage 
waveform assumes a steady state path. 
Closing time of Switch1=0.001 s 
PIR value at Switch1=200 Ω 
Closing time of Switch2=0.0011 s 
Internal resistor value at Switch 2=10 Ω 

11 
6. Results 
 
Case­1A: Lightning on Shield wire 

During lightning on shield wires, the tower is designed to divert the lightning current to ground 
instantaneously using the tower itself as the path for grounding which makes vital during 
designing of impulse grounding resistances for transmission towers. 

Fig.6.1 Voltage at Tower 4( with 5 Ω grounding resistance) 

As it can be inferred from the graph due to the proximity of phase B from Shield wire 
transient overvoltage is higher in Phase B compared to A and C. And due to the 
symmetry in Phase A and Phase C with respect to shield wire the peak overvoltage is 
approximately same as depicted in Table 3. 
 
Effect of Grounding resistance [6] 

The calculation for phase voltages at tower 4 for different values of impulse grounding 
resistance have been presented below. 

Table­3 Overvoltage for various grounding resistance at Tower 4 

Impulse grounding  Amplitude of overvoltage at tower 4 (in 
resistance(Ω)  kV) 
Phase A  Phase B  Phase C 
50  2241.6  2724.6  2242.1 
30  2028.1  2468.3  2029.1 
10  1829.1  2227.3  1829.8 
5  1781.2  2169.3  1781.9 
 

12 
The BIL rating of the given transmission system is 2700 kV and as the it can be observed that 
the overvoltage across tower 4 Phase B reaches approximately 2169.3 kV, with 5Ω grounding 
the transmission tower protects the system in the worst case scenario of lightning striking the 
shield.  

From this point onwards the grounding resistance has been fixed to be 5 ohm for the rest of the 
cases. 

Fig.. 6.2 Comparison between the Phase A voltages along the transmission line (Tower 
4,5,6,7 and Tower 2,3,4) 

As it can be observed due to the lightning strike on tower 4, maxima occurs at tower 4 and then 
propagates via the shield wire to various towers. The transient at we move from tower to tower 
reduces along with a shift in its maxima due to the time required to propagate 400 meters. 

As the lightning propagates through the shield wire it affects all the phases, and the effect can 
be seen in the figure 5, furthermore the time of maxima has been plotted against the maximum 
overvoltage shoot on Phase A at every tower. 

Table­4 Overvoltage at maxima with respect to Time when it reaches maxima  

Maximum amplitude at Phase A with respect to 
time of maxima 
Tower  Time (µs)  Over voltage 
(kV) 
2  4.395  143.5 
3  3.225  580.7 
4  2.215  1796.4 
5  3.230  580.8 
6  4.405  143.3 
7  5.875  ­113.8 
 

As the lightning takes time to travel through the transmission line the variation in the time it 
takes to propagates can be seen in the graph.  

13 
 

Case­1B: Lightning on Shield wire with Surge Arrester 

                   Fig.6.3 Voltage at tower 4 (lightning on shield/arrester on Phase A) 

Inclusion of a Surge Arrester chops of the the transient maximas of A and hence the transient 
overvoltage peak value come down to approximately 700 kV as shown in figure 6.3 compared to 
1796.4 kV as shown in figure 6.1 

Fig.6.4 Comparison between the Phase A voltages along the transmission line (Tower 
4,5,6,7 and Tower 2,3,4) 

14 
  

Case­1C: Lightning on Phase wire(Phase A in our case) 

Fig.6.5 Voltage on Tower 4(Lightning on phase A without surge arrester)   

 As shown in the figure 6.5 the overvoltage is in the order of 30,000 kV when lightning strikes 
phase A at tower 4, this could lead to failure of equipment and cause significant damage to 
transformers. Hence the need for surge arresters come into picture to mitigate these high 
overvoltages due to lightning. Usually a surge arrester is used at all phases in UHV at regular 
intervals. 

Fig. 6.6 Comparison between the Phase A voltages along the transmission line with 
Lightning on phase A without surge arrester(Tower 4,5,6,7 and Tower 2,3,4) 

15 
As shown in figure 6.6 the phase cannot be grounded without interrupting the steady state 
voltage mitigation of phase voltages poses a bigger threat as this fault propagates to 
transformers. Hence the need for surge arrester to mitigate the overvoltages at phase. 

Case­1D: Lightning on Phase wire with Surge Arrester   

To observe the effect of surge arrester compared to its absence at other towers and other 
phases Surge arrester is only considered on Phase A at Tower 4. 

