The 19th International Symposium on High Voltage Engineering, Pilsen, Czech Republic, August, 23 – 28, 2015

ANALYSIS OF POWER DISSIPATION BY VARIATION OF

FREQUENCY ON HIGH VOLTAGE METAL-OXIDE ARRESTER BLOCK
*
C. Hippler and C. Leu
1
Technische Universität Ilmenau, Inter-departmental Center for Energy Technologies,
Research Unit High-Voltage Technologies, Germany
*Email: Christoph.Hippler@tu-ilmenau.de

Abstract: High voltage metal oxide surge arresters (MO-arresters) are requested to
protect electrical power devices by limitation of internal or external transient overvoltages
which occur in the high voltage power and distribution grid. The conduction of the surge
arrester increases immediately after reaching a certain voltage level. Subsequently, it
holds the voltage level, conducts the current, which is associated with the overvoltage,
and ceases the high conduction period after reduction of the overvoltage. This significant
effect of voltage limitation is accomplished through the highly nonlinear voltage-current
curve of the metal-oxide ceramic material. Due to the height of high voltage MO-arrester
and the resulting stray capacitances, it is obvious, that the voltage distribution along a
MO-arrester is not uniform. This means, the upper MO-blocks are more stressed than the
lower MO-blocks. Additionally, there are permanent superimposed alternating voltages
which have a higher frequency than the grid frequency.
Both effects, higher voltages and higher frequencies, lead to superior stress for the MO-
blocks because of the increased power dissipation. Experimental measurements are
realised to verify the change of conductivity and permittivity at higher frequencies and
temperatures. The voltage, current, frequency and temperature are measured at the
same time. The voltage-current curve, the conductivity/temperature characteristic and the
relative permittivity/temperature characteristic are used as an evaluation criterion. As a
first result of these measurements it can be stated that a higher frequency causes an
increasing power dissipation and results in an increasing temperature in the MO-block.
This study presents and discusses the significance of the mentioned effects.

1 INTRODUCTION categorised to define the location of installation

and load cycles.
A key equipment of a HVDC transmission line is
the converter with the function to transform one
voltage form into another voltage form on the
condition to minimize harmonic component of the
output voltage. Nevertheless, it is known that the
power electronic causes permanent higher
harmonics between the switching states on/off.
The harmonics are superimposed to the
fundamental voltage form (e.g. alternating or a
direct voltage). The amplitudes of the harmonics
are not negligible and the component of the
harmonics depends on the properties of the
topology of the valve devices as well as on the
location of the harmonic filter [1].

