Capacitive Voltage Transformers (CVT) For HV Measurements

66 kV and upwards

Capacitive voltage transformers (CVTs) are used on higher voltage levels, starting from 66
kV and upwards. The type of the CVT is always a single-pole one, thus the connection is
between phase and earth. The higher the voltage level is, the more price-competitive the
capacitive type becomes.

HV Capacitive Voltage Transformers (photo credit: gegridsolutions.com)

One of the advantages the capacitive type has, in comparison to the inductive type, is the

possibility to use capacitive voltage transformers as high-frequency coupling

units towards the primary system (over headlines).

A typical application would be to utilize the CVTs for power line carrier (PLC) high-
frequency signal interface units. For the voltage measurement purposes, the behavior and
the data specification of CVTs follow the same guide lines as the inductive ones.

In addition, the possibility for high-frequency signal coupling calls for a specified value for
rated capacitance (Cn).
This value is chosen considering the following issues //

 Voltage magnitude to be measured

 Demands from PLC system (frequency, bandwidth, connections)
 Capacitive voltage transformer manufacturing considerations

The construction of capacitive voltage transformers

The figure above shows the principle of a capacitive voltage divider on which the
capacitive voltage transformer is based. The trimming windings are used for fine tuning the
output signal to correspond with the required accuracy class requirements. The
compensating reactor compensates the phase angle shift caused by the capacitive voltage
divider.

All capacitive voltage transformers require some sort of Ferro resonance damping circuit.

The capacitance in the voltage divider, in series with the inductance of the compensating
reactor and the wound transformer (inside the electromagnetic unit EMU), constitutes a
tuned resonance circuit. Unlike with the inductive type of voltage transformers, the CVTs
usually have the Ferro resonance damping circuit inbuilt in the CVT itself, as shown in the
previous figure.
Figure 1 – Capacitive voltage transformer’s principal construction

At higher system voltages, the resonance phenomenon usually takes place on fundamental
or on sub-harmonic frequencies, resulting in voltage transformer heating (finally damages)
and non-selective operations of protective relaying possible protective relaying non-
selective operations.

The modern CVTs are utilizing the so-called “adaptive” damping circuits.
The circuit consists of a saturable series reactor and a loading resistor. This circuit is
connected in parallel to one of the secondary cores. During ferroresonance conditions, high
voltages appear, saturating the reactor and turning the damping resistor on to effectively
mitigate the parasitic voltage. During normal system conditions, the reactor presents high
reactance, effectively “switching off” the damping resistor.

Possible triggering factors for the ferroresonance phenomena could be //

 Planned primary switchings in the system

 Circuit breaker trippings caused by primary fault
 High-speed auto reclosing
Capacitor voltage transformer (CVT) nameplate (photo credit: technosources.blogspot.rs)