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Lightning protection of overhead lines rated at

3–35 kV and above with the help of multi-
chamber arresters and insulator-arresters

Conference Paper · May 2010

DOI: 10.1109/APEMC.2010.5475477 · Source: IEEE Xplore

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 X International Symposium on
Lightning Protection
9th-13th November, 2009 – Curitiba, Brazil

LIGHTNING PROTECTION OF OVERHEAD LINES RATED AT 3-35 KV

AND ABOVE WITH THE HELP OF MULTI-CHAMBER ARRESTERS AND
INSULATOR-ARRESTERS

G. V. Podporkin, E. Yu. Enkin, E. S. Kalakutsky, V. E. Pilshikov and A. D. Sivaev

Streamer Electric Company, Russia – [email protected]

Abstract - Reported are results of research and development 2 MULTI-CHAMBER SYSTEM (MCS)
of multi-chamber arresters and insulators that combine
characteristics of insulators and arresters. The devices The base of multi-chamber arresters (MCA), including
permit to protect overhead power lines rated at 3 to 35 kV MCIA, is the MCS shown in Fig. 1. It comprises a large
and above against induced overvoltages and direct lightning
strokes without using shield wire.

1 INTRODUCTION

Over recent years so called arc quencing multi-chamber

system (MCS) has been developed, succeeding in
production of new 10 to 35 kV multi-chamber arresters
(MCA), as well as a novel device termed „multi-chamber a)
insulator arrester ‟ (MCIA) which combines properties
and functions of arrester and insulator [1,2].

Application of MCIAs makes it possible to ensure

lightning protection of overhead lines of any voltage
ratings: the higher the line voltage, the larger the number b)
of units in a string and thus the higher the rated voltage
and the arc-quenching capacity of a string of insulator
arresters.

Various designs of insulators with arrester properties are

possible. An MCIA is generally a production glass,
porcelain, or composite insulator fitted with an MCS.
Installation of an MCS confers arrester properties to the
insulator without any deterioration of its insulating
capacity. For this reason, application of MCIA on
overhead lines makes shield wire redundant, while the
height, weight, and cost of poles or towers goes down.

At a lower overall cost and with a better lightning

performance, such a line features a noticeably reduced
number of lightning failures, cuts damage from c)
undersupply of energy, and lowers maintenance costs. Fig. 1 - Multi-chamber system (MCS):
MCIAs hold much promise in protection of railway a) diagram showing the discharge onset instant;
overhead contact systems against direct lightning strokes b) diagram showing the discharge end instant;
(DLS). c) photo of MCS helically wound around 50 mm diameter
cable during tests.
1 – silicon rubber length; 2 – electrodes;
3 – arc quenching chamber; 4 – discharge channel.

569
number of electrodes mounted on a silicon rubber length
Holes drilled between the electrodes and going through
the length act as miniature gas discharge chambers. When
a lightning overvoltage impulse is applied to the arrester it
breaks down gaps between electrodes.
Discharges between electrodes take place inside chambers
of a very small volume; the resulting high pressure drives
spark discharge channels between electrodes to the
surface of the insulating body and hence outside, into the
air around the arrester. A blow-out action and an
elongation of inter-electrode channels lead to an increase
of total resistance of all channels, i. e. that of the arrester,
which limits the lightning overvoltage impulse current.
As the lightning overvoltage impulse ends, only power
frequency voltage remains applied to the arrester. Studies
have shown that spark discharge quenching can take place
in two instances: 1) when 50 Hz follow current crosses
zero (this type of discharge quenching is further referred
to as zero quenching, see Fig. 2a); 2) when the a)
instantaneous value of lightning overvoltage impulse
drops to a level equal to or larger than the instantaneous
value of power frequency voltage, i. e. lightning
overvoltage current gets extinguished with no follow
current in the grid (this type of discharge quenching is
further referred to as impulse quenching, see Fig. 2b).
Test procedure is presented in [3].
The mechanism of spark discharge quenching in MCSs is
similar to that of arc discharge quenching in a tube
expulsion arrester. A substantial difference is that an arc
keeps burning inside a tube arrester fairly long, up to 10
ms (i. e. 10,000 μs). It burns out the walls of the gas-
generating tube so that thermal breakdown gases blow the
discharge channel out. With zero quenching occurring in a b)
MCS, the arc starts in workstation-quenching chambers
and ends when most of it gets blown out. The chamber
material does not generate gases; the blowout happens
owing to expansion of the discharge channel alone, so
erosion of the chamber walls is negligible.
Impulse quenching, which lasts a few microseconds or
dozens of microseconds, involves next to no erosion even
after numerous firings of MCS.
MCSs were given electrodynamic stability tests using 4/10
mcs 100 to 110 kA (max) current impulses (Fig. 3). MCS
prototypes withstood ten exposures to such impulses,
which proves that MCSs can be used for protecting
overhead lines against DLS.
c)
Fig. 2 - Voltage and current oscillograms in power follow current
quenching tests of MCS:
a) zero quenching;
b) impulse quenching;
c) no quenching.