The typical overvoltage protection of high voltage

devices is afforded by MO-arresters and they are
established in HVDC system for a long time. The
primary objective of the MO-arrester is the
limitation of internal or external transient
overvoltages, mostly from lightning strokes. In
HVDC transmission systems, MO-arresters are
also primary used to protect electrical power
devices from transient lightning strokes but also to
limit permanent occurring harmonic components
and absorb the energy. In converter stations, the
operation voltage form varies and differs for each
scheme as well as for the installed number of
bridges. Therefore, different MO-arresters are
Figure 1: Converter station with one 12-pulse
converter bridge per pole, enlarged view [2].
For example, for the case of a valve MO-arrester
(Figure 1 [A]), it is known that, depending on the
accurate modelling as well as on the structure of
the converter system, the valve MO-arrester is
stressed with harmonics which have a frequency in
the range of some kHz to MHz [2-3]. The critical
factor is the permanent occurring higher frequent
voltage due to the heat input. The frequency
affects the voltage-current characteristic (UI-curve)
and the protection level, they increase the power
dissipation in the MO-block and they can cause a
degradation of the metal-oxide material as well as
possible technical failures. Hence, this study
investigates the change of the UI-curve of MO-
blocks which are installed in MO-arresters.
Knowledge about the behaviour of the UI-curve for
higher frequencies is important to determine the
change of the UI-curve for the dimensioning of
protection level and the maximum energy
absorption capability of MO arresters. Additionally,
the voltage distribution will be change due to a
changed UI-curve of the MO-block in the MO-
arrester.
Furthermore, it is known that the extreme
nonlinearity of the UI-curve depends on
temperature, voltage form and frequency [3-5, 8].
In reference 3, Horiuchi published the power
dissipation of a valve arrester in a HVDC system
which was stressed by different superimpose
voltage wave shapes. The experimental HVDC
system had a maximum source voltage of
4.3 kVRMS. The author used a prorated section of a
MO-block (diameter 33 mm, height 6 mm) which
was adapted for direct voltage stress. The MO-
block was stressed with a voltage waveform which
was generated through a sinusoidal voltage
generator. Information about the maximum power
or the maximum voltage of the circuit is
undisclosed, but the frequency range is given
between 50 Hz and 20 kHz. In summary, the
author observed an increasing power dissipation of
the prorated section of the MO-block for high
frequency sinusoidal voltage wave shapes and for
higher harmonics due to the commutation
overshoots.
The change of the behaviour of the extreme
nonlinearity voltage-current-curve UI-curve is not
yet completely understood for high frequency high
voltage stresses. Hence, this research work
focuses on the low conduction region at high
frequency high voltage stress with voltages over
10 kV at an unmodified complete MO-block. This
low conduction region is well-suited to clearly
recognize any change of the UI-curve by variation
of the temperature as well as the frequency. In
order to characterise this UI-curve experimental
measurements are realised. The results clearly
show the change of conductivity and permittivity by
higher frequencies and higher temperatures at
various applied voltage levels. Thereby, two
important facts are in focus:
1) the increased conductivity and the
decreased permittivity at high frequency as
well as at high temperature
2) the increased voltage limitation at higher
frequencies
Due to the various voltage forms and the different
harmonic components, this work is restricted to a
sinusoidal operation voltage form with four
th
frequencies, namely 50 Hz, 3 harmonic (150 Hz),
th
5 harmonic (250 Hz) and a high frequency
(13 kHz) in order to investigate the behaviour of
the electrical parameters of a MO-block for
alternating voltages. For the selection of the high
frequency, it was assumed, that the terminal of a
MO-arrester is located at a rectangular operation
voltage. It is also known, that higher voltage
oscillations are superimposed to the fundamental
voltage during the switching operation. These
oscillations are in range of kHz. Hence, in this
case, it will be assumed, that the oscillation has a
frequency of 13 kHz (Figure 2). A frequency
converter in combination with a high voltage
transformer was used to generate the required
frequency and sinusoidal voltage form [7].
Figure 2: Rectangular voltage with an assumed
high-frequency component of 13 kHz.
2 THEORETICAL BACKGROUND
It is well known that MO-arresters carry a small
leakage current at operating voltage. This leakage
current consists of two parts: namely a conduction
and a displacement current component. There
proportion depends mainly on the amplitude of the
applied voltage and on the frequency for new MO-
blocks. For a frequency of 50 Hz, 250 Hz and
13.8 kHz the measured leakage currents are
