Course-PM for MTT035 High Voltage Engineering, 7.5 hec
Academic year 2024/2025, study period 3

Aim

This course serves as the initial step for students into high voltage engineering, focusing on three key areas:

1.     Basics of Experimental High Voltage Engineering: Students will learn fundamental concepts and gain an essential understanding of classical experimental techniques in high voltage engineering.

2.     Understanding Electric Power System Components: The course offers an overview of the components of electric power systems, equipping students with knowledge critical for further studies and professional work in this area.

3.     Preparation for Advanced High Voltage Technology: Acting as a precursor to the more in-depth "High Voltage Technology" course, this program is designed to set the stage for comprehensive learning in the field.

Completion of this course and its advanced follow-up prepares students for careers in electric power industries, such as R&D engineering in high voltage design and lab activities or as engineers managing power system components. These courses also lay a strong foundation for postgraduate studies in electric power engineering, providing a significant stepping stone for academic and professional growth in this specialized area.

Learning outcome (Post-Course Competencies)

• Electric Field Analysis: Conduct analytical calculations of electric field distributions in various insulation systems, including plane-parallel, coaxial, and spherical geometries.
• Geometry Assessment for Insulation: Identify geometries in insulation systems that lead to high electric fields and propose design improvements.
• Understanding of Electric Breakdown in Gases: Explain the Townsend’s breakdown mechanism in gases at low pressures using a ballistic collision model.
• Engineering Perspective on Electric Withstand Strength: Describe factors crucial for achieving high electric withstand strength in engineering terms.
• Utilizing Paschen Curve: Apply the Paschen curve to estimate electric strengths in short homogenous gas gaps under varying pressures and ambient conditions.
• Impact of Time Lags on Breakdown Voltage: Discuss how time lags affect breakdown voltage and their implications on insulation coordination.
• High Voltage Laboratory Equipment Proficiency: Select appropriate laboratory equipment for high voltage generation and measurement for specific tests.
• High Voltage Test Setup and Safety: Plan and execute a high voltage test setup safely, assessing risks to personal safety and equipment integrity.
• High Voltage Test Procedures Application: Perform tests to determine breakdown and withstand voltages, using appropriate high voltage test procedures.
• Statistical Evaluation and Atmospheric Corrections: Analyze test results statistically and apply necessary atmospheric corrections.
• Power Components Identification: Recognize electric power components in substations, understanding their roles and characteristics.
• Equipment Design Evaluation: Compare different equipment designs, discussing their advantages and disadvantages.
• Construction Elements of Power Lines: Identify and explain the different elements in overhead and cable lines' construction.
• Fault Calculation for Overhead Lines: Calculate the probable number of annual faults in overhead lines using the Rolling Sphere theory and assess back-flashover risks.
• Overvoltage Analysis in Power Systems: Calculate overvoltages due to travelling waves and reflections, and demonstrate surge arresters' role in limiting these stresses.
• Switching and Temporary Overvoltages Origins: Explain and illustrate various origins of switching and temporary overvoltages.
• Insulation Level Coordination: Under expert guidance, coordinate the insulation level of apparatus concerning overvoltages, considering protective measures for technical and economical risk balancing.
• Understanding Power System Ageing: Gain basic knowledge in power system ageing, including assessment, maintenance, and retirement strategies.
• Environmental and Health Impact Assessment: Discuss the potential negative impacts of various technologies on the environment and human health, considering factors like insulation media and electromagnetic field exposure.
• International Working Environment Reflection: Reflect on the opportunities and challenges presented by working in an international environment.

Course content

This course begins with basic electric field calculations in simple geometries, moving to gas discharge physics, Townsend’s theory of electric breakdown, and Paschen's law. A key focus is experimental techniques, complemented by practical lab sessions. The course revolves around the theme of insulation coordination, linking various topics together. Additionally, it covers power system components and their characteristics, both theoretically and through a substation visit.