Fig.6.7 Voltage on Tower 4(Lightning on phase A with surge arrester on phase A) 

The surge arrester chops off the peak transients hence preventing voltage rise which was up to 
30,000 kV without the arrester to 700 kV overvoltage shoot. As this reduces the cause of 
overshoot at phase B and phase C i.e. voltage at phase A, this also reduces the maxima of 
overvoltage on Phase B and C without an exclusive need for an arrester. 

Fig 6.8 Comparison between the Phase A voltages along the transmission line with 
Lightning on phase A with surge arrester on phase A(Tower 4,5,6,7 and Tower 2,3,4) 

Also as the mitigated wave at phase A propagates the transient overvoltage is propagated along 
without further attenuation at the line due to absence of any protective device. Usually in UHV 

16 
transmission lines surge arresters are present on all three phases at regular intervals. And this 
reduces the the transients considerably.  
 

Case­2A: Switching without Pre­Insertion Resistor 
 
Without Pre Insertion Resistor (PIR) the switching transients take more time to decay and the 
peak overvoltage reaches up to 1.3 p.u. Though this stress can be handled by the transmission 
line as the BSL rating of the transmission line is given to be 1850 kV. Still these transients are 
high in magnitude because of base voltage of 1200 kV hence these could create problems for 
load or transformer. 

     Fig 6.9 Effects of switching on Tower 4       Fig.6.10 Effects of switching on Tower 3 

Fig 6.9 depicts the transmission tower 4, which receives power after closing switch, this initiates 
a inrush current which stabilizes after almost half cycle. Figure 6.10 depicts the transmission 
tower 3 which has a stable waveform up to 1 ms and transients occur as the switch closes.  

Fig.6.11Comparison between the Phase A voltages along the transmission line with switch 
(Tower 2,3,4 and Tower 4,5,6,7) 

Figure 6.11 briefs about the propagation of switching transients in phase A through the 
transmission system. 

17 
Case 2B: Switching with Pre­Insertion Resistor 

Now 2 switches are considered to be in parallel. The main switch has a Pre Insertion Resistor of 
200 Ω which is used to damp the transients during inrush and after 0.1 milliseconds the auxiliary 
switch is opened and the main switch is closed after 2 milliseconds, due to this the losses due to 
the PIR in operation is prevented.  

     Fig 6.12 Effects of switching on Tower 4 Fig 6.13 Effects of switching on Tower 3 

Figure 6.12 and Figure 6.13 can be visually compared to Figure 6.9 and 6.10 and the effect on 
peak overvoltage can be observed. More over the resistor provides a damping coefficient to the 
circuit hence immensely reducing the transients and bring back the waveform to steady state 
voltage. 

Fig. 6.14 Comparison between the Phase A voltages along the transmission line with switching 
and pre­insertion resistor (Tower 2,3,4 and Tower 4,5,6,7) 

Comparison can be made between figure 6.14 and figure 6.11 and the rate of transients being 
damped can be observed. 

18 
7. Conclusion 
 
1. While designing a UHV system the minimum strengths of the system are subjected to 
maximum possible stress and the difference gives us a sense of reliability of the system. 
Though Insulation coordination is used for all system voltages it is especially of major 
concern for UHV system due to the high steady state voltage, hence a equivalent per 
unit switching overvoltage in UHV system has higher voltage magnitude on HV 
experiences during lightning. 
2. In usual overvoltage conditions the UHV system under consideration is able to withstand 
all the stress it is subjected to. 
3. In extreme cases, protective devices are required to mitigate the overvoltage within the 
required BIL rating. 
4. Simplistic design criterias such as changing grounding resistance can have significant 
results on the the overvoltage magnitude. 
5. Using PIR for mitigating switching overvoltages has losses and could harm the resistive 
component over prolonged use. 

 
8. Recommendations 
 

1. As UHV systems are only used in countries like China and India with huge population 
and hence huge demands the choice among protective devices as well as while 
choosing conductor, and other equipments are less. Already UHV transmission provides 
a huge reduction in losses and research on the materials would provide more 
equipments to choose from which could help reduce losses. 
2.  Ideal situations have only been considered as per the IEEE recommendations to design 
UHV system. China is building UHV system of 1200 kV and is facing few problems 
whose tests are not considered in IEEE recommendations. Real time data would be 
more useful in understanding the overvoltages compared to simulation data. 
3. Focus on this paper is only laid on Lightning and switching overvoltages. A variety of 
overvoltages should be considered. 
4. To overcome switching overvoltages various other options like controlled switching 
should be considered.  