shown at rated voltage in Figure 9 - Figure 11.
These figures reveal that the leakage current,
especially the displacement current increase with
increase of frequency and its waveform became
more and more a sinusoidal waveform. The power
loss depends on the amplitude and frequency of
the leakage current and of the voltage. This could
leads to a degradation of the metal-oxide material
and possible failure of the MO-arrester [4-5].
The existing power losses (PL) can be measured
and calculated for one MO-block by separating the
total current into a conduction and a displacement
current component. Thus it appears that also the
power loss (PL) can be split into dielectric losses
(Pdiel) and conduction losses (Pcon) which are
caused by the leakage current and the voltage
drop over the MO-block. The calculation of power
losses is given in equation 1-3 with f = frequency;
ε0 and εr = vacuum and relative permittivity; A =
contact surface of the MO-block; h = height of MO-
block, tan δ = dissipation factor; κ = conductivity.
P L =P diel +P con (1)
ϵ 0⋅ϵr⋅A (2)
P diel = û 2⋅2⋅π⋅ f ⋅tan δ
h
κ⋅û 2 (3)
P con=
h
Based on a simplified equivalent circuit of the MO-
block, which represents the voltage current
behaviour of the MO-block and consist of a
constant capacitance and an extreme nonlinear
resistance in parallel, the calculation of the material
parameters is given in equation 4-7
û 1 temperature sensors (3).
X c= = (4)
îc 2⋅π⋅f ⋅C
û (5)
R=
̂
i res
h temperature at high voltage potential. Due to their
ϵ r= (6)
2⋅π⋅ f⋅X c⋅A⋅ϵ0
h
κ= (7)
R⋅A
where R = specific resistance and Xc = capacitive
reactance.
Philipp and Levinsion [8] observed that inductance
of the ZnO grains of the MO-block is weak up to
several MHz at very low voltage stress. The
resistance of ZnO grains is specified with
-2
≈ 10 Ωm [6]. Consequently, it will be estimated
that the inductance and the resistance of the ZnO
grains are negligible for this investigation with a
frequency range up to 13 kHz.
3 TEST SETUP
3.1 VOLTAGE-CURRENT-TEMPERATURE
MEASURING CIRCUIT
Figure 3 shows the test setup for the
measurement of the leakage current. The MO-
block is located in a test vessel at ambient
pressure to isolate it from draught. The used cable
feeding is shielded to suppress external
electromagnetic disturbance. The test arrangement
was constructed to avoid partial discharges. The
thin copper electrodes are necessary to distribute
the current homogeneously on the surface of the
MO-block. Additionally, inside the electrodes, a
horizontal hole is drilled with a diameter of 0.8 mm.
It is used to insert the fibre optic temperature
sensor of which one is installed at the bottom and
the other one at the top of the MO-block. The
sensor has a response time of <0.5 s with a
resolution of 0.1 °C.
Figure 3: Arrangement of the test object
(schematic), (1) test object - MO-block; (2) thin
copper electrodes with holes for the fibre optic
The temperature measurement arrangement was
realised by two fibre optic temperature sensors
which are not electrical active and immune to EMI.
Thus these sensors are useful to measure the
small size, they do not compromise the MO-block
temperature.
The laboratory temperature was constant during
the measurements at 20 °C. The relative humidity
was in range of 55 % to 70 % and the atmospheric
pressure was around 960 kPa. For the
measurements, the required temperature was
settled through electrical heating with increased
alternating voltage (50 Hz) over the rated voltage
of the MO-block for a short time period (up to
300 s). A temperature variance of ± 3 K was
admitted in all measurements. After both
temperature sensors indicated the same required
temperature the overvoltage was switched off and
the voltage was again, step-by-step, increased up
to the limit of the high-voltage source,
simultaneously to the current measurement. There
are two different high-voltage sources in use in
order to realise the required voltage form:
1) for AC 50 Hz - 250 Hz: a serial connection
of low voltage AC power source and high
voltage transformer with a maximum output
power of 2000 VA
2) for AC frequency in the range of kHz: the
proven high frequency high voltage generator
with a maximum peak voltage up to 70 kV in a
frequency range of 1 kHz to 50 kHz
Particular care is recommended in measuring the temperature. Therefore, the measurements were
leakage currents since the current consist of a stopped and the MO-block was warmed up or
capacitive and a resistive waveform part which is cooled down again for a certain time in order to
subjected from the amplitude and harmonic achieve constant conditions.
component of the operation voltage. Depending on
the voltage source and the range of the leakage
current, the first part of the low voltage conduction
region of the UI-curve was measured with a high
gain current amplifier up to a current limit of 10 mA.
Due to the higher frequency and the resultant
increased current a wideband, high resolution
current transformer (Pearson monitor) was used
for the measurement of currents up to 300 mA.

