Transmission Line Surge

Arrester Application and

Overhead Shield Wire
Grounding Issues [North
American experience]

Presented at the CIGRE Committee C4

Colloquium on
Lightning and Power Systems

In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

May 17, 2010
Location of New Brunswick
NB Power Transmission System

Includes 6800 km of transmission

lines
Voltage classes include 69, 138, 230
and 345 kV
Lightning Flash Density Map
 Transmission Line Lightning Protection
Traditional Approach
In the traditional approach shield wires are used
to capture the lightning strike

Lightning performance using shield wires is a

calculated prediction based on probabilistic
methodologies

Good lightning performance with shield wires is

achieved with good grounding
 Traditional versus Arrester Approach

The Traditional approach using shield wires is

to conduct the lightning strike into the ground
before a flashover occurs

The Arrester approach is to conduct the

lightning strike around the insulator string
without a flashover in the air
 Traditional versus Arrester Approach

In the Traditional approach, a lightning strike

directly to a phase or a high energy lightning
strike can still cause a flashover

In the Arrester approach, a high energy

lightning strike or a defective arrester can
cause an arrester failure and a system line to
ground fault
 Traditional versus Arrester Approach

In the case of shield wires:

Low resistance grounding is necessary for good
performance

In the case of arresters applied to all insulator

strings:
Good performance is not dependent on the ground
resistance
 Traditional versus Arrester Approach

Shield Wire Grounding

It is not always possible to achieve low
resistance grounding at every structure

Arrester Energy Sharing

The ability of transmission line surge arresters
to share in the discharge of lightning current
can be an important consideration
 345 kV Transmission Line
Lightning Performance Mitigation

In 2007, NB Power
constructed a 95 km
345 kV transmission
line
 345 kV Transmission Line
Lightning Performance Mitigation

In 2008, this new 345 kV transmission line

experienced 4 lightning outages
The design target for lightning outages is
typically 1 outage per year
4 outages is a significant deviation from typical
lightning performance on existing 345 kV lines
on the NB Power system
 345 kV Transmission Line
Lightning Performance Mitigation

Existing NB Power 345 kV lines use a guyed

portal design
The new line uses a tubular H-Frame design
The shielding angle on the new line is identical
to existing portal structure design
Clearances are slightly reduced on the middle
phase for the new H-Frame design
 345 kV Transmission Line
Lightning Performance Mitigation
Mitigation Strategy

Determination of location of the four lightning strikes

Fault Locating Relays
Vaisala Lightning Detection System
Field inspections
Determination of the cause of the lightning outages
Grounding System analysis
Field testing
Helicopter aerial inspection
 345 kV Transmission Line
Lightning Performance Mitigation
Considerations Included:

Steel foundation is No jumpers around Rust from weathering

insulated by protective bolted connections steel dripping onto
coating top insulators
 345 kV Transmission Line
Lightning Performance Mitigation

The Vaisala Lightning Detection system provided

a Strikenet report for each of the 4 lightning
strikes
Within the Strikenet report a lightning strike was
identified with the exact time as the recorded fault
time on the transmission line
From this report the strike time, location and
intensity were determined
 345 kV Transmission Line
Lightning Performance Mitigation

The Vaisala data along with the structure

locations were displayed on Google Earth
 345 kV Transmission Line
Lightning Performance Mitigation

Distance from strike to tower determined

 345 kV Transmission Line
Lightning Performance Mitigation
Conclusions
July 24 fault Flashover
-68 kA strike, 175 m to structure 184, measured 120
ohm impedance at structure, long span both sides
July 29 fault Flashover or shielding failure
-45 kA strike, 320 m to mid span
Aug 3 fault Flashover
-29 kA strike, 66 m to structure 109, flash mark on
tower peak
Oct 2 fault Shielding failure
-11 kA strike, good grounding, long span
 345 kV Transmission Line
Lightning Performance Mitigation
Grounding system analysis was carried out :

Soil resistivity measurements near structures (Wenner 4

point out to 8 meters)
Megger Earth Tester Model - DET4TD
Computer modeling grounding design software
CDEGS RESAP and MALTZ modules
Field measurements to verify structure grounding
impedance
AEMC 6472\6474 Ground Tester
 345 kV Transmission Line
Lightning Performance Mitigation