19 
9. References: 
[1]:​
 Tailor, Hemangkumar, and Satishkumar Joshi. "Designing insulation coordination for Ultra 
High Voltage AC system by analyzing over voltages using frequency dependent line 
modeling." ​ Engineering (NUiCONE), 2013 Nirma University International Conference on.​ IEEE, 
2013. 

Insulation coordination for power systems.​
[2]: Hileman, Andrew R. ​  CRC Press, 1999. 

[3]:​
 Allan Greenwood, “Electrical Transients in Power Systems,” Second Edition 

[4]:​
 Rodriguez­Sanabria, D., C. Ramos­Robles, and L. Orama­Exclusa. "Lightning and Lightning 
Arrester Simulation in Electrical Power Distribution Systems." ​
Electrical and Computer 
Engineering: University of Puerto Rico [online] ​
(2005). 

[5]:​
 Bayadi, A., et al. "Simulation of metal oxide surge arrester dynamic behavior under fast 
transients." ​
The international Conference on Power Systems Transients (IPST'03) in New 
Orleans, USA​ . 2003. 

[6]:​
 Zhang, Yu, et al. "Research on lightning over­voltage in 1000kV gas insulated switchgear 
IECON 2012­38th Annual Conference on IEEE Industrial Electronics Society.​
substation." ​  IEEE, 
2012. 

[7]:​
 IEEE Recommended Practice for Overvoltage and Insulation Coordination of Transmission 
IEEE P1862/D6­4, February 2014 ​
Systems at 1000 kV AC and Above," in ​ , vol., no., pp.1­60, 
July 18 2014 

[8]:​
Abbasi, Ehsan, Heresh Seyedi, and Kai Strunz. "Simulation and analysis of the effect of 
single­pole auto­reclosing on HV transmission lines switching overvoltages." ​
Power & Energy 
Society General Meeting, 2009. PES'09. IEEE.​  IEEE, 2009. 

[9]:Sood, Ms Dimpy. "Reduction of Switching Over Voltages in HV Transmission Line." 

[10]:Mitsubishi Electric Advance 1000KV Power Systems Edition. 

20 
Appendix I​
: 

In the Case­1A of lightning on the phase wire without surge arrester 
Phase A  st tower 4,5,6,7 

Fig.A1 Comparison of towers of lightning on phase A( without surge arrester)  

In the Case­2B the switching with the pre insertion resistor 
The current at probe A in both switches have been considered 
1A is the main switch which has the PIR and experiences inrush current  

Fig.A2 Currents of phase A for switching with pre­insertion resistor  

21 
  

Fig.A3 Currents for switching with pre­insertion resistor 

In the Case­2B the switching with the pre insertion resistor 
The current at all three phases in both switches have been considered 
1 is the main switch which has the PIR and experiences inrush current 

22 
 

Appendix II 
 ​
Journal Paper and Journal Paper Review 

Designing Insulation Coordination for Ultra High 
Voltage AC System 
____________________________________________________________ 
 
 

Term Projects: 
EE5220: Power System Transients 
 
 
 
 
 
Spring 2016 
 

Instructor 
Dr. Bruce Mork 
 

Team: 
Ravi Raj Gupta 
Harshil Patel 

23 
 
Journal Paper under Review: 
Tailor, Hemangkumar, and Satishkumar Joshi. "Designing insulation coordination for 
Ultra High Voltage AC system by analyzing over voltages using frequency dependent 
line modeling." ​
Engineering (NUiCONE), 2013 Nirma University International 
Conference on​ . IEEE, 2013. 
 

24 
 

Journal Paper Review 
For our paper we have selected the following journal. We hope to cover the designing 
aspects of an Ultra High Voltage system, the types of overvoltage that occur in an UHV 
system, and on the basis of determination of stresses and the assessment of strength of 
the system and equipment installed in the UHV system. 
1. Tailor, Hemangkumar, and Satishkumar Joshi. "Designing insulation coordination 
for Ultra High Voltage AC system by analyzing over voltages using frequency 
dependent line modeling." ​Engineering (NUiCONE), 2013 Nirma University 
International Conference on​. IEEE, 2013. 
Journal Paper would be used to derive the cases of overvoltage occurring in the 
system. Also the paper will be useful to design the technical parameters of the UHV 
system and the equipment required to reduce the effect of overvoltage. The paper deals 
with the various types of transients that occur in a system and line based on the 
duration of this transients there are different equipment that can be utilized to reduce 
the overvoltage, such as no major harm occurs to the grid. 
 