3.2 TEST SAMPLE MATERIALS

The experimental measurements were carried out

with a certain type of an alternating voltage MO-
block (diameter 41 mm, thickness 36 mm) without
any prior usage. Both contact sides of the MO-
block were metalised by the manufacturer. The Figure 5: Measured resistive current / voltage
technical datasheet shows a rated voltage (Ur) of characteristics of MO-block at different
6 kVRMS with a leakage current of 1 mA. The MO- temperatures for 13.8 kHz.
block was not pre-stressed (except of manufacture
tests). All named and illustrated voltages and currents are
peak values. The temperature influence of the UI-
4 RESULTS curve is weak and negligible above the rated peak
voltage (8.5 kV) of the MO-block.
Respecting Figure 4 and Figure 5 it is not
surprising, in regard of the temperature sensitivity
of the MO-material, that the UI-curve shifts to
higher currents with increasing temperature.
Consequently, due to temperature sensitivity of the
intergranular layer, the difference between the UI-
curves is highest in the range of the low conduction
region, well below the knee point. This effect can
be observed for voltage stress with a frequency of
50 Hz and 13.8 kHz.

Figure 6: Measured UI-curves for different

frequencies with an ambient temperature of 20°C.

In this context, higher frequencies lead to higher

Figure 4: Measured resistive current / voltage
characteristics of MO-block at different
temperatures for 50 Hz.
Figure 5 shows that it is particularly evident to
keep the temperature of the MO-block constant
during the measurement. Problems were
encountered by the determination of the resistive
current due to a decreased or increased
leakage currents and to higher voltages. For
example, during the measurement, the maximum
peak voltage was always in the range of 9.8 kV
with a frequency of 50 Hz and with a resistive
current of around 10 mA. After increasing the
frequency towards kHz the maximum voltage
reached values in the range of 10.8 kV (see Figure
4 - Figure 6). It is known, that the conductivity and
the permittivity are depending on the frequency.
For example, in Figure 6, for direct voltages, the
graph of UI-curve shows clearly lower leakage
currents and a lower voltage level at the knee point
in comparison to alternating voltages. This implies
immediately a strong frequency dependence of the
resistance of the ZnO-material; extensive
characterisation works confirm this [3-5]. What
remains unidentified is the reason for the distinct
increase of the maximum voltage level by
increasing frequency. Furthermore, Figure 5
indicates clearly that the increased voltage level is
independent of the temperature (up to 100°C). This
effect of a higher voltage protection level will be
evaluated in further studies.
Figure 6 shows the voltage / resistive current
characteristics at various frequencies, measured
with a carefully considered constant temperature of
20°C. The resistive current depends strongly on
the frequency, as Figure 6 explains. The
investigation has proven that the conductance
increases with increasing frequency (as it is
generally assumed) which is caused by the
boundary layers between the zinc-oxide grains and
the intergranular material [6]. The datasheet of this
MO-block declares a leakage current of 1 mA at a
rated peak voltage of 8.5 kV. However, the
resistive current is increased to 20 mA for a
frequency of 13.8 kHz by a temperature of 20°C for
the same rated peak voltage.
Figure 7: Conductivity / temperature characteristic
of the MO-block is investigated for different
frequencies at a constant peak voltage of 8.5 kV.
The conductivity increases with increasing
temperature and it increases sharply with the
frequency, as Figure 7 illustrates. All traces are
given for the rated peak voltage of 8.5 kV. The
conductivity values of the AC voltage curve with
frequencies of 50 Hz, 150 Hz and 250 Hz are
closely parallel to each other and they increase
slightly with the temperature, compared to the
conductivity at 13.8 kHz. Additionally, at high
frequencies, the conductivity consists of two parts:
The first part (20°C – 60°C) of the conductivity
curve is low and rises slowly; the second part of
the conductivity rises faster after reaching a
temperature above 60°C. This can be assumed by
a modification of the intergranular layers between
the ZnO grains which depend on the temperature
and the simultaneously high frequency.
Figure 8 shows the relative permittivity /
temperature graphs at various frequencies,
measured at different temperature and evaluated
for the rated voltage (Ur = 8.5 kV). The variations
between the relative permittivity in the temperature
range of 20°C - 100°C depend strongly on the
frequency. The biggest variation of permittivity
occurs in case of a 50 Hz voltage stress assuming
that the temperature increases. However, it is
obvious that an increase of the frequency causes a
decrease of the permittivity. Consequently, the
temperature affects not only the conductivity but
also the permittivity of the ZnO-material,
particularly the intergranular material of the ZnO.
Figure 8: Relative permittivity / temperature
characteristic of the MO-block is investigated for
different frequencies at a constant peak voltage of
8.5 kV.
5 CONCLUSION
The low conduction region of the nonlinearity UI-
curve shows a strong dependence on the
temperature and on the frequency during variation
of the high voltage. The high frequency high
voltage was adjusted by using a combination of a
frequency converter and a high voltage transformer
in order to generate a sinusoidal waveform without
harmonic component. These measurements show
that during the high frequency high voltage stress
at the MO-block the frequency causes a
displacement of the UI-curve towards higher
currents at an almost constant temperature
(± 3°C). The same effect is observed for higher
temperatures and is confirmed with the literature.
The most intense change is recognised by the
evaluation of the material properties (conductivity
and permittivity). Thereby, it can be illustrated that
conductivity is strongly dependent on the applied
high frequency and on the temperature of the MO-
th
block. The conductivity rises slightly for the 3 and
th
5 harmonic of a 50 Hz voltage stress. However,
an increase of the temperature has a more
th
relevant impact on the conductivity than the 3 or
th
5 harmonic of a 50 Hz voltage.
The relative permittivity depends also on the APPENDIX
frequency and on the temperature, but for higher
frequencies the temperature affects the permittivity
only marginally. In case of a low frequency stress
(e.g. 50 Hz) it is vice versa - the temperature has a
bigger impact on the permittivity than the
frequency. A change of the material properties
correlates by a modification of the intergranular
layers of the ZnO-material which is mostly
responsible for the characterisation of the UI-curve.