Structure Ground Impedance Measurement

Testing of a single structure while it is interconnected

to a multi-grounded system is difficult to do accurately
A new test set became available in 2008 which
addresses this problem using Rogowski coils to
measure electrode currents
AEMC Pylon Ground Tester
Model 6472 and Model 6474
 AEMC Instruments
Tower Ground Resistance Testing
System
GroundFlex Coil Sensors
(Rogowski Coils)
 6472/74
GroundFlex Adaptor
GroundFlex Method

Capable of testing ground resistance of towers

without disconnecting the Overhead ground wire
Tests both ground resistance of tower legs
(individually and total) and Overhead ground wires
Test at frequencies up to 5kHz to profile impedance,
important to characterize for lightning strikes
 345 kV Transmission Line
Lightning Performance Mitigation

Foundation
Steel culverts
installed first
Foundation steel
had a Corrocote
coating
 345 kV Transmission Line
Lightning Performance Mitigation

Structure Grounding
Steel poles, culverts
and counterpoise
connected together
345 kV Transmission
Line Lightning
Performance
Mitigation
Structure
Grounding
Electrical Circuit

The AEMC Pylon

Ground Tester
permits a more
detailed analysis
of structure
impedances
 345 kV Transmission Line
Lightning Performance Mitigation
Top
sensor
measures
shield wire
impedance

Bottom
sensor
measures
structure
impedance
 345 kV Transmission Line
Lightning Performance Mitigation

Two
sensors on
each pole

Two turns
in each
sensor
 345 kV Transmission Line
Lightning Performance Mitigation
Structure Grounding Results
Structure 243 Structure 184
Calculated 7.9 ohms Calculated 110.8 ohms
Measured 6.7 ohms Measured 120 ohms
Structure 248 Structure 144
Calculated 13.3 ohms Calculated 155 ohms
Measured 12.9 ohms Measured 40 ohms

Important Note
Resistivity and Resistance tests were done on the same day
 345 kV Transmission Line
Lightning Performance Mitigation
Summary

CDEGS Grounding Software and the AEMC Pylon Ground Test

Set can achieve a very close comparative result for
determination of structure ground impedance

Lightning performance improvement can be best achieved by

improving the structure ground impedance

A simple soil resistivity measurement along with the CDEGS

model can easily predict which structures will require
grounding improvement
 Lightning Improvements
69 and 138 kV Transmission Lines

Improvements were first considered in 1999

on 69 and 138 kV lines supplying the City of
Saint John
These lines use double circuit steel lattice
towers with shield wires as part of the design
Built in 1950s these lines are installed over
very rocky terrain
Typical 138 kV Double Circuit Structure
 Saint John Area Lines
69 and 138 kV Transmission Lines

Salt and industrial contamination has

resulted in failure of the shield wires
over the years without replacement
With no shield wires and with towers
sitting on rock (poor grounding)
lightning outages were a problem
 Saint John Area
69 and 138 kV Transmission Lines
Problems with re-installing shield
wires:
Line outages were difficult to obtain
Improving the ground resistance in
this urban environment was a huge
challenge
With towers sitting on rock
flashovers would still be expected
 Saint John Area
Line Arrester Application
Towers prone to lightning strikes
were identified using historical
information from fault locating relays
Arresters were applied to all insulator
strings on the selected double circuit
towers
No improvements were made to
existing tower grounding systems
Typical
138 kV
Tower
with
Arresters
 Arrester Installation
69 and 138 kV Transmission Lines
1500 Gapless Arresters were
installed under de-energized
conditions
Installation included:
drilling one hole in the steel crossarm
hanging the arrester
connecting the hotline clamp to the
conductor
Arrester
Kit
 Saint John Area
Lightning Performance Summary
Structures Before Arresters Structures With Arresters

Year 69 kV Faults 138 kV Faults 69 kV Faults 138 kV Faults

1996 0 0
1997 1 7
1998 4 2
1999 2 1
2000 1 4 0 0
2001 4 0 0 0
2002 0 2 0 0
2003 0 0
2004 1 0
2005 0 0
2006 1 2
2007 0 1
2008 0 0
2009 0 0
 69 and 138 kV Transmission Lines
Conclusions

Line arresters installed on all insulator strings on a

steel tower can provide zero lightning outages for
lightning within the arrester energy rating.

