Investigation of Statistical Distribution of Energization Overvoltages in 380 kV Hybrid OHL-Cable Systems

Abstract

Switching operations in power systems can produce significant overvoltages under specific circumstances. With the increasing application of underground cables in transmission systems, the statistical distribution of energization overvoltages is expected to change substantially due to the different electrical characteristics of cables and OHLs. Therefore, it is crucial to perform an insulation coordination study by analysis of the statistical distribution of energization overvoltages. This paper presents a statistical switching analysis on a hybrid OHL-Cable circuit to investigate how such hybrid circuits can affect the distribution of overvoltages. The literature has addressed the distribution of energization overvoltages only for OHLs or cables, but such an study is not available for hybrid systems consisting of OHLs and cables combined. The study is carried out for different cable lengths in the case study to identify how an increasing cable share in the circuit influences the overvoltages distribution due to no-load energization. Moreover, the impact of symmetrical and asymmetrical circuit structures is also addressed. The study is carried out on a distributed frequency-dependent parameter model of the Dutch 380 kV grid in PSCAD/EMTDC.