In further measurements it will be studied the

energy absorption capability of the MO-block by
variation of the harmonic components. In addition,
it is obvious that the voltage distribution along the
MO-arrester change under the aspect of shifting
the UI-curve towards higher leakage currents due Figure 9: Measured voltage and current waveform
to higher frequencies. Based on the measurement at rated voltage 50 Hz.
results it can be shown that the UI-curve change
during a high frequency high voltage stress.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors thank the Thuringian Graduate School

for Photovoltaic (PhotoGrad) for the gratefully
financial support.

REFERENCES

[1] CIGRE Brochure 447: "Components Testing

of VSC System for HVDC Applications",
Working Group B4.48, Feb. 2011.
[2] IEC 60099 Part 9: "Surge arresters", 2014.
Figure 10: Measured voltage and current
[3] Horiuchi, S., et all.: "Power dissipation waveform at rated voltage 250 Hz
characteristics of zinc-oxide arresters for
HVDC systems", IEEE Transaction on Power
Delivery, Vol. 3, No. 4, Oct. 1988.
[4] Kärner, H., et all.: "Degradation of Zinc Oxide
Varistors caused by Voltage Stresses and
Impulse Currents", ISH 1983, Athens, Greece.
[5] Haddad, A., et all.: "Characterisation of ZnO
surge arrester elements with direct and power
frequency voltages", IEEE Proceedings, Vol.
137, Pt. A, No5, Sep. 1990.
[6] Heinrich, C.: "Degradation und Diagnose von
Metalloxid-Ableitern in Hochspannungs-
netzen", doctoral thesis, 1998, Berlin,
Germany.
Figure 11: Measured voltage and current
[7] Birle, M., et all.: "Design and Application of a waveform at rated voltage 13.8 kHz
High-Frequency High-Voltage Generator",
17th ISH 2011, Hannover, Germany.
[8] Levinsion, L.M., et all.: "High frequency and
high current studies of metal oxide varistors",
J. Applied Physics, 1976, 47, pp. 3117-3121.