High Voltage Engineering

Lecture 7
Classification of Voltage levels according to IEC 60038
 Classification of Voltage levels
Voltage levels have been defined and classified by various International Standards.
The International Electrotechnical Commission has classified the voltages into the following
levels (IEC 60038).

Low Voltage up to 1 kV

Medium Voltage 1 kV to 35kV

High Voltage 35 kV to 230 kV

Extra High Voltage 230 kV to 800 kV

Ultra high voltage above 800 kV

Different forms of high voltages and currents are classified as:
• High d.c. voltages.
• High a.c. voltages of power frequency.
• High a.c. voltages of high frequency.
• High transient or impulse voltages of very short duration such as
lightning impulse waveform.
• Transient voltages of longer duration such as switching surges.
• High impulse currents (surge diverters).
High Voltages are required for several applications:

❑ Electron microscopes.

❑ X-ray units

❑ Particle accelerators

❑ Testing of power apparatus.

Ultra High Voltage Research Center, Egypt
 High DC voltages are used for:

❑ insulation tests on cables and capacitors.

❑ impulse generator charging units (100 kV: 200 kV).

Different methods to generate high DC voltages
❑ Rectification of high AC voltage
• Half and Full Wave Rectifier Circuits.

• Voltage Doubler Circuits.

• Voltage Multiplier Circuits.

❑ Direct generation
• Electrostatic generator (Van de Graff generator)
 Rectification of high AC voltage
using
Half and Full Wave Rectifier Circuits
Rectification of high AC voltage
Half -Wave Rectifier Circuit

CRL ≥ 10 T ac supply
PIR (rectifier valve) ≥ 2 Vmax
 Full-Wave Rectifier Circuit
❑ Center-tapped transformer
 Full-Wave Rectifier Circuit
❑ Center-tapped transformer
The ripple V depends on:
(a) the supply voltage frequency, f ,
(b) the time constant CRl, and
(c) the reactance of the supply transformer Xl.
Rectification of high AC voltage
using
Voltage Doubler Circuit
voltage doubler circuit
❑ The voltage doubler circuit makes use of the
positive and the negative half cycles to charge
two different capacitors.
❑ These are then connected in series aiding to
obtain double the direct voltage output.
❑ The rectifiers are rated to a peak inverse
voltage of 2Vmax.
❑ C1 and C2 must have the same ratings.

Simple voltage doubler

voltage doubler circuit
 voltage doubler circuit

2𝑉
∆𝑉 𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑡𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑑𝑟𝑜𝑝
Mean 𝛿𝑉 𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑡𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑟𝑖𝑝𝑝𝑙𝑒
output 𝐼
value 𝛿𝑉 =
𝑓 𝐶2
𝐼
∆𝑉 =
𝑓 𝐶1
voltage doubler circuit

2𝑉

𝐼
𝛿𝑉 𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑡𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑟𝑖𝑝𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝛿𝑉 =
𝑓 𝐶2
During this time , 𝑞 = 𝐶2 𝛿𝑉
C2 is discharging
through RL 𝑞
𝐼=
𝑡
𝑡≅𝑇
 voltage doubler circuit

2𝑉
𝑞
𝐼=
𝛿𝑉 𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑡𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑟𝑖𝑝𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝑇
𝐼=𝑞𝑓
During this time ,
C2 is discharging 𝑞 = 𝐶2 𝛿𝑉
through RL

𝐼 = 𝐶2 𝛿𝑉𝑓
𝐼
𝛿𝑉 =
𝑓𝐶
 voltage doubler circuit

2𝑉
∆𝑉 𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑡𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑑𝑟𝑜𝑝
𝛿𝑉 𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑡𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑟𝑖𝑝𝑝𝑙𝑒
➢ Load current is neglected compared to
During this time , the charging current of C2
C2 is charged
And ➢ C1 voltage is reduced and C2 voltage is
C1 is discharging increased. The same charge transferred
from C1 to C2.

𝑞 ′ = 𝐶1 ∆𝑉 = 𝐶2 𝛿𝑉
The output voltage does not reach 2V because of that ➢ Because ∆𝑉 𝑖𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑎𝑚𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑡𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑑𝑢𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑖𝑛 𝐶1
voltage doubler circuit

2𝑉
∆𝑉 𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑡𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑑𝑟𝑜𝑝
𝛿𝑉 𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑡𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑟𝑖𝑝𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝑞 ′ = 𝐶1 ∆𝑉 = 𝐶2 𝛿𝑉

During this time , 𝑞 ′ = 𝐶1 ∆𝑉 = 𝑞

C2 is charged
𝑞′ 𝑖𝑠 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑠𝑓𝑒𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑟𝑡 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑡𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝐶1 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐶2
And
𝑞 𝑖𝑠 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑠𝑓𝑒𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛 𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑡𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝐶2 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑙𝑜𝑎𝑑
C1 is discharging

