Evaluation of breakdown characteristics of gas insulated switchgears for non-standard lightning impulse waveforms - Analysis and generation circuit of non-standard lightning impulse waveforms in actual field

To lower the insulation specifications (specifically, the lightning impulse withstand voltage) of a gas insulated switchgear (GIS) and thus cut the equipment cost while maintaining the high reliability of its insulation performance, it is necessary to define in an organized way the insulation characteristics for non-standard lightning impulse voltage waveforms that represent actual surge waveforms in the field and compare them with the characteristics for the standard lightning impulse waveform quantitatively. In this paper, first, lightning surge waveforms and disconnector switching surge waveforms at UHV, 500 kV, and 275 kV substations were analyzed and five non-standard lightning surge waveforms with basic frequencies of 0.6 to 5.0 MHz were identified. Next, high-voltage circuits that generate these non-standard lightning surge waveforms were designed and constituted using EMTP (Electro Magnetic Transients Program) based on a circuit with a gap, inductors, and resistors connected in series and resistors and capacitors connected in parallel. Further, circuits were actually constructed, to obtain voltage waveforms approximately equal to those designed. Finally, the dielectric breakdown voltage-time characteristics were measured under several different conditions for the quasi-uniform SF6 gas gap that represents an insulation element of a GIS. As a result, it was found that, in the tested range, the dielectric breakdown values for non-standard lightning impulse waveforms were higher than for the standard lightning impulse waveform by 6% to 32%.