This was demonstrated in July 2002 when the City of

Saint John was struck by a severe lightning storm
which lasted 3 days. Numerous outages were
experienced but none at structures where arresters
were installed.
Line Arrester Problems Early Years

NB Powers experience spans 10

years with line arresters
Numerous manufacturing defects as
well as installation problems have
been experienced
Some components are showing
prematured signs of wear
Line Arrester Problems Early Years

Manufacturing
Defect
Line Arrester Problems Early Years

Improper
Installation
Line Arrester Problems Early Years

Manufacturing
Defect
Defective End
Cap Moisture
Seal
Line Arrester Problems Early Years

Manufacturing
Defect

Defective End
Cap Causing
Internal
Tracking from
Moisture
Ingress
Line Arrester Problems Early Years

Manufacturing
Defect

Inferior Lugs
Broke in
Service
Line Arrester Problems Early Years

Lead & Chain

Worn Out
After 6 Years
of Service
Line Arrester Problems Early Years

Close-up of
Chain (6 years
service)
Line Arrester Problems Early Years

Lead Broken
Away From
Lug
Line Arrester Problems Early Years
Supplier 69 kV 138 kV
Installed/Defective Installed/Defective

A 627/120 794/220

B 516/3

C 30/30

Summary of Defective Arrester Quantities

Transmission Line Lightning Performance

Mitigation
Lightning performance of transmission lines
with shield wires can be improved by lowering
the structure ground impedance

Transmission line lightning performance can

also be improved by installing transmission line
surge arresters (TLSA)

J Williamson Engineering Inc

Shield Wire Performance

J Williamson Engineering Inc

Transmission Line Lightning Performance

J Williamson Engineering Inc

 New Transmission Lines
Lightning Performance Determination
Identify the Lightning Ground Flash Density for
the location
Select structure type and voltage
Model the structure and line in Sigma SLP
Lightning Performance software
Calculate the Lightning Flashover Rates for:
Different values of ground impedance
With and without shield wires
Partial and full application of arresters
Select the appropriate design to match the
desired lightning performance

J Williamson Engineering Inc

Transmission Line Lightning Performance

Example # 1
138 kV Transmission Line
Wood Pole H-Frame Construction
Two Shield Wires with 30 degree Shield Angle
7 Suspension Porcelain Insulators
695 kV Critical Impulse (+)
Structure Ground Resistances 25 to 125 ohms

J Williamson Engineering Inc

Lightning Performance Analysis
Sigma SLP Software

J Williamson Engineering Inc

Transmission Line Lightning Performance
Example # 1 with GFD = 0.2

J Williamson Engineering Inc

Transmission Line Lightning Performance
Example # 1 with GFD = 1.0

J Williamson Engineering Inc

Transmission Line Lightning Performance
Example # 1 with GFD = 8

J Williamson Engineering Inc

Transmission Line Lightning Performance

Example # 2

138 kV Transmission Line

Single Pole Wood Construction
No Shield Wire
Two Side and One Vertical Post Polymer Insulator
675 kV Critical Impulse (+)
Structure Ground Resistances - 25 to 125 ohms

J Williamson Engineering Inc

 Transmission Line Lightning Performance
Example # 2 with GFD = 8
Flashover Rates
Arrester
on Top Underbuilt 25 50 75 100 125
Phase Shield Wires 5 ohms ohms ohms ohms ohms ohms

No No 86.06 83.77 85.89 85.27 85.76 85.06

No Yes 84.55 87.67 83.91 84.74 86.95 85.89
Yes No 0 0 0 6.76 18.3 21.51
Yes Yes 0 0 0 0.85 3.46 7.82

Top phase arresters will significantly improve lightning performance

For lines with top phase arresters and where ground impedance is
high, lowering ground impedance and/or installing under built shield
wire will improve lightning performance

J Williamson Engineering Inc

 Presentation Summary

NB Power Transmission System

Traditional Shield Wire versus Arrester Approach
Shielded 345 kV Transmission Line Lightning
Performance Mitigation
69 and 138 kV Arrester Application on Steel Towers
Performance Results over 10 Years
Defects in Early Years
Lightning Performance Determination on New Lines
 THE END

This has been a joint presentation by

J Williamson Engineering Inc

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Transmission