EEE 483 High Voltage Engineering

Impulse Voltage Generation

A H Chowdhury, PhD
Professor, EEE, BUET
January 2020
 Lecture Content
▪ Impulse voltage generation
▪ Shapes

▪ Mathematical analysis

▪ Codes and standards

▪ Single and multi-stage impulse generators

▪ Tripping and control of impulse generators

 Multi-stage Impulse Generators
Why multi-stage?

• Inconvenience of single-stage circuit for higher voltages

▪ Difficulties encountered with spark gaps for switching of very high voltages

▪ Increase of physical size of circuit elements

▪ Efforts necessary in obtaining high d.c. voltages to charge C1

▪ Difficulties of suppressing corona discharges from structure and leads during charging period

• Solution suggested by Marx (1923) - a number of condensers charged in parallel

through high ohmic resistances and then discharged in series through spark gaps
Indoor impulse generator,
20-stage, 4-MV, 200-kJ,
with encapsulated sphere
gaps

Basic circuit of a six-

stage impulse generator
(Marx generator)
Multi-stage Impulse Generators

Stray capacitances (C, C and C) indicated by dotted lines

▪ C - formed by electrical field between adjacent stages

▪ C - formed by electrical field across two stages

▪ C - capacitance of the spark gaps

C1 > C, C, C

Gap distance of G2 slightly greater than that of G1

R 2 << R

Basic circuit of a six-stage impulse generator (Marx generator)

 Multi-stage Impulse Generators
• DC voltage charges equal stage capacitors C1 in parallel
through resistors R and R 2

Relatively long charging period

(typically several seconds up to 1 minute)

• At the end of charging period

▪ points A, B, . . . ,F at potential V with respect to earth
▪ points G,H, . . . , N remains at earth potential
→ as voltage drop during charging across R 2 is negligible
• Firing of generator initiated by breakdown of gap G1 followed
by a nearly simultaneous breakdown of all remaining gaps
Multi-stage Impulse Generators
Traditional interpretation - rapid breakdown caused by high
overvoltage across second and further gaps
• When G1 fires, potential at point A changes rapidly from –V to
zero → point H potential increases to +V
→ As point B still at charging potential, –V → thus 2V voltage
appears across G2
→ G2 breaks down and potential at point I rises to +2V, creating a
potential difference of 3V across gap G3, since potential at point
C is at charging potential ….. and so on
• Traditional interpretation is in the wrong → potentials B and C
can also follow adjacent potentials of points A and B, as resistors
R are between
Multi-stage Impulse Generators
• Assuming resistors as open circuits → potential at point B fixed by
relative magnitudes of stray capacitances

• Neglecting C between points H and C and since C1 > C, C and C
point B can be assumed as mid-point of a capacitor voltage divider
formed by C and C/C
→ Thus voltage rise of point A from –V to zero will cause potential B
to rise from –V to a voltage of

→ Potential difference across G2 becomes

 Multi-stage Impulse Generators

• If C = 0 → voltage across G2 will reach its maximum value 2V [however, C cannot be avoided]

• If C and C are both zero, VG2 equals V → sparking of G2 would not be possible

→ Therefore, stray capacitances enhance favourable conditions for operation of generator

 Multi-stage Impulse Generators

• Conditions set by the above equations are approximate and transient, as stray capacitances start to
discharge
▪ As values of C to C normally in the order of some 10 pF, time constants for this discharge may be as low as
10–7 to 10–8 sec.

▪ Thus voltage across G2 appears for a short time and leads to breakdown within several tens of nanoseconds

• Transient overvoltages appear across further gaps, enhanced since output terminal N remains at zero
potential mainly, and therefore additional voltages are built up across resistor R2
→breakdown continues and finally terminal N attains a voltage of +6V, or nV, if n stages are present
 Multi-stage Impulse Generators
Issues involved with construction of spark gaps and layout of generator
• For consistent operation following are necessary
• Distance for gap G1 must be only slightly below G2 and further gaps for earliest breakdown
• Axes of gaps must be in one vertical plane so that ultraviolet illumination from spark in G1 irradiates
other gaps
– This ensures a supply of electrons released from gap to initiate breakdown during the short
period when gaps are subjected to overvoltage
• Consistency of firing and stability of breakdown and therefore output voltage is improved by
providing ultraviolet illumination for first gap
• Resistor R1 placed between generator and load has to withstand for a short time full rated voltage →
R1 has to be made inconveniently long or may occupy much space
 Multi-stage Impulse Generators

Multistage impulse generator with

distributed discharge and front resistors
R2: discharge resistors
R1 : internal front resistors
R1 :external front resistor

• Series connection of the capacitors C1 and gaps changed to an equivalent arrangement for which
polarity of output voltage is the same as the charging voltage
• Charging resistors R always large compared with distributed resistors R1 and R2, and R2 made as
small as is necessary to give the required time to halve-value T2
• External front resistor R1 helps to damp oscillations which may be excited by inductance and
capacitance of external leads between generator and load, if these leads are long
 Multi-stage Impulse Generators
• Total discharge capacitance C1 when generator has fired,

• Effective front resistance

n - number of
• Effective discharge resistance R2 – neglecting charging resistances R stages

• Firing is aggravated if resistances R2 have relatively low values → such low values appear with
generators of high energy content and/or short times to half-value, T2
– Time constant for discharging stray capacitances to ground C will be too low and accordingly overvoltages
for triggering the upper stages too short

– Can be avoided by additional means providing high resistance values within firing period