Overhead line and underground high-voltage transmission

Introduction

An overhead protection and underground high-voltage cables is a system designed

for the protection and safety of living beings .It is hardware mechanism. Depending on the
layout, it used either overhead or underground.

Overhead line systems are found in the rural areas and mainly everywhere. As the
underground lines use growing as the years coming up. Underground lines are safest for the
high voltage transmission. Overhead protection system is a structure built over the sidewalk
and around the exterior of a building.

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 Overhead line and underground high-voltage transmission

Overhead line and underground high-voltage transmission

The Red Electrical de España (REE) high-voltage transmission system includes existing
circuits that comprise mainly overhead lines with short sections of underground cable. To
comply with environmental and visual amenity considerations, the number of existing and
proposed high-voltage transmission lines mixing overhead and underground cable is on the
rise. In the event of a fault on high-voltage transmission lines, auto-reclosing is one of the
main protection functions. The majority of the faults on overhead lines are temporary, so
auto-reclosing normally will clear the fault and restore the availability of the system.
However, faults on underground cables are mainly permanent and an auto-reclosing sequence
could potentially

Therefore, the protection scheme challenge is more demanding with high-voltage mixed lines
because they include underground cable sections. It is important to be able to determine if the
fault occurred in the underground cable section to block the reclosing function. The most
reliable way to achieve this is by implementing a differential protection scheme on the cable
section, but this can be costly and oftentimes is not practically feasible.

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 Overhead line and underground high-voltage transmission

Selected Technology

As a result of considering the limited

technology possibilities commercially
available, REE, the Spanish transmission
system operator (TSO), sought a technology
mature enough for field deployment that
could substantially improve fault
identification on underground cable sections
in existing and future overhead transmission
lines.

To address this problem, REE selected

technology developed by ARTECHE that
consisted of a solution based on passive
optical sensors for measuring currents to
implement a differential fault detection
scheme between both ends of the cable section. All the sensors installed are controlled by a
single device, a signal processing and cable fault detection (CFD) unit, located in the closest
available substation. The connection of the current sensors to the CFD is made by means of
standard single-mode fiber-optic cables.

One of the main targets of the project was to provide CFD functionality without altering the
utility’s existing infrastructure and interfering with the protection and control functions
already in place. As a result, the system had to be designed to maximize the level of
integration and reduce the impact on existing equipment installed on the transmission line.

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 Overhead line and underground high-voltage transmission

Proposed Solution

The currents are measured with Faraday-effect passive optical sensors. The fact the current
sensors are passive is actually key to the system. They can be installed on the desired
measurement point with no need for a power supply, unlike other types of current sensors
such as Rogowski coils. This feature, together with the fact the connection between the
sensors and the CFD is made using standard fibers, enables the implementation of a remote
measurement system, reducing the infrastructure required.

Fiber optics from the existing optical ground wire (OPGW) cable are used for connecting the
sensors to the CFD. As fiber optics in the OPGW are a scarce resource, the system has been
designed so only two fiber-optic pairs are required for operating the entire system. In
addition, to make the installation easier, the splice boxes used to contain the optical circuits
and the corresponding fixing elements are those regularly used by the TSO on OPGW
installations.

Each optical sensor has a flexible sensing coil embedded on an all-dielectric cable and is
designed to be wrapped around the high-voltage cable, beneath the terminal bushing of the
overhead line-to-underground cable transition point. The sensing coil must enclose the high-
voltage cable as well as the grounding connection of the high-voltage cable’s shield. This
shield also is extended through the bushing, so the system can detect faults on both the cable
and the bushing, which is a frequent fault position on underground cable circuits.

An additional advantage of the passive remote current measurement system is that it will not
be necessary to undertake maintenance or recalibration after commissioning. Also, the system
is continuously self-monitoring the optical signal power level on all the fiber-optic links, so
any connectivity failure would be reported immediately through the corresponding alarm
contact.

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 Overhead line and underground high-voltage transmission

With the segregated phase current measurements provided by the six sensors installed, the
CFD unit implements a classic differential algorithm. In the event of a fault on the cable or in
the terminal bushing, the system detects it and a digital output is activated on the CFD unit as
a reclose block command for the protection relays installed for overhead line protection.

To implement the entire system, the following equipment is required:

• Six optical sensors, namely, three per overhead line-to-underground cable transition point
• Two pairs of standard single-mode fibers from the existing OPGW
• One signal processing and fault detection unit.