Key Topics Covered in Lectures and Tutorials:

• Electric Fields Fundamentals: Boundary conditions, Gauss' law, field distribution calculations in different geometries, and field control under ac-stress.
• Gas Breakdown Under Low Pressure: Gas kinetics, Townsend's breakdown mechanism, Paschen's law, voltage-time characteristics, and the influence of environmental conditions.
• Overvoltages: Lightning mechanisms, Rolling Sphere theory, power line protection, wave impedances, travelling waves, atmospheric and switching overvoltages.
• High Voltage Laboratory Techniques: Techniques for generating and measuring high voltages, including transformer and rectifier circuits, impulse generators, and voltage and current measurement methods.
• Insulation Coordination: Overvoltage reduction, surge arresters, test methods, and insulation coordination approaches.
• Power System Components: In-depth study of various components like overhead lines, cables, transformers, and substation equipment.
• Power System Ageing: Strategies for assessment, maintenance, and retirement.
• International Work Environment: compulsory lecture and workshop on working in international settings, focusing on collaborative strategies.

Laboratory Experiments:

Two compulsory experiments are included:

1. “Lightning impulse testing” – Exploring the impulse generator, high voltage measurement techniques, and the evaluation of impulse tests.
2. “Overvoltages in cables” – Studying wave impedances, surge arrester effects, and measurements of impulse voltages and currents.

Students are required to submit brief reports for each experiment, discussing and summarizing the laboratory topics. Detailed instructions will be provided by lab tutors and in the lab-pm.

Bibliography

• Andreas Küchler, High Voltage Engineering, Fundamentals - Technology - Applications. ISBN 978-3-642-11992-7 or ISBN 978-3-642-11993-4 (e-book). Available at Store but also as e-book through Chalmers library.
• R. Hileman: Insulation Coordination for Power Systems, 1999, CRC Press, ISBN 0-8247-9957-7 (available as e-book through Chalmers library).
• High Voltage Engineering, Tutorial exercises (uploaded on Canvas), Additional course material uploaded on Canvas.

Textbooks that can be used for reference:

• Kuffel, W. S. Zaengl, J. Kuffel: High Voltage Engineering: Fundamentals, 2^nd ed. 2000, Newnes, ISBN 0 7506 3634 3 (available as e-book through Chalmers library).
• H. Kreuger, Industrial high voltage, Vol. I 1991 (ISBN 90 6275 561 5) and Vol. II 1992 (ISBN 90 6275 562 3), Delft University Press.

Examination

Voluntary Trial Exam:

Date and Time: Friday, January 31, from 10:00 to 10:45.

Location: Room HC3.

Purpose: Earn up to 5 bonus points for the final exam (valid for one academic year).

Requirements for Final Grade:

• Pass the final written exam.
• Complete and pass all laboratory exercises, including short reports.
• A compulsory lecture ( 24, 2025) on work in an international environment.
• A compulsory workshop (March 4, 2025) on strategies for work in an international working environment, with focus on group work.
• Submit an individual reflection on group diversity by March 14, 2024. 

Final Written Exams Dates, Location and Times:

Original exam: Wednesday 19/03-2025 em J (4 h)

Re-exam 1: Thursday 12/06-2025 em J (4 h)

Re-exam 2: Wednesday 20/08-2025 em J (4 h)

An exam with illegible handwriting will be marked as failed. Assumptions, quantities and symbols introduced must be motivated and defined. Always focus your answer on the question asked and do not try to write as much as possible about related subjects. Put the papers well-ordered, with the paper header correctly filled in, in the exam enclosure. English is the only accepted language.

The written exam totals 50 points of which about 50% are of a descriptive nature and about 50% are of a calculative nature.

Exam allowed aids: Physics Handbook, Beta Mathematics Handbook, Chalmers approved calculator and printed language dictionaries (i.e. books, not electronic ones). All the aids must be note-free.

Grades: 5: 40p (80%); 4: 30p (60%); 3: 20p (40%); Failed < 20p (<40%) according to the Chalmers’ grading system.

Prerequisites

No requirements other than for admittance to the master’s programme are defined. However, three years of general studies in electrical engineering, including basic electric power engineering, electromagnetic field theory and measuring techniques, are expected. Multivariable analysis and statistics are also needed.

