SURGE ARRESTERS

INTRODUCTION

 Surge arresters are used to protect high-voltage equipment in substations, such

as transformers, circuit breakers and bushings, against the effects of lightning and switching
surges.
 Surge arresters are connected close to, and in parallel, with the equipment to be protected.
Their purpose is to safely divert surge energy to earth and ensure that the resulting voltage
across the terminals remains low enough so as not to damage the insulation of the associated
devices from the effects of overvoltage's.
 Almost all surge arresters used in modern high voltage power systems, are of the gapless
metal-oxide (MO) varistor type; this article focuses on this type.
Surge Arresters Protecting Power Transformer Bushings
Insulation Coordination & Surge
Arresters

 Insulation coordination is defined as the selection of dielectric strength of equipment in

relation to the different types of overvoltage that can appear in the system. Surge
arresters provide an indispensable aid to economical insulation coordination in electrical
power systems.
 This is illustrated in the figure below, where in the absence of any surge protective
devices, the equipment cannot withstand the high dielectric stresses resulting from
lightning and switching overvoltage. It is within this range that the surge arresters play
their role in the system, by keeping the voltage at a level that is below the withstand
voltage (the highest voltage that can be applied to an item without it incurring damage)
of the equipment, by an adequate safety (protective) margin.
Role of Surge Arresters in Power System Insulation Coordination
 On the other end of the spectrum, surge arresters cannot limit oscillatory power
frequency temporary overvoltages (TOV) and must therefore be designed to withstand such
temporary overvoltages, together with the maximum operating voltage of the system,
without sustaining damage.
 As a point of interest, it should be noted that TOVs in a power system are limited by means
of switched reactive compensation (such as by a shunt rector), or, through the application
of flexible alternating current transmission (FACT) devices (such as SVC and STATCOM).
CONSTRUCTION AND MAIN
COMPONENTS

 At the heart of the surge arrester unit is the MO varistor column, which constitutes
its active part. The column is composed of MO varistor blocks stacked on top of each
other. These blocks are made of zinc oxide (ZnO) and other metallic powders mixed
together and then pressed into cylindrical discs.
 The diameter of each disc determines the energy handling capability of the surge
arrester. A diameter of 100 mm (3.9 inches) or more is usually required for high voltage
systems.
 The required TOV endurance capability (governed by the arrester rated voltage), along
with the desired switching and lightning impulse protective levels control the overall
height of the MO varistor column. In most cases however, the porcelain housing of the
surge arrester is designed to be considerably longer for dielectric reasons
(clearance and leakage distance requirements) and is not controlled by the height of the
active part.
 As a result, the column of MO varistors is installed in the housing of the arrester unit with
the help of metallic spacers. The spacers consist of aluminium tubes with end covers to
uniformly distribute contact pressure.
 Several supporting rods and holding plates manufactured from fibre-glass reinforced plastic
(FRP) material encircle the MO varistor column in the form a cage; the cage mechanically
secures the internal active part. On the upper end of the arrester, a compression
spring provides the necessary axial pressure to press the stack of MO varistors
together. Flanges are cemented to either end of the surge arrester porcelain housing; the
flanges are usually manufactured from aluminium and enclose the sealing arrangement.
 In high voltage systems, instead of directly earthing the surge arresters, monitoring
devices are connected in series with the arrester. In such instances, the bottom flange of the
surge arrester is installed with insulating feet and an earthing connection
(ground connection) is made through the monitoring device.
Cross Section view of a Porcelain Housed MO Surge Arrester
 The sealing system is one of the most critical components of a surge arrester. Firstly, it
should prevent the ingress of moisture and contamination into the surge arrester housing.
Secondly, it should act as a fast operating pressure relief device (PRD) in case of an arrester
overload, which can result in a rapid pressure accumulation within the surge arrester
housing. Lastly, it should provide a well-established point of contact for the transfer of
current from the surge arrester external connection terminal to the MO varistor column.
 The sealing system of a surge arrester consists of a synthetic sealing ring and a pressure
relief diaphragm, both of which are installed twice at either end of the surge arrester body.
The very thin diaphragm (only a few tenths of a millimetre thick, or thousandths of an inch)
is made of nickel or high-grade steel. The diaphragm is pushed against the sealing ring by
means of a clamping ring screwed to the flange body.
 In the event of an arrester overload, an arc develops between the two flanges inside the
housing. The thermal energy of this arc (which carries the full short circuit current of the
network) results in a rapid build-up of pressure within the surge arrester. The resultant
pressure is relieved by the relief diaphragm, thus averting a catastrophic failure of the
arrester and possible resultant damage to the surrounding area.
 Hot gases that result within the arrester housing due to the overload, are directed through
any of the two venting outlets. Outside the surge arrester, the gas streams meet, causing the
arc that was burning inside the housing to shift (commutate) and continue burning outside
the arrester until the fault clears.
 At higher voltages, due to insulation requirements and manufacturing economics, a
complete surge arrester consists of several arrester units connected in series. Furthermore,
a grading ring is installed at the high voltage terminal to control voltage distribution from
the high voltage end to earth.
Multi-Unit High Voltage Surge Arrester
Surge Arrester Condition Monitoring