25 
 

This paper deals with the types of overvoltages in Ultra High Voltage System, the 
process of Insulation Coordination, frequency dependent line modelling. The technique 
to reduce stress have been suggested using Surge Arrester and its effect is examined. 
 
The author discusses the types of overvoltages and their causes. He also discusses the 
equipment to be used for protection using the time period of the surge or over voltage. 
The task of insulation coordination is to determine the stresses and the assessment of 
strength of the system and the equipment installed. Insulation strength is selected on 
the basis of some quantitative or perceived degree of reliability. 
 
Insulation coordination can be categorized into 2 parts, Line insulation coordination and 
System insulation coordination. Effects of Switching overvoltage, and temporary 
overvoltage have been considered and results have been calculated for various 
strengths, effect of surge arrester has also been pointed out while doing so. 
 
The intricate details along with the shortcomings are presented below: 
● More focus is laid on the causes of overvoltage and their duration in the system 
and less is given on the choice of equipment to be chosen for that particular 
overvoltage. 
● The designing parameters are given and the system has been analysed in 
EMPT, no circuit diagram has been presented and also the analytical explanation 
not given. 
● Comparison has been established between over voltage levels with and without 
line reactor of different source strengths has been tabulated. Also comparison is 
made with and without pre­insertion resistor (PIR) for different source strengths 
and also the further drop in over voltage by using the surge arrester is shown. 
● The discharge capability of the surge arrester is considered for a 450km long ling 
which has a single phase to ground fault. The max total energy that can be 
accumulated in this Surge Arrester (IEC Class 5) is calculated. 
● The paper deals more with Line Insulation Coordination and the sub categories in 
Station Insulation Coordination are left out. 
● Comparison of the SIL required for the voltage under consideration i.e. 1200kV is 
compared with SIL of 765kV and 400kV systems. 
● Technical parameters for designing insulation coordination and the technical 
parameters for ZnO surge arresters are given. 
● For Insulation coordination determination of stresses and assessment of strength 
on equipment installed is also required which has not been examined here. 