570
 Shown in Fig. 5 is an arrester with 40 gas discharge
chambers (see Table 1). It can be used on 10 kV overhead
lines for DLS protection and on 20 kV (24 kV max.) lines
to fight induced overvoltages. In the latter case the above
10 kV procedure has proved practical, with one arrester
installed on each phase-interlacing pole (Fig. 7).

Fig. 3 - Typical current oscillogram in electrodynamic stability tests of

MCS.

3 MULTI-CHAMBER ARRESTERS (MCA)

3.1 MCA 10-20 kV

The principal components of a 10-20 kV MCA (see Fig.

4-6) are an MCS, a fiberglass bearing rod and an assembly
for securing arresters to insulator pins. Arresters are
mounted on insulator pins with air gaps of 3 to 6 cm
between top ends of arresters and the conductor. A
lightning overvoltage first breaks down the air spark gap
and next the arrester‟s MCS, which assures extinction of
follow current as described in Section II.
Fig. 5 - Multi-chamber arresters for DLS protection of 10 kV lines and
Shown in Fig. 4 is an arrester with 20 gas discharge Induced overvoltage protection of 20 kV lines (MCA-10-DLS, 20-I).
chambers intended for protection of 10 kV overhead lines
(12 kV max.) against induced overvoltages. One piece of A direct lightning stroke on a 10-20 kV medium voltage
this model is installed on each phase-interlacing pole (Fig. line causes a flashover of insulators of all three phases on
7). In this case, the path of AC follow currents that are one or several poles. To warrant a reliable DLS
associated with lightning overvoltage-induced multi-phase protection, arresters should be installed in parallel with
includes the tower-grounding resistance circuits. Thanks each insulator of the line (or those line sections that
to an extra resistance of the pole grounding circuit, follow should be protected against DLS (see Fig. 8).
currents are made lower, which raises the quenching
efficiency of the arrester. For principal performance data Fig. 6 shows an arrester with 120 discharge chambers
see Table 1. designed for DLS protection of 20 kV lines (see Table 1).
Its operating principle and installation procedure are
similar to those described above (see Fig. 8).

Fig. 4 - 10 kV multi-chamber arrester for protection against Induced Fig. 6 - Multi-chamber arrester for 20 kV DLS protection
overvoltages (MCA-10-I). (MCA-20-DLS).

571
Fig. 7 - Arrester arrangement for protection against induced
overvoltages.
a)

Fig. 8 - Arrester arrangement for protection against direct lightning

strokes.
b)
3.2 MCA 35 kV Fig. 9 - MCA–35 kV on tangent (a) and angle tension (b) towers:
1 – tower; 2 – insulator; 3 – line conductor; 4 – MCS;
This MCA consists of a MCS, its bearing component and 5 – bearing component; 6 – composite insulator;
a composite insulator with discharge rods assuring an air 7 – discharge rods.
8 – arrester‟s grounding conductor.
spark gap (see Figs. 9).
The bearing component is a piece of polyethylene-covered Table 1: arrester performance data.
cable with a fiberglassplastic core and metal terminals. Voltage rating, kV 10 10-20 20 35
The outside diameter of the cable is 50 mm. The cable
Arrester type: MCA- 10-I* 10-DLS**, 20-I 20- 35-
cover consists of a thick inner layer of insulating DLS DLS
polyethylene and a 2 mm outer layer of light-stabilized, Number of arc-quenching 20 40 120 300
trekking-resistant polyethylene. The 8 mm diameter chambers
fiberglass plastic rod is press-fitted into the terminals. The Maximum 50% impulse
flashover voltage, kV:
design assures a high mechanical strength to the arrester. Positive polarity 70 85 90 150
MCS is spiraled around the bearing component. Negative polarity 70 85 85 120
Minimum withstand
An overvoltage on a line conductor caused by, for power frequency voltage,
instance, a DLS (see Fig. 9), first triggers an air spark gap kV:
between discharge rods on the composite insulator and Dry 42 65 65 95
next the MCS. The lightning overvoltage current flows Wet 28 50 50 70
Minimum magnitude of
through the arrester‟s grounding conductor to the tower
4 10 μs impulse current 100 100 100 100
and then to the ground. withstood at ten
applications, kA
Excellent discharge-quenching characteristics of the MCS Weight, kg 1 1,5 2,0 6
warrant either zero or impulse extinction of the
Minimum service life,
overvoltage current and the power transmission line keeps years 30 30 30 30
working without failure. Principal performance data of the Note: *) I – for induced overvoltage protection; **) DLS – for Direct
35 kV MCS are shown in Table 1. Fig. 15 shows a Lightning Stroke overvoltage protection.
photograph of a commercial 35 kV overhead line of the
Kamyshin Grid of Volgogradenergo Utility (Russia) with
two MCS installed on its outer phases.

572
 4 MULTI-CHAMBER INSULATOR ARRESTERS
(MCIA)

Fig. 10 features photos of an MCIA based on a porcelain

rod insulator which is widely used in 3 kV DC railway
overhead contact systems. The MCS is mounted over
three quarters of the circumference of an insulator shed.
The left and right ends of the MCS are approached by the
upper and lower feed electrodes, respectively, which are
installed on the upper and lower terminals; there are spark
air gaps between the feed electrodes and the ends of the
MCS.