 Modern MO surge arresters are highly reliable devices when configured correctly. They can
be expected to have an almost maintenance-free service life of 30 years or more.
Nevertheless, considering the high cost of the equipment which surge arresters protect, and
the detrimental effects of arrester overloads, there is good reason to monitor the health of
surge arresters.
 At normal service voltage, surge arresters exhibit a high impedance such that they act as an
insulator for the majority of their working service life. Such behaviour is necessary to
guarantee a long life for the arrester, as well as stability of the associated electrical system.
It is therefore imperative to detect any deterioration of a surge arrester’s insulating
properties before the situation becomes critical.
 Two types of monitoring devices commonly employed for high voltage MO arresters are:
 Surge counters that register the number of surge impulses.
 Leakage current monitors that measure the leakage current flowing through the arrester.
 The basic premise of using surge counters is to identify if a given transmission line or phase of
system is experiencing an extraordinarily high number of overvoltages leading to arrester
operation. Moreover, an abrupt increase in the surge count rate may also indicate an internal
arrester fault. However, surge counters alone reveal only partial condition monitoring
information.
 Most surge arrester monitoring devices register the number (count) of surge impulses,
whilst also measuring any leakage current. Leakage current provides additional
information about the magnitude of any surges and its relevance should a system
overvoltage event occur.
 Using surge counters and leakage current measurement devices in conjunction with one
another, allows for a more flexible means of monitoring and diagnosing the condition of
the arrester.
 Operating Characteristics

 The voltage-current (V-I) characteristic illustrates how a surge arrester’s resistance varies
with voltage, whilst also providing insights into its operation. The highly non-linear V-I
characteristics of the MO varistor makes it a suitable candidate for surge protection
application.
 The varistor is basically a variable resistor whose resistance depends inversely on the
applied voltage i.e. the greater the voltage, the lower the resistance. The below image
shows typical characteristics of a 420 kV rated MO surge arrester applied within a 550 kV
rated system (phase-to-phase).
Operating Characteristics of a Surge Arrester with 420 kVrms Rated Voltage
 To develop a better understanding of a surge arrester’s operating characteristics,
definitions of some important terms and parameters are needed:
 Maximum System Voltage (Us) :
The highest phase-to-phase rms power frequency voltage specified for a given system
during normal condition.
 Continuous Operating Voltage (Uc) :
The maximum permissible rms power frequency voltage that can be applied across the
arrester terminals for a continuous, or indefinite period; this is also sometimes designated
as MCOV. In practice, the continuous operating voltage (Uc) of the arrester is set to be
greater than the highest phase-to-ground system voltage ( ) with a margin of at least five
percent.
 Rated Voltage (Ur)
The maximum rms power frequency voltage that the surge arrester must withstand for a
specified short duration (e.g. 10 or 100 seconds). It characterizes the ability of an arrester
to endure system TOV. When a surge arrester is stressed to and beyond its rated voltage
(Ur), leakage current will flow.
Leakage current is defined as the unintentional flow of current to ground. This situation
is not desired because as leakage current flows, a proportional increase in the operating
temperature of the arrester will occur. If this condition is allowed to persist beyond the
specified short duration, the arrester’s temperature will increase until it
becomes thermally unstable, which may ultimately lead to failure of the arrester.
 Switching Impulse Protective Level (SIPL)
The peak value of the residual terminal voltage of the surge arrester at nominal discharge
of a switching current impulse with 30/60 µs wave shape and with a peak magnitude of 2
kA (in the case of extra high voltage systems).
 Lightning Impulse Protective Level (LIPL)
The peak value of the residual terminal voltage of the surge arrester at nominal discharge
of a lightning current impulse with 8/20 µs wave shape and with a peak magnitude of 20
kA.
 The following simplified flow chart
Selection & demonstrates the general method and
procedure for configuring an MO arrester.
Configuration of
Surge Arresters
The general philosophy when
selecting surge arresters for any
particular system, entails matching
the
electrical and mechanical characte
ristics of the arrester with the
system’s electrical demands and
mechanical requirements.
 The requirements for optimal and satisfactory selection of surge arresters dictate that
arresters should provide an adequate protection margin and that they should also be
suitable for stable continuous operation.
 An ‘adequate protection margin’ means that the device overvoltages are always below it’s
withstand voltage, with a sufficient safety factor (safety margin).
 Whereas, ‘stable continuous operation’ refers to the arrester’s ability to handle all long-
term, temporary, or transient stresses (which can be caused by system operation), whilst
remaining electrically and thermally stable throughout its useful working life.
 Unfortunately, both of the adequate protection margin and stable continuous operation
cannot be satisfied independently. A reduction in the arrester’s protective level (to provide
a greater protective margin) inevitably results in higher electrical stresses during
continuous operation.
 Also, the rated voltage of the arrester cannot be increased arbitrarily without raising its
protective level (which results in a corresponding decrease in the protective margin).
Thus a compromise is necessary, where both requirements are balanced to arrive at an
optimal solution.
Additional Resources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surge_arrester

https://trimbox.com.tr/en/surge-arrester-working-principle
Thank You !