𝐼
∆𝑉 =
𝑓 𝐶1
voltage doubler circuit

2𝑉
∆𝑉 𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑡𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑑𝑟𝑜𝑝
𝛿𝑉 𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑡𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑟𝑖𝑝𝑝𝑙𝑒

During this time , ➢ C1 voltage is reduced and C2 voltage is

C2 is charged increased by the same voltage value if
And the two capacitances are equal
C1 is discharging

∆𝑉 = 𝛿𝑉
If 𝐶1 = 𝐶2
 voltage doubler circuit

2𝑉
∆𝑉 𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑡𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑑𝑟𝑜𝑝
Mean 𝛿𝑉 𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑡𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑟𝑖𝑝𝑝𝑙𝑒
output 𝐼
value 𝛿𝑉 =
𝑓 𝐶2
𝟏
Mean output value = 𝟐𝑽 − ∆𝑽 − 𝟐
𝜹𝑽 𝐼
∆𝑉 =
𝐼 𝟏 𝐼 𝑓 𝐶1
Mean output value = 𝟐𝑽 − 𝑓 𝐶1
−
𝟐 𝑓 𝐶2
Cockcroft-Walton voltage multiplier circuit

❑ 2nVmax above the earth potential can be

obtained.

❑ The Voltage across any individual capacitor or

rectifier is only 2Vmax.
A Cockroft–Walton d.c. generator for voltages up to 900 kV /10 mA
Ripple voltage and voltage drop

Ripple voltage and the voltage drop in a Cockcroft-Walton voltage multiplier circuit
Voltage drop in Cockcroft-Walton Voltage Multiplier Circuits

𝐼 𝑛(𝑛 + 1)
Ripple voltage 𝛿𝑉 =
𝑓𝐶 2
𝛿𝑉
Percentage Ripple voltage 𝛿𝑉% = ∗ 100
2𝑛𝑉𝑚𝑎𝑥
Voltage drop in Cockcroft-Walton Voltage Multiplier Circuits

The voltage drop is the difference between the theoretical no load and the on-load voltage.
𝐼 2 3 𝑛2 𝑛
Voltage Drop ∆𝑉 = 𝑛 + −
𝑓𝐶 3 2 6

∆𝑉
Regulation 𝑅𝑒𝑔𝑢𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛% = ∗ 100
2𝑛𝑉𝑚𝑎𝑥
 Voltage drop in Cockcroft-Walton Voltage Multiplier Circuits

The voltage drop is the difference between the theoretical no load and the on-load voltage.
𝐼 2 3 𝑛2 𝑛
Voltage Drop ∆𝑉 = 𝑛 + −
𝑓𝐶 3 2 6
The most voltage drop is at the lowest stage capacitors.
 𝐼 2 3 𝑛2 𝑛
∆𝑉 = 𝑛 + −
𝑓𝐶 3 2 6

The peak output voltage can be determined by:

𝑉𝑜 𝑚𝑎𝑥 = 2𝑛𝑉𝑚𝑎𝑥 − ∆𝑽

𝐼 2 3
𝑉𝑜 𝑚𝑎𝑥 = 2𝑛𝑉𝑚𝑎𝑥 − 𝑛
𝑓𝐶 3
 𝐼 2 3
𝑉𝑜 𝑚𝑎𝑥 = 2𝑛𝑉𝑚𝑎𝑥 − 𝑛
𝑓𝐶 3

For Vs(max) = 100 kV, I=5 mA, F=50 Hz, and C=0.1 µF. By calculation nopt = 10 stages
 𝐼 2 3 𝑛2 𝑛
∆𝑉 = 𝑛 + −
𝑓𝐶 3 2 6

The peak output voltage can be determined by:

𝑉𝑜 𝑚𝑎𝑥 = 2𝑛𝑉𝑚𝑎𝑥 − ∆𝑽

𝐼 2 3
𝑉𝑜 𝑚𝑎𝑥 = 2𝑛𝑉𝑚𝑎𝑥 − 𝑛
𝑓𝐶 3

The optimum number of stages for the highest value of the output voltage:
 Electrostatic Machines
Van de Graaff Generator
 Electrostatic Machines: Van de Graaff Generators

❑ Van de Graaff Generators generate very high voltages with a small output current.

❑ These generators are used in nuclear physics laboratories for particle

acceleration and other processes in research work.
Van de Graaff Generators
Van de Graaff Generator
𝑄
𝑉=
𝐶

A steady potential will be reached by the

high voltage electrode when the load
current are equal to the charging current.
The edges of the upper electrode are so
rounded as to avoid corona and other local
discharges.

electric motor speed= 1000:2000 m/min

10:100 kV
The advantages of the generator are:
(i) Very high voltages can be easily generated,
(ii) Ripple free output,
(iii) Precision and flexibility of control.

The disadvantages are:

(i) Low current output,
(ii) Limitations on belt velocity due to its tendency for vibration. The
vibrations may make it difficult to have an accurate grading of electric
fields.
Thank you