High Voltage Engineering

UnitUnit-I

Unit-I
INTRODUCTION
1. INTRODUCTION TO HV TECHNOLOGY
The numerical definition of high voltage depends on the context of the discussion.
Two factors considered in the classification of a "high voltage" are the possibility of causing
a spark in air and the danger of electric shock by contact or proximity. The definitions may
refer to the voltage either between two conductors of a system or between any conductor and
ground.
In electric power transmission engineering, high voltage is usually considered any
voltage over approximately 35,000 volts. This is a classification based on the design of
apparatus and insulation.
The International Electro-technical Commission and its national counterparts (IET,
IEEE, VDE, etc.) define high voltage circuits as those with more than 1000 V for
alternating current and at least 1500 V for direct current, and distinguish it from low
voltage (501000 V AC or 1201500 V DC) and extra-low voltage (<50 V AC or <120 V
DC) circuits. This is in the context of building wiring and the safety of electrical apparatus.
In the National Electrical Code (NEC), high voltage is any voltage over 600 V.
British Standard (BS 7671:2008) defines high voltage as any voltage difference between
conductors that is higher than 1000 V AC or 1500 V ripple-free DC, or any voltage
difference between a conductor and Earth that is higher than 600 V AC or 900 V ripplefree DC.
The general public may consider household mains circuits (100250 V AC), which
carry the highest voltages they normally encounter, to be high voltage.
Voltages over approximately 50 volts can usually cause dangerous amounts of current
to flow through a human being touching two points of a circuit, so safety standards, in
general, are more restrictive where the chance of contact with such high-voltage circuits
exists.
In digital electronics, a high voltage is the one that represents logic 1; this may be
only several hundred millivolts for some logic families.
The definition of extra high voltage (EHV) depends on the context of the
discussion. In electric power transmission engineering this refers to equipment designed
for more than 345,000 volts between conductors. In electronics systems, a power supply

Deependra Singh

High Voltage Engineering

UnitUnit-I
that provides greater than 275,000 volts is known as an "EHV Power Supply". It is
often used in experiments in physics.
The accelerating voltage for a television cathode ray tube may be described as "extrahigh voltage" or "extra-high tension" (EHT), as compared to other voltage supplies within the
equipment. This type of supply ranges from >5 kV to about 50 kV.
Levels of high voltage: World over the levels are classified as:

LOW

MEDIUM

HIGH

EXTRA and

ULTRA HIGH Voltages

Since 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.
VOLTAGE LEVELS
Consumer

A.C. Power Frequency:

440, 220 V- single phase
440 V, 3.3 kV, 6.6 kV, 11 kV-three phase (3.3 & 6.6 kV are being phased out)
Besides these levels, the Railway Traction at 25 kV, single phase is one of the biggest
consumers of power spread at any particular stretch to 40 km of track length.

Generation: Three-phase synchronous generators

440 V, 3.3 kV, 6.6 kV (small generators), 11 kV (110 & 220 MW)
21.5 kV (500 MW), 33 kV (1000 MW) [limitation due to machine insulation
requirement]
Distribution:
Three phase: 440 V, 3.3 kV, 6.6 kV, 11 kV, 33 kV, and 66 kV

Deependra Singh

High Voltage Engineering

UnitUnit-I
With the increase in power consumption density, the power distribution voltage levels are at
rise because the

power handling capacity is proportional to the square of the voltage level.

(In Germany 440 V, 3.0 kV 6.0 kV, 10 kV, 30 kV, 60 kV)

AC Transmission: 110 kV, 132 kV, 220 kV, 380 - 400 kV, 500 kV, 765 - 800 kV, 1000 kV
and 1150 kV exist. Work on 1500 kV is complete.
In three phase power system, the rated voltage is always given as line to line, rms voltage.
D.C. Transmission: dc single pole and bipolar lines: 100 kV to 500 kV
Advance countries like US, Canada and Japan have their single phase ac power
consumption level at 110V. Rest of the whole world consumes single phase ac power at 220
V.
The only advantage of 110 V single phase consumer voltages is that it is safer over
220 V. However, the disadvantages are many.
Disadvantages:
It requires double the magnitude of current to deliver the same amount of power as at
220 V

Hence for the same magnitude of I2R losses to limit the conductor or the insulation
temperature to 70 C (for PVC), the resistance of the distribution cable should be 4
times lower. Therefore, the cable cross-section area has to be increased four folds.

Four times more copper requirement, dumped in the building walls is an expensive
venture.

Due to higher magnitude of current, higher magnetic field in the buildings. Not good
for health.

With the installation of modern inexpensive protective devices (earth fault relays),
220 V is equally safe as 110 V.

REFERENCE:

http://nptel.iitm.ac.in/courses/Webcoursehttp://nptel.iitm.ac.in/courses/Webcourse-contents/IITcontents/IITKANPUR/HighVoltageEngg/ui/Course_home1_1.htm

en.wikipedia.org
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/h
.wikipedia.org/wiki/high_volt
/wiki/high_voltage.htm
igh_voltage.htm #Definition

Deependra Singh

High Voltage Engineering

UnitUnit-I

2. ADVANTAGES OF TRANSMITTING ELECTRICAL POWER AT HIGH

VOLTAGES
Electric power transmission or "high voltage electric transmission" is the bulk
transfer of electrical energy, from generating power plants to substations located near
population centers. This is distinct from the local wiring between high voltage substations
and customers, which is typically referred to as electric power distribution. Transmission
lines, when interconnected with each other, become high voltage transmission networks. In
the US, these are typically referred to as "power grids" or just "the grid", while in the UK the
network is known as the "national grid."
Electricity is transmitted at high voltages (110 kV or above) to reduce the energy lost
in long distance transmission. Power is usually transmitted through overhead power lines.
Underground power transmission has a significantly higher cost and greater operational
limitations but is sometimes used in urban areas or sensitive locations.
The most important application and advantage of high voltage is to transmit high
power across long distance with very little power loss. High voltage is needed when we use
high power equipment (industrial and medical instruments.) as high current source is difficult
to generate and high voltage source is easily available (3-ph AC or HVDC transmission lines)
and is also easy to convert it into lower values using transformer and voltage dividers to get
desired value so high voltages are used in industry.
Power transfer for large systems, whether in the context of interconnection of large
systems or bulk transfers, led engineers invariably to think in terms of high system voltages.
Figure 1.1 lists some of the major A.C. transmission systems in chronological order of their
installations, with tentative projections to the end of this century.