Responsible department

Postal address:	Division of Electric Power Engineering Department of Electrical Engineering SE - 412 96 Göteborg SWEDEN
Visiting address:	Hörsalsvägen 11
Telephone:	031-772 1641
Web page	Canvas

Teachers

Tasks	Name	Tel.	name@chalmers.se
Course responsible teacher and  and Lecturer	Xiangdong Xu (XX)	1641	xiangdong.xu
Examiner	Yuriy Serdyuk	1624	yuriy.serdyuk
Lecturer	Becky Bergman (BB)	2644	rebecca.bergman
Tutor	Jin Wang (JW)	1649	jinw
HV laboratory manager Electrical safety	Thomas Hammarström (TH)	1649	thomas.hammarstrom
Lab 1: Lightning impulse testing	Jin Wang (resp.) Vaishnavi Ravi Jing Hao Daniel Svensson		jinw raviv TBD daniesve
Lab 2: Overvoltages in cables	Vaishnavi Ravi (resp.) Jin Wang Jing Hao Daniel Svensson		raviv jinw TBD daniesve

Teaching

The teaching is pursued in form of lectures (38h), tutorials (30h), laboratory exercises (8h), workshop 2(h) but also as self-studies (122h). Participation in most lectures and tutorials are voluntary but highly recommended. Participation in group diversity lecture, group diversity workshop as well as laboratory exercises (including brief lab-preparation report) are compulsory.

Laboratory experiments (compulsory)

Compulsory Experiments: Two 4-hour lab experiments included in the course:

• Lightning impulse testing.
• Over-voltages in cables.

Safety Instructions Compliance:

• Safety instructions are available on the course webpage.
• Prior to lab participation, students must review and understand the safety instructions.
• Sign a confirmation list to certify understanding and commitment to follow these instructions.
• The list is signed only once, even for later multiple courses.
• For high voltage labs, adhere to additional specific safety guidelines provided in the same document as the general instructions.

Lab Scheduling and Location:

• Labs begin in study week 3.
• Schedule labs booking via the course webpage in Canvas.
• Labs location: room 2504/2506.

Preparation and Participation Requirements:

• Proper preparation for labs is mandatory; unprepared students will be denied participation.
• Punctuality is required; late arrivals may not be allowed to participate.
• Submit short lab reports for each experiment. These reports should not use the Chalmers logotype, as they are not official Chalmers publications.

Changes made in the course since last year

Most things worked fine and should be kept. Suggested changes:
• Tutorial, feedback was given on revising the corresponding theoretical content before the start of each tutorial to help students have a better understanding of problem-solving. We will try.

• Lecture: Discussed having interactive lecture sessions and the benefit of conducting trial exams at the start of the course. – We will try!
• Guest Lecture: The guest lecture from RISE has been moved to an earlier stage of the course to enhance student interaction and engagement, providing better alignment with industrial relevance.

Student representatives and course evaluation

In the course the following student representatives have been appointed:

TBD

Course evaualtion:

The Objective of the evaluations process: Enhance course goals, content, and pedagogy, focusing on student learning. Promote dialogue between teachers and students for educational improvements, utilizing student experiences to benefit current and future courses and the overall study program.

Initial Meeting (Week 1): Establish contact between teachers and students, discuss course perceptions, and schedule the second meeting.

Second Meeting (Week 3-4): Topics include changes since last year, study climate (communication, workload, supervision), challenging course aspects, resource utilization, and preparation for the final meeting. Outcomes are posted on the course website.

Final Meeting (Week 4 of Next Study Period): Occurs post-examination with expanded attendance (program, department, and student union representatives). Discussions cover overall evaluation, goal achievement, organization and pedagogy, study climate, and suggested improvements for the following year. Meeting minutes are linked in the course plan on the student portal.