26 
 2013 Nirma University International Conference on Engineering (NUiCONE)
Designing Insulation Coordination for Ultra High
Voltage AC System by Analyzing Over Voltages
using Frequency Dependent Line Modeling
Hemangkumar Tailor, Satishkumar Joshi
Associate Professor
Abstract-- The Insulation coordination is one of the important
criteria for designing Ultra High Voltage system. The method
to design insulation coordination of any Ultra High Voltage
system needs stress analysis and its comparison with the design
strength of the equipment. In this paper types of overvoltages
in Ultra High Voltage system, process of insulation
coordination, frequency dependent line modeling and
simulation using Electromagnetic Transient Program (EMTP)
& design of insulation coordination for 1200 KV AC
transmission line have been presented. The technique to reduce
stress have been suggested by using Surge Arrester (SA) is
examined.
Keywords: Design of insulation coordination, Frequency
Dependent Line Modeling, Over Voltages, Ultra High Voltage
AC (UHV) System.
I. OVERVOLTAGES IN UHV SYSTEMS
Bulk power transmission has created need for UHV
transmission & the level of UHV transmission of 1200 KV
is to be explored. [1]. Electrical equipment has to withstand
different voltage stresses occurring in the network such as
continuous power-frequency voltage, temporary
overvoltages and transient overvoltages. Representative
maxima of amplitudes according to their time duration are
as shown in Figure 1. [2]
A. Temporary overvoltages
Temporary overvoltages arise from single-phase earth-
faults on the two unfaulted phases or from load rejections on
all three phases, if the load remaining on the generators is
not sufficient to avoid overexcitation. Their duration is in
the order of 1 s. Temporary overvoltages represent stresses
to the internal insulation, for example, internal insulation of
transformers.
Fig.1. Representative maxima of amplitude of over voltages Urp (per
unit values)
978-1-4799-0727-4/13/$31.00 ©2013 IEEE
Professor
In addition, temporary overvoltages are the basis for the
selection of the surge arrester ratings. From both points of
view low temporary overvoltages have to be aimed for. Per
unit values of 1.3 or even less are considered suitable.
Temporary overvoltages may also occur due to resonance
and ferro-resonance phenomena in particular when
energizing transformers via longer lines or de-energizing
inductive voltage transformers. These voltages can last for
more than 10 s. Therefore a sufficient damping of the
oscillation has to be obtained.
B. Slow Front Overvoltages
For UHV systems overvoltages due to earth-fault
initiation and clearance are of predominant importance.
Overvoltages due to earth-fault initiation occur on the
unfaulted phases and may cause a subsequent failure on
these phases. The consequence could be loss of two lines at
one earth-fault.
Overvoltage due to fault clearing occurs on the faulted
phase, when the faulted line is switched off. A subsequent
insulation failure may occur on the part of the system still in
operation.
Both these types of overvoltages should be carefully
investigated for a given system, because they cannot be
avoided by protection means. The amplitude of such
overvoltages are proportional to the earth-fault factor and
may reach 1.5 p.u for earth-fault factors of 1.25 to 1.3.
Overvoltages due to energization and, in particular, re-
energization of overhead lines after faults are limited by pre-
insertion resistors or point-of-wave switching. An especially
severe situation is obtained for three-phase re-energization
due to the trapped charges remaining on the two unfaulted
phases, when the fault is cleared. There are two possibilities
to avoid such trapped charges:
- Single-phase reclosing
Only the phase on which an earth-fault occurred is
switched-off. As this phase is earthed by the fault, no
trapped charges will be present at re-energization. However,
during the fault an appreciable current will flow through the
fault due to capacitive coupling from the two sound phase
conductors. This current may prevent the earth-fault from
extinguishing resulting into an unsuccessful reclosure, for
which extinction of secondary arc is studied.
1
- Fast three-phase earthing of the overhead line
The trapped charges will be diverted to earth by the
earthing switch. If one of the two methods is successful, the
overvoltages due to line energization should be limited to
the overvoltage due to earth-fault initiation and clearing.
Preinsertion resistors and point-of-wave switching are most
suitable to obtain overvoltages in the order 1.5 p.u. Only
specially designed surge arresters have protective levels in
such low order.
C. Fast Front Overvoltages
Fast-front overvoltages are caused by
- Disconnector switching in substations
- Lightning strokes to overhead lines.
Disconnector switching in substations can have overvoltage
amplitude up to 2.5 p.u. If metal-oxide surge arresters are
installed on the part of the substation switched-off by the
disconnector, the overvoltage will be limited to the
protective level of the arrester. If not, the insulation has to
be designed for this value.
D. Very Fast Front Overvoltages
Very fast-front overvoltages are caused in SF6 gas insulated
substations (GIS) in two ways: [3]
- Switching operations, mainly disconnector switching
- Line to enclosure breakdowns
During disconnector switching when switching short bus
ducts at a residual DC voltage of 1 p.u. the following values
will occur:
- 1.9 p.u. with large source side capacitance (2-3 nF), e. g.
capacitive VTs
- 1.5 p.u. with lower capacitance of some hundred pF, e. g.
surge arresters.
For disconnector switching in connection with a
capacitively graded multi-break circuit breaker under out of
phase conditions values of 2.0…2.2 pu may occur at which