When the MCIA is stressed by an overvoltage the air gaps

get sparked over first, the MCS coming next. The
lightning overvoltage current flows from the lower Fig. 11 - Illustration of protection of DC contact system with the help of
terminal and its feed electrode via the spark channel of the MCIA.
lower spark gap to the MCS and on to the upper terminal
via the discharge channel of the upper spark gap and the A direct lightning stroke on the contact system or on its
upper feed electrode. Note that there are no intervening support brings about a spark-over, as described above.
electrodes between the upper and lower feed electrodes on After the lightning overvoltage is over, with its current
the MCS-bearing silicon rubber shed; thus the discharge directed to the ground via the support with the help of the
develops over the MCS taking some three quarters of the MCS, there occurs an impulse extinction of the discharge
shed‟s circumference, rather than between the feed without any follow current, so that the contact system
electrodes. keeps working without outage.

Fig. 12 shows a multi-chamber insulator arrester based on

а SDI-37 pin insulator. It functions very much like the
MCIA shown in Fig. 10 but it is intended for protection of
6-10 kV lines against DLS and 20 kV lines against
induced overvoltages.

a) b)

Fig. 10 - Multi-chamber insulator arrester based on porcelain insulator

type insulator used in 3 kV DC railway overhead contact
systems:
a) MCIA photo; b) tests of MCIA.
1 – insulating body; 2 – upper terminal; 3 – lower terminal;
4 – upper feed electrode; Fig. 12 - Multi-chamber insulator arrester based on SDI-37 insulator.
5 – lower feed electrode; 6 – multi-chamber system;
7 – upper spark discharge gap; Fig. 13 shows a multi-chamber insulator arrester based on
8 – lower spark discharge gap.
the glass cap-and-pin insulator type U120AD (MCIA-
U120AD), during power follow current extinction tests
Fig. 11 shows schematically an MCIA mounted for with zero quenching.
supporting a contact system.

573
 In March 2009 a batch of 300 MCIA-35kV was installed
for pilot operation in Kamyshin Grid Area of
Volgogradenergo Utility ( Fig. 15).

Fig. 13 - MCIA based on insulator U120AD during power follow

current tests.

Fig. 14 shows a photo of an MCIA string during lightning Fig. 15 - Commercial 35 kV overhead line (Kamyshin Grid,
impulse tests. Volgogradenergo Utility) with MCS on outer phases and MCIA
on central phase.

5 CONCLUSIONS

1. Multi-chamber systems (MCS) have been designed

2 that assure quenching of discharge that follows a lightning
4
overvoltage impulse.
2. MCS enable to develop simple, cheap and effective
7
1 Arresters.
6
3. In 3 kV DC railway overhead contact systems,
MCS quench discharge immediately after a lightning
overvoltage impulse with no follow current.
8 4. Multi-chamber insulator arresters (MCIA) have
3
9 been developed comprising production insulators and
MCSs that are mounted over the perimeter of the
5 insulating body without adversely affecting insulating
Fig. 14. Photo of a three-MCIA string during lightning impulse tests:
properties of insulators.
1 – sheds of insulating body; 2 – cap; 3 – pin; 5. Application of MCIAs can warrant reliable
4 – upper feed electrode; 5 – lower feed electrode; protection of overhead lines rated at 3 to 35 kV and above
6 – multi-chamber system; 7 – upper spark discharge gap; against induced overvoltages and direct lightning strokes.
8 – lower spark discharge gap; 9 – conductor.

6 REFERENCES
With an overvoltage applied to a conductor as well as to [1] ”Lightning arrester and overhead power line equipped with the
the lower feed electrode closest to the conductor, the arrester", PCT/RU2009/000006 application date 19 January 2009,
lower spark discharge gap gets broken down and voltage applicant “Streamer Electric Company”, inventors G. V. Podporkin and
gets applied to the MCS (the left side of it in Fig. 16). The E. S. Kalakutsky.
MCS gets actuated, the upper spark air gap between the [2] ”High voltage insulator and overhead power line using the
right end of the MCS and the upper feed electrode gets insulator", PCT/RU2009/000142 application date 26 March 2009,
flashed over, voltage is fed to the second insulator, and so applicant “Streamer Electric Company”, inventor G. V. Podporkin.
it goes on.
[3] G.V. Podporkin, V.E. Pilshikov, A. D. Sivaev “Development of
Long Flashover Arresters with Multi-Electrode System for Lightning
After all the MCIA of the string have been actuated, the Overvoltage and Conductor-Burn Protection of 6 to 35 kV Overhead
lightning overvoltage current flows via the tower to the Lines” , 28 th International Conference on Lightning Protection (ICLP
ground, followed, however, by AC power follow current. 2006), pp. 980-984.
At the zero crossing, the arc gets extinguished and the line
keeps operating without outage or reclosure.

574

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