Lecture and tutorial plan, study period 3, 2024/2025

Schedule: TimeEdit 

Day	Date	Time	Room	Topic and Literature Reference	Teacher
Tue	21/1	08-10	EB	(L1): Introduction AK pp. 1-4 Electric fields – fundamentals AK pp. 5-12, 30-38	XX
Tue	21/1	10-12	EB	(L2): Electric fields cont.AK pp. 86-93 Electric breakdown in gases - Townsends BD crit., Paschen’s law AK pp. 159-180	XX
Wed	22/1	08-10	EB	(L3): Electric breakdown cont. Voltage-time-characteristics AK pp. 183-187	XX
Fri	24/1	08-10	EA	(L4): Group diversity	BB
Fri	24/1	10-12	EA	(T1): Electric fields Ex. 1, 2, 12, 4	JW
Tue	28/1	08-10	EB	(L5): Generation of high voltages AK pp. 365 -393	XX
Tue	28/1	10-12	EB	(L6): Generation of high voltages cont.	XX
Wed	29/1	8-10	EB	(T2): Electric fields Ex. 5, 6, 9, 10	JW
Fri	31/1	08-10	EA	(L7): Measurement of high voltages AK pp. 401-426	XX
Fri	31/1	10-12	HC3	Trial exam 10:00-10:45hrs; 11:00-11:45hrs: (T3) Electric breakdown in gases, Ex. 13, 14, 15, 16	JW
Tue	4/2	08-10	EE	(L8): Measurement of high voltages cont.	XX
Tue	4/2	10-12	EE	Guest Lecture: Challenges in HV measurements RISE-Research Institutes of Sweden	Dr. Joni Klüss
Wed	5/2	8-10	EB	(L9): Lightning, atmospheric overvoltages AK pp. 211-215 AH pp. 195-205, 209-228, 241-249	XX
Fri	7/2	08-10	EA	(L10): Wave impedance, travelling waves AK pp. 124-136 AH pp. 313-331, 343-366, 373-375	XX
Fri	7/2	10-12	EA	(T4): Generation and measurements of HV Ex. 17, 18, 19, 20	JW
Tue	11/2	08-10	EB	(L11) Switching overvoltages Material on Canvas	XX
Tue	11/2	10-12	EB	(T5): Wave impedances, line flashovers Ex. 21, 22, 23	JW
Wed	12/2	08-10	EB	(T6): Wave impedances, line flashovers Ex. 24, 25, 26	JW
Fri	14/2	08-10	EA	(T7) Travelling waves Ex. 27, 28, 29, 30	JW
Fri	14/2	10-12	EA	(L12): Surge arrester AK pp. 363-365 AH pp. 331-339, 497-533	XX
Tue	18/2	08-10	EB	(L13): Insulation levels and coordination AK pp. 358-362, AH pp. xi-16	XX
Tue	18/2	10-12	EB	(L14): Insulation coordination, testing AK pp. 141-158	XX
Wed	19/2	08-10	EB	(T8): Travelling waves, surge arrester Ex. 31, 32	JW
Fri	21/2	08-10	EA	(L15) Substation and its components Material on Canvas	XX
Fri	21/2	10-12	EA	(T9): Travelling waves, surge arrester Ex. 33, 34, 35	JW
Tue	25/2	08-10	EB	(L16): Ins. coordination in substations AH pp. 275-296, 461-494, 557-619 Hand-out example	XX
Tue	25/2	10-12	EB	(L17) Computer simulation on ins. coordinaiton	XX
Wed	26/2	10-12	EB	(T10): Statistic evaluation of tests Ex. 36, 37, 38, 39	JW
Fri	28/2	08-12	EA	(T11): Statistic evaluation of tests Ex.40, 41, 42 43, 44 (T12): Switching overvoltages Ex. 54, 55	JW
Tue	4/3	08-10	ML11	Workshop on group diversity (1/2 class)	BB
Tue	4/3	10-12	ML11	Workshop on group diversity (1/2 class)	BB
Fri	5/3	09-11	EB	(T13): “High Voltage Greatest Hits”	XX/JW
Wed	7/3	10-12	EA	Self study / Lab time	---