a high damping of the VFT component by the grading
capacitor is to be considered.[4-5]
II. INSULATION COORDINATION
The main task for insulation coordination is the
determination of stresses and the assessment of the strength
of the system and the equipment installed. Insulation
strength is selected on the basis of some quantitative or
perceived degree of reliability and the strength cannot be
selected unless the stress placed on the insulation is known.
Also, the methods of reducing the stress should be
examined. Thus, the goal is to select the minimum
insulation strength, or minimum clearance at system
voltage. The process starts with a selection of the reliability
criteria, followed by study to determine the electrical stress
placed on the equipment or on the air clearance. This stress
is then compared to the insulation strength characteristics,
from which strength is selected. [6]. If the insulation
strength or the clearance is considered to be excessive, then
the stress can be reduced by use of improving measures
such as surge arresters, protective gaps, shield wires, and
closing resistors in the circuit breakers.
Usually, insulation coordination is separated into two
major parts:
1. Line insulation coordination
2. Station insulation coordination
A. Line Insulation Coordination
For line insulation coordination, the task is to specify all
dimensions or characteristics of the transmission line tower
that affect the reliability of the line:
1. The tower strike distances or clearances between the
phase conductor and the grounded tower sides and
upper truss
2. The insulator string length
3. The number and type of insulators
4. The need for and type of supplemental tower grounding
5. The location and number of overhead ground or shield
wires
6. The phase-to-ground mid span clearance
7. The phase-phase strike distance or clearance
8. The need for, rating, and location of line surge arresters
B. Station Insulation Coordination
For station insulation coordination, it is to specify
1. The equipment insulation strength, that is, the BIL and
BSL of all equipment.
2. The phase-ground and phase-phase clearances or strike
distances.
3. The need for, the location, the rating, and the number of
surge arresters.
4. The need for, the location, the configuration, and the
spacing of protective gaps.
5. The need for, the location, and the type (masts or shield
wires) of substation shielding.
6. The need for, the amount, and the method of achieving
an improvement in lightning performance of the line
immediately adjacent to the station.
For this process, all sources of stress that may be placed on
the equipment or on the tower must be considered & for this
reason, all the possible Overvoltages for UHV line must be
analyzed.
2
 III. FREQUENCY DEPENDENT MODELING & SIMULATION
The simulation of transient phenomena may require a
representation of network components valid for a frequency
range that varies from DC to several MHz & it is advisable
to use and develop models appropriate for a specific range
of frequencies. Each range of frequencies will correspond to
a particular transient phenomenon. [7]
The most accurate models for transient calculations take
into account the distributed nature of the line parameters.
Two categories can be distinguished for these models:
constant parameters and frequency-dependent parameters
The number of spans and the different hardware of a
transmission line, as well as the models required to
represent each part (conductors and shield wires, towers,
grounding, and insulation), depend on the voltage stress
cause.
Approximate nominal PI section models are used for short
transmission lines (of the order of 15 km), where the travel
time is less than the solution time-step and the travelling
wave model is utilised, when travelling time is greater
than time step. There are two options for using travelling
wave model (i) Bergeron’s model, when physical geometry
of line regarding conductor radius & positions is not
available (ii) Frequency dependent transmission line model,
when physical geometry of transmission line regarding
conductor radius & positions is available. The several line
elements are represented by following models for simulation
of transient: [8]
• The transmission line is represented by means of several
multi-phase untransposed distributed-parameter line spans
at both sides of the point of impact. This representation
can be made by using either a frequency dependent or a
constant parameter model.[9]
• The transmission tower is represented by Multi-storey
model which is composed of four sections that represent
the tower sections between cross-arms.
• The Grounding models can be classified into two groups:
low and high-frequency models. In practice, they
correspond respectively to power-frequency and to
lightning stroke discharged currents. When current is
discharged into the soil through a ground electrode,
potential gradients are set up as a result of the conduction
of current through the soil. The grounding impedance of a
power line is given by the relationship between the
potential rise of the electrode and the current discharged
into the ground. The representation of the grounding
impedance depends on the frequency range of the
discharged current.
• The insulator string model can be based on the leader
progression model.
The line frequency-dependent surge impedance (or
admittance) and line propagation matrix are first calculated
from the physical line geometry. To obtain the time domain
response, a convolution must be performed as this is
equivalent to a multiplication in the frequency domain. It
can be achieved efficiently using recursive convolutions.
This is performed by fitting a rational function in the
frequency domain to both the frequency-dependent surge