Factory Acceptance Tests

A laboratory setup was used to perform the factory acceptance testing required by REE to
validate the system’s functionality prior to field commissioning. CMC-356 test equipment
from OMICRON was used to generate the test currents. Current outputs were combined with
current transformers acting as amplifiers to simulate real system faults up to 4000 A as well
as single phase through faults up to 6000 A. To simulate the distance parameters of the circuit
selected for field trials, two fiber-optic coils — 5.2 km (3.2 miles) and 6.2 km (3.9 miles) in
length — were used.

The reclose block’s digital output from the CFD unit was connected back to the CMC-356 as
a triggering input to evaluate the results obtained during the simulations. For monitoring
purposes, REE requested an additional output interface, consisting of a digital output for
issuing the measured current values in the form of sampled values according to the IEC
61850-9-2LE process bus protocol.

Sensor Integration

The solution was developed to meet REE’s research and development (R&D) project
requirements for application on a 220-kV transmission line between Saladas and Novelda to
validate the protection scheme for CFD in a high-voltage mixed line. There is a distance of
5.88 km (3.65 miles) between the Saladas substation and the far end of the underground cable
section, which has a length of 680 m (2231 ft). The current sensors were installed on

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 Overhead line and underground high-voltage transmission

transitions towers No. 34 and No. 35 on the Saladas–Novelda transmission line, wrapping
them around the underground cable just beneath the terminal bushing without having to make
any changes on the tower. Once the sensors were installed, the corresponding fiber-optic
cables from the sensors were connected to the designated fiber-optic cables in the OPGW
splice box.

The CFD unit located in the Saladas substation measures all currents coming from the six
sensors installed. Finally, the CFD auto-reclose block signal is connected to the line
protection scheme. In the event of an underground cable fault, the line protection detects the
fault and the auto-reclose sequence starts. At the same time, the CFD detects the fault and
sends a signal to the line protection, stopping the auto-reclose sequence, and also sends a
blocking signal to the micro-logical control unit to inform the control center.

Field Installation

The field installation work took three days, and the material and human resources required
were as follows:
• Two linemen, with experience on OPGW installation to complete the fiber-optic splicing
and install the sensors
• A 40-m (131-ft) tower crane for elevating the linemen to the cable’s terminal bushings
•Standard fiber-optic splicer
• Standard tools for handling fiber optics and undertaking OPGW installations.

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 Overhead line and underground high-voltage transmission

It was not necessary to install any active equipment requiring power supply on the
measurement points, and the circuit was energized during the installation. Also, it was not
necessary to change any settings or make adjustments in the field, or to modify REE’s
existing protection and control system.

Although the high-voltage overhead line circuit selected for the field trial only includes one
underground cable section, this protection system could be used on high-voltage overhead
line circuits with a number of underground cable sections.

To date, the 220-kV circuit has not experienced a cable fault, so the newly installed
protection system has not operated. However, to validate the operational performance, REE
soon will install an external disturbance recorder, connecting it to the digital output of the
CFD unit, which is compatible with the IEC 61850-9-2LE process bus protocol as well as to
the conventional protection to provide comparable results when an external cable fault
occurs.

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 Overhead line and underground high-voltage transmission

Future Optimization

The main objective of the system is to ensure full reliability of the line’s protection scheme.
However, it also has been designed under the premise of optimizing the installation
equipment required, maximizing the integration of existing infrastructure, drastically
minimizing capital expenditure, simplifying the installation process and reducing the
commissioning time. Furthermore, the system does not require any operation or maintenance
work, which adds to the long-term cost efficiency of the solution. The result of this R&D
project is a system that will provide full reliability and maximum integration at minimum
cost.

The optical current measurement technology enables the improvement of the electrical
network protection capabilities. However, REE identified a challenge that has not yet been
addressed, namely, the location of the fault on the underground cable. In fact, this was one of
the additional requirements specified that would have allowed REE to have precise
information about the failure position on the cable to optimize restoration of the line.

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 Overhead line and underground high-voltage transmission

REE’s long-term objection is to replace distance protection with a new technology that can
detect underground cable faults. REE is currently testing a similar solution from an
alternative vendor that compares with ARTECHE’s technology before establishing a new
standard. With the underground cables installed prior to the use of integral fiber optics, there
will be a problem retrofitting this form of protection on all existing high-voltage mixed lines.

Conclusion
This project was made possible thanks to the R&D project promoted by REE. The author
wishes to acknowledge ARTECHE’s support in the development of the technology and in the
preparation of this article.

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 Overhead line and underground high-voltage transmission

Reference

 www.electricals4u.co.in
 www.electricalsbasicprojectsforyou.com
 www.electrical-engineering-poirtal.com

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