Ferroresonance on a Cable-fed TransformerFrancisco De La Rosa

Introduction

Ferroresonance phenomena may affect low voltage installations involving an underground cable or a capacitor bank on the source side of a service transformer. When one or two phases on the source side open as a result of a downstream fault, oscillatory voltage behavior can get started. Figure 1 illustrates a single-phase blown fuse when a 150 kVA service transformer fed through a 3-mile 35 kV underground cable supplies power to a 600 V DC drive. The drive feeds a 40 HPDC motor providing the voltage control function shown in figure 2. The 3-mile underground cable assumed in the simulation is a 1/0 35 kV XLP whose cross section used in PSCAD to calculate the admittance matrix is shown in figure 3. The conductor configuration in the underground system assumes 5 cm distance between the two outer conductors relative to the central conductor.

Figure1. 1/0 35 kV XLP 3-mile underground cable connecting to 5 % loaded 150 kVA 12.5 / 0.480 kV Transformer with a 3.5 % impedance that feeds a 40 HP DC drive

Figure 2. Voltage control function provided by the DC drive

Figure 3. Cross section of the 35 kV XLP cable

The PSCAD simulation for the service transformer involves a five-limb model. The UMEC (Unified Magnetic Equivalent Circuit) transformer model used in PSCAD is based mostly on core geometry. This allows taking proper account of magnetic coupling between windings of different phases, in addition to coupling between windings of the same phase. The model is comprehensively described in [1].

Waveforms for the 40 kVA DC drive at the time phase A opens are shown in figure 4. Large fluctuations on the Variable Frequency Drive output voltage are clearly observed on the bottom plot. These represent a severe power quality issue which can produce damage to the DC motor if this condition is not properly detected and action taken to disconnect the DC drive from the power supply. Similar voltage fluctuations in customer’s sensitive equipment fed through rectifiers can also become negatively impacted.

Figure 4.Voltage fluctuations under ferroresonance between cable and transformer when phase A opens

Tables 1 and 2 depict the Total Harmonic Distortion (THD)and RMS values of the phase to neutral voltage and line harmonics at the high voltage (HV) and low voltage (LV) sides of the service transformer, respectively. These are calculated starting from the time phase A is opened. Notice that the THD on the voltage waveforms on phases B and C remains low while the THD on the LV current on the open phase can reach levels 2-3 times those in the other phases. Figures 5 and 6 show the harmonic spectra of phase to neutral voltage harmonics on the HV side (33 kV) and the currents on the LV (480V) side of the service transformer.

Table 1. 33 kV side Phase to Neutral voltage harmonics

Table 2. 480 V side current harmonics

Figure 5. Source side Ph-N voltage harmonic spectrum under phase A open

Figure 6. Load side line current harmonic spectrum under phase A open

The subharmonic components of the 33 kV phase to neutral voltage and the harmonic components of the DC voltage are further examined in figure 7. As illustrated in the figure, the maximum subharmonic component on the opened phase (Ea) voltage waveform reaches [900/(33000/√3)]100, or around 5% at 16 Hz, just on the limit recommended in the IEEE Guide for Applying Harmonic limits on power systems [2], as shown in figure 8. The DC voltage on the other hand, does not show any subharmonic component as depicted in the lower plot in figure 7, where only even harmonics 2 (120 Hz) and 4 (240 Hz) show up.

Figure 7. Source side voltage subharmonics and DC voltage harmonics under phase A open

Figure 8. Recommended subharmonic levels, according to IEEE P519; adapted from [1]

On the low voltage side of the service transformer, some subharmonic content is also observed both on the voltage and on the current waveforms. The phase-to-phase voltage shows a maximum of around 10% level at around 15-17 Hz and the maximum subharmonic current hits around 16%, as illustrated in figures 9 and 10. These are levels likely to produce light flicker.

Figure 9. Load side voltage subharmonics under phase A open

Figure 10. Load side line current subharmonics under phase A open

Conclusions

  1. The voltage oscillations under ferroresonance on a cable-fed transformer can represent a severe power quality issue which can produce damage to LVDC motors if this condition is not properly detected and action taken to disconnect the DC drive from the power supply. Similar voltage fluctuations on customer’s sensitive equipment fed through rectifiers can also become negatively impacted
  2. THD on the voltage waveforms on phases B and C remains low while the THD on the LV current on the open phase can reach levels 2-3 times those in the other phases
  3. The maximum subharmonic component on the opened phase (Ea) voltage waveform reaches around 5% at 16 Hz, just on the limit recommended in the IEEE Guide for Applying Harmonic limits on power systems. The DC voltage on the other hand, does not portray any subharmonic component but it shows even harmonics 2nd and 4th .
  4. On the low voltage side of the transformer, the phase-to-phase voltage shows a maximum of around 10% level at around 15-17 Hz and the maximum subharmonic current hits around 16%.
  5. The obtained levels of interharmonics during phase A open are likely to produce light flicker

References

[1] W. Enright, O. B. Nayak, G. D. Irwin, J. Arrillaga, An Electromagnetic Transients Model of Multi-limb Transformers Using Normalized Core Concept, IPST '97 Proceedings, Seattle, pp. 93-98, 1997

[2] Draft: Guide for Applying Harmonic Limits on Power Systems, IEEE P519.1™/D10, January 2005

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