impedance and propagation constant. As the line parameters
are functions of frequency, the relevant equations are
viewed in the frequency domain, making extensive use of
curve fitting to incorporate the frequency-dependent
parameters into the model. Two important frequency-
dependent parameters influencing wave propagation are the
characteristic impedance ZC and propagation constant Ȗ.
Rather than looking at ZC and Ȗ in the frequency domain and
considering each frequency independently, they are
expressed by continuous functions of frequency that need to
be approximated by a fitted rational function.
IV. DESIGNING INSULATION COORDINATION FOR 1200
KV AC TRANSMISSION LINE
A. Technical Parameters
For evolving parameters of the 1200kV System,
simulation studies have been carried out using frequency
dependent line modeling in EMTP and the basic parameters
are given below.[5][10-11] The technical parameters being
considered for 1200kV Transmission Lines are summarized
in Table-I below:
TABLE I
TECHNICAL PARAMETERS CONSIDERED FOR 1200KV
TRANSMISSION LINES
Sr. No. Parameters Value
1 Nominal Voltage 1150 KV
2 Highest Voltage 1200 KV
3 Resistance 4.338 x10-7 p.u./km
4 Reactance 1.772 x10-5 p.u./km
5 Susceptance 6.447 x10-2 p.u./km
6 Surge Impedance 6030 MW
Loading
7 Surge Impedance 239 Ohm
Base KV: 1200 KV Base MVA: 100 MVA
From the above Table-I, it may be observed that SIL of
1200kV AC system is about 6030MW which is about 2½
times SIL of 765kV system and 11½ times SIL of 400kV
system. With development of 1200kV Transmission
network, the ROW can be optimized.
B. Insulation Co-ordination of 1200KV AC System
1) Switching Over Voltage:
Common practice in long EHV system for controlling
switching over voltages during any switching operation is to
equip circuit breaker with pre-insertion resistor (PIR) which
3
comes into the circuit initially for about 8-10ms. Studies C.Selection of Insulation Levels
have been carried out on a 450km long line with different
source strength and different value of PIR (10 ms insertion Insulation Co-ordination is very important for design of
time) without effect of surge arrester and results are the 1200kV System from the point of view of lightning
tabulated in Table-II below. impulse withstands voltage level and switching impulse
withstand voltage level for 1200kV equipments. To achieve
TABLE II necessary protective margins as per IEC-60071-1&2, in-
RESULTS OF 450 KM LONG LINE WITH DIFFERENT SOURCE
depth studies were conducted for Voltage-Current (V-I)
STRENGTH & PIR
characteristics of ZnO (Zinc Oxide) blocks. The V-I
1 p.u. = 978 kV (1200*1.41/1.732) characteristics of the 850kV Surge Arresters as finalized for
1200 kV system are as given in Table-IV below:
Source Switching Over Voltage (p.u)
Strength TABLE IV
MVA w/o PIR 300Ÿ 600 Ÿ 700 Ÿ V-I CHARACTERISTICS OF SURGE ARRESTERS FINALIZED FOR
10,000 2.27 1.51 1.71 1.78 1200 KV
15,000 2.17 1.36 1.55 1.58
20,000 2.07 1.35 1.50 1.52 Sr. Surge Arrester Current Residual Voltage
No. (kA) (kV peak)
Although generated switching over voltages are 1 0.5 1380
minimum with 300 ohms (PIR) but considering thermal 2 1.0 1440
stresses on resistor discs under severe phase opposition 3 2.0 1500
condition, it was envisaged to adopt 600 ohms PIR with 10 4 10.0 1600
ms insertion time and switching over voltage level of 1.71 5 20.0 1700
p.u. (1672 kV) without Surge Arrester. However, with
Surge Arresters, switching over voltages was limited to1.53 1) Rated Voltage of 850 kV rms shall take care power
p.u. (1500kV) frequency voltage up to 1.15 p.u. for 10 seconds and 1.4
p.u. for about 1second.
2) Temporary Over Voltage:
2) Switching Impulse Protective level at 2.0kA is 1500 kV
To determine the temporary over voltages, preliminary and hence about 20% protective margin are available for
studies have been carried out on a 450km long transmission 1200 kV Equipments with 1800 kV Switching Impulse
line with single-line-to-ground fault followed by three phase withstand voltage
interruption at far end only. In the studies different source
strengths along with 60% reactive compensation were 3) Lightning Impulse Protective Level at 20.0 kA is 1700kV
considered. The results are presented in Table-III below. and hence sufficient margins for bay equipments with
BIL- 2400kV and for transformers with BIL-2250 kV.
TABLE III
RESULTS FOR TEMPORARY OVERVOLTAGE
The location of Surge Arresters is very critical due to
1 p.u. = 978 kV (1200*1.41/1.732) voltage rise with separation distance as well as jumper
Source Temporary over voltage( p.u) length. For adequate protection of Equipments against
Strength Lightening surges, it was decided to place Surge Arresters at
Line Entrance and near Transformers/ Reactors. In addition,
MVA Without Line With line reactor
Surge Arresters in the Bus may also be considered
Reactor necessary.
10,000 1.58 1.33
15,000 1.48 1.31 For computing discharge capability of Surge arresters,
20,000 1.45 1.30 single line to ground fault was considered for a 450km long
line. In single phase to ground fault, the healthy phase
As brought out at Table III above, TOVs are 1.33 p.u. for voltage shall temporarily increase and Surge Arresters shall
short circuit level of 10,000 MVA. Keeping in view these be overstressed. The single phase tripping followed by three
levels of TOVs, insulation co-ordination studies were phase tripping after dead time of about 1000 ms was
conducted with 1.4 p.u. TOV. Since short circuit level in considered as indicated in Figure 2 at end of this page. The
actual condition shall be generally higher that the short discharge capability required for surge Arresters for these
circuits levels considered for studies, therefore actual TOVs conditions is:
are unlikely to exceed up to 1.4 p.u. considered for
insulation co-ordination. Total energy = 2xLong discharge (IEC Class-5) + TOV +
Margins

