RESEARCH OF EFFECT OF RAIN, WIND AND WIND-BLOWN RAIN ON POWER FREQUENCY FLASHOVER CHARACTERISTIC OF AIR GAP HU Yi, WANG

Li-nong, SHAO Gui-wei (Wuhan High Voltage Research Institute of SGCC, Wuhan, 430074, Hubei Province, China) ABSTRACT: At 1:1 ratio scale simulated tower, the effect of rainfall, wind and wind-blown rain on power frequency flashover characteristic of conductor-tower air gap was systematically researched. The result is that, rainfall, wind speed, wind direction, wind-blown rain can effect the power frequency flashover characteristic of air gap. The rain reduce the flashover voltage obviously, especially the air gap is small. The resistivity of rainwater also has influence on the power frequency flashover characteristic of air gap. The influence of rainfall path is not obviously to the flashover. The wind direction and speed also influence the flashover voltage. The influence of wind-blown rain to the power frequency flashover of air gap is about the lineal superposition of the influence on only rainfall and only wind. Key words: rain Intensity, rainwater resistivity, wind speed, wind direction, wind-blown rain, air gap electric strength through the structure of 1:1 simulated 1. Introduction gap. Windage yaw discharge is always an influence factor of safe operation of transmission line [1-3]. According to the accidents caused by windage yaw in recent years, strong wind and rainstorm reducing the power frequency discharging voltage of led-tower air gap is the essential cause of windage yaw. Fig.1 Arrangements of test But presently the windage yaw design of 3 Result in the condition of rainwater transmission line, is depended on pure 3.1 Effect of remaining rainwater air gap, and do not consider the change In the condition of different distance, of air gap electric strength which is after the air gap was rained by rainwater caused by the foreign material in air gap of different resistivity, the test of the such as raindrop [4-10]. power frequency flashover voltage of air At present, there is little research gap was done. about the power frequency flashover characteristic of conductor-to-tower air gap [11-16] Through the research of the effect of rain, wind, and wind-blown rain on power frequency flashover characteristic of conductor-to-tower air gap, the result can supply technical base for the design of minimum air gap space of electric transmission line in adverse Fig.2 flashover voltage weather. The power frequency flashover 2. Test Arrangements voltage of conductor-tower air gap In the UHV test yard of Wuhan High decreased after raining than that before Voltage Research Institute of SGCC, the raining, and the decreasing of amplitude power frequency flashover characteristic is as the increasing of the air gap of conductor-to-tower air gap of 500kV distance. The reason is, a lot of water transmission line was researched drop remain on the conductor and tower frame after raining, and the electric field

of the water drop surface is higher, that makes the generation and development of influx easily, and cause the decrease of flashover voltage of air gap. 3.2 Effect of rainfall intensity When the resistivity of rainwater is 800cm, the direction of rain is parallel to the discharging path, the test of power frequency flashover voltage of air gap was done.

of resistivity of rainwater on the flashover voltage of air gap is much less than that of the rainfall intensity. It is also inferred that, in some seriously polluted area, the power frequency flashover voltage of air gap will decrease rapidly, once the resistivity of rainwater decreases to some level. 4. Result in the condition of wind 4.1 Effect of wind speed

Fig.3 Effect of rainfall intensity The flashover voltage decreases obviously when it is raining, and the tendency of decreasing become more obviously as the gap distance decreases. The main reason is that, the dielectric constant of rainwater is much more than that of air (about 80:1), the existence of rainwater drop in the discharging gap makes the electric field around rainwater drop increasing. Normally the increasing of humidity makes increasing of the power frequency flashover voltage of air gap, although the rainfall makes the humidity of conductor-tower air gap increasing, the test result indicate, the effect of rainwater in the discharging gap on the flashover voltage of air gap is much greater than that of the increasing of humidity. 3.3 Effect of rainwater resistivity

Fig.5 Effect of wind speed When the wind direction is parallel to the discharging path, the strong wind decreases the flashover voltage of conductor-tower air gap and the flashover voltage have the tendency of keeping decreasing as the wind speed increasing. 4.2 Effect of wind direction When the wind speed is 24m/s, the test result is showed in Fig.6.

Fig.4 Effect of rainwater resistivity In the range of test, the flashover voltage decreases as the decreasing of the resistivity of rainwater, but the effect

Fig.6 Effect of wind direction (Note: 1represents no wind, 2 represents the included angle of wind direction and discharging path is 0, 3 represents 45,4 represents 90.) When the included angel of wind direction and discharging path is different, the tendency of its effect on the flashover voltage is different. When the angel is 0, the flashover voltage is smaller than that when there is no wind, and when the angle is 90, the flashover

voltage is more than that when there is no wind. 5. Result in the condition of wind-blown rain When the resistivity of rainwater is 1800cm, and the rain intensity is 14.4mm/min, and wind speed is 24m/s, in the condition of different wind-blown rain, the test of flashover voltage of conductor-tower air gap was done.

If the gap distance is 0.6m, when the wind speed is 24m/s and the rain intensity is 14.4mm/min, the flashover voltage had decreased 25.3% than that when there is not wind and rainfall, if the gap distance is 1.2m, the flashover had decreased 19.0% in the same situation. 6. The power frequency withstand voltage of air gap in the condition of rainfall and strong wind The Tab.1 shows the result of power frequency flashover voltage of air gap, when the resistivity of rainwater is 800cm, the direction of rain and wind is parallel to the discharging path, which is the strictest condition in the test range. The amplitude of decreasing is also showed in the table. The second line of every column in the table shows power Fig.7 flashover voltage frequency withstands voltage. Tab.1 Power frequency flashover voltage of air gap No wind After 1min Extra Only wind Wind (30m/s) and state No rain raining storm rain (16m/s) extra storm rain flashover 410.1 396.4 345.2 403.8 326.4 withstand 374 361 315 368 297 operating phase voltage of 500kV transmission line is 1.25m. 7. Conclusion (1) The effect of rainfall on the power frequency flashover voltage of air gap is obvious. Once there is raining, the flashover voltage decreases obviously, and the less of the distance, the more obvious of the decreasing. (2) The resistivity of rainwater has effect on the power frequency flashover voltage. (3) The speed and direction of wind has effect on the flashover voltage. When the direction of wind is parallel to the discharging path, the flashover voltage decreases as the increasing of wind speed, it is reverse when the direction of wind is vertical to the discharging path. (4) In the range of test, the effect of the wind-blown rain on the power frequency flashover voltage is likely as

Following conclusions could be acquired from the table: (1) When the gap distance is 1.2m, that is the designed gap distance in china for 500kV transmission line, only the wind can not cause the windage yaw fault and accident of transmission line. (2) when the air gap distance is 1.2m, as the increasing of rainfall intensity, the maximum operating phase(317.5kV) will exceed the power frequency withstand voltage of the gap, the flashover may occurs. (3) Wind-blown rain further decreases the power frequency flashover voltage. When the wind speed is 30m/s, and there is extra storm rain, the resistivity of rainwater is 800cm, and the direction of rain and wind is parallel to the discharging path, the air gap of which the power frequency withstand voltage is more than the maximum

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