The electric power (P) transmitted on an overhead A.C. line increases approximately
with the surge impedance loading or the square of the systems operating voltage. Thus for a
transmission line of surge impedance ZL (250) at an operating voltage V, the power
transfer capability is approximately P = V2/ZL, which for an overhead A.C. system leads to
the following results:
V (kV)
P (MW)

Deependra Singh

400
640

700
2000

1000
4000

1200
5800

1500
9000

High Voltage Engineering

UnitUnit-I

The rapidly increasing transmission voltage level in recent decades is a result of the
growing demand for electrical energy, coupled with the development of large hydroelectric
power stations at sites far remote from centres of industrial activity and the need to transmit
the energy over long distances to the centres. However, environmental concerns have
imposed limitations on system expansion resulting in the need to better utilize existing
transmission systems. This has led to the development of Flexible A.C. Transmission
Systems (FACTS) which are based on newly developing high-power electronic devices such
as GTOs and IGBTs. Examples of FACTS systems include Thyristor Controlled Series
Capacitors and STATCOMS. The FACTS devices improve the utilization of a transmission
system by increasing power transfer capability. Although the majority of the worlds electric
transmission is carried on A.C. systems, high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission by
overhead lines, submarine cables, and back-to-back installations provides an attractive
alternative for bulk power transfer.
REFERENCE:

en.wikipedia.org
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/e
.wikipedia.org/wiki/electric_power_transmission.htm
/wiki/electric_power_transmission.htm

HVE: Kuffel & Zaengl: PP-1, PP- 2

Deependra Singh

High Voltage Engineering

UnitUnit-I

3. NEED FOR GENERATING HIGH VOLTAGES IN LABORATORY

In the fields of electrical engineering and applied physics, high voltages (D.C., A.C.,
and impulse) are required for several applications. For example, electron microscopes and xray units require high D.C. voltages of the order of 100 kV or more. Electrostatic
precipitators, particle accelerators in nuclear physics, etc. require high voltages (D.C.) of
several kilovolts and even megavolts. High A.C. voltages of one million volts or even more
are required for testing power apparatus rated for extra high transmission voltages (400 kV
system and above). High impulse voltages are required for testing purposes to simulate overvoltages that occur in power systems due to lightning or switching surges. For electrical
engineers, the main concern of high voltages is for the insulation testing of various
components in power systems for different types of voltages, namely, power frequency A.C.,
high frequency, switching or lightning impulses. Hence, generation of high voltages in
laboratories for testing purposes is essential and is discussed in this chapter.

Different forms of high voltages mentioned above are classified as

i.

High D.C. Voltages

ii.

High A.C. Voltages of power frequency.

iii.

High A.C. Voltages of high frequency.

iv.

High transient or impulse voltages of very short duration such as lightning over
voltages, and

v.

Transient voltages of longer duration such as switching surges.

Normally, in high voltage testing, the current under conditions of failure is limited to
a small value (less than an ampere in the case of D.C. or A.C. voltages and few amperes in
the case of impulse or transient voltages). But in certain cases, like the testing of surge
diverters or the short circuit testing of switchgear, high current testing with several hundreds
of amperes is of importance. Tests on surge diverters require high surge currents of the order
of several kilo-amperes. Therefore, test facilities require high voltage and high current
generators. High impulse current generation is also required along with voltage generation for
testing purposes.
REFERENCE:

HVE: Kamraju
Kamraju Naidu: PP-104

Deependra Singh

High Voltage Engineering

UnitUnit-I

4. IMPORTANT APPLICATIONS OF HIGH VOLTAGE

The most important application:
i.

Transmission of high power across long distance with very little power loss.

ii.

High voltage is needed when we use high power equipments (industrial and
medical instruments) as high current is difficult to generate and high voltage
source is easily available (3-ph AC or high voltage DC transmission lines).

iii.

As it is easy to convert High value power into lower values using transformers and
voltage dividers to get desired value so high voltages are used in industry.

iv.

Generation of high D.C. voltages is required in research work in the areas of pure
and applied physics.

v.

High direct voltages are needed in insulation tests on cables and capacitors.

vi.

Impulse generator charging units also require high D.C. voltages of about 100 to
200 kV.

vii.

For the generation of D.C. voltages of up to 100 kV, electronic valve rectifiers are
used and the output currents are about 100 mA.

REFERENCE:

www.answers.yahoo.com

HVE: C L Wadhwa; P-56

HVE: Kamraju Naidu: PP-104

Deependra Singh

High Voltage Engineering

UnitUnit-I

PROBLEMS

Q. 1

Give a brief Introduction to HV technology?

Q. 2

Explain advantages of transmitting electrical power at high voltages?

Q. 3

What is the need for generating high voltages in laboratory? Name various methods of
HV generation?

Q. 4

Write down & explain important applications of high voltage?

Deependra Singh