4
 = 2x5MJ +35MJ + 10 MJ = 55 MJ

The basic technical parameters considered for designing

insulation coordination are listed in Table-V & the
technical parameter for four column ZnO surge arrester are
listed in Table-VI below.

Fig. 2 Surge Arrester Energy Accumulation

TABLE-V
TECHNICAL PARAMETERS FOR DESIGNING INSULATION
COORDINATION
V. CONCLUSIONS
Parameters Value Remarks
Rated Voltage 1200 KV
Nominal Voltage 1150 KV a) For designing Insulation Coordination of UHV Line,
Rated Frequency 50 Hz. besides the continuous power-frequency voltage,
Fault Current 50 KA temporary overvoltages and transient overvoltages like
Lightning 2400 kV Switchyard equipments slow front overvoltage, fast front overvoltage & very
Impulse Voltage 2250 KV Transformers & Reactors fast front overvoltage have to be considered.
Level 2550 KV Transformer & Reactor
Bushings b) For IC, determination of stresses and the assessment of
Switching 1800 KV Switchyard Equipments the strength of the system and the equipment installed is
Impulse Voltage and Transformers required & methods of reducing the stress should also be
Level 1950 KV Bushings examined.
One Minute 1200 kV
Power Frequency c) It is appropriate to use and develop Frequency dependent
Voltage Line models for a specific range of frequencies &
various power system elements are modeled using
TABLE-VI EMTP.
TECHNICAL PARAMETERS FOR ZnO SURGE ARRESTER
d) The simulation results of designing 450 KM line indicate
Parameter Value satisfactory per unit limits for switching & temporary
SA Class 5 Overvoltages.
Rated Voltage 850 kV rms
Continuous Operating 723 kV rms e) Finally the selection of Insulation level & the role of
Voltage(COV) surge arrester is suggested.
Nominal discharge current 20 kA
Lightning Impulse Protective 1700 kV peak at 20
Level(LIPL) kA
Switching Impulse Protective 1500 kV peak at 2
Level(SIPL) kA
Energy level 55 MJ
ZnO disc diameter 136 mm/ 125mm

5
 VI. REFERENCES
[1] R N Naik, Y K Sehgal, Subir sen, “Integration of 1200 KV AC
Systems for future Indian Grid” (IEC/ CIGRE UHV Symposium –
Beijing, 2007)
[2] C.Neumann K.-H. Weck, “Planning of UHV systems with respect to
insulation coordination”, IEC/CIGRE UHV Symposium Beijing 18-
21 July 2007.
[3] K.H. Schilling, E.Lerch, A.Luxa, “UHV AC Transmission Systems”
(IEC / CIGRE UHV Symposium –Beijing, 2007)
[4] R. Nayak, M. Krishnakumar, A. Anand, “Design of 1200 kV
transmission line” (GridTech Conference, New Delhi 2007)
[5] R N Naik, M.C.Bhatnagar, B.N.De.Bhowmick R.K.Tyagi, “1200kV
Transmission System and Status of Development of Substation
Equipment/ Transmission Line Material in India”, Second
International Symposium on Standards for UHV Transmission-IEC/
CIGRE UHV Symposium –New Delhi, 2009.
[6] Andrew. R. Hileman, Insulation Coordination for power systems,
Taylor & Francis group, LLC, 1999.
[7] Juan. A Martinez- Velasco, Power System Transients- Parameter
Determination, CRC Press- Taylor & Francis Group, Boca Raton,
New York.
[8] Neville Watson, Jos Arrillaga, Power Systems Electromagnetic
Transients Simulation, The Institution of Engineering &
Technology, London, UK, 2007.
[9] Juan.A Martinez- Velasco, Ferley Castro- Aranda, “Modeling of
Overhead Transmission Lines for Lightning Studies”, International
Conference on Power Systems Transients (IPST’05) in Montreal,
Canada, on June 19-23, 2005 Paper No. IPST05 – 047.
[10] G.N.Alexandrov, “1100 kV overhead transmission line optimum
design for the increase of its reliability”, IEC/CIGRE UHV
Symposium Beijing 18-21 July 2007.
[11] A.Ametani, N. Nagaoka, T.Noda, T.Matsuura, “A Simple & Efficient
Method for Including A Frequency-Dependent Effect in A
Transmission Line Transient Analysis”.
[12] E. Kuffel, W.S. Zaengl & J. Kuffel, High Voltage Engineering –
Fundamentals , Newnes Oxford, Woburn, MA.
[13] A. Haddad & D. Warne, Advances in High Voltage Engineering,
The Institution of Electrical Engineers, London, United Kingdom.
[14] A.P. Sakis Meliopoulos, Power System Grounding and Transients,
Marcel Dekker,Inc.; Newyork and Basel.