On December 5, 2023, the T echnical B rochure   “Applying Low-Residual-Voltage Surge Arresters to Suppress Overvoltages in UHV AC Systems”  (Coded TB921) , developed over 5 years by the C4/A3.53 Working Group of the International Council on Large Electric Systems (CIGRE), was formally approved by the CIGRE Central Office and published on its website under the designation TB921. Professor He Jinliang from the  Department of Electrical Engineering and Applied Electronics (EEA) of Tsinghua University   served as the convener of the working group, with Professor Hu Jun from Tsinghua University and Associate Professor Meng Pengfei from Sichuan University serving as the secretaries of the working group.

Cover of the Technical Brochure for CIGRE C4/A3.53

CIGRE, founded in March 1921, is the most important international organization in the field of large electric systems. It consists of a Council, Executive Committee, Technical Committee, Academic Committee, Central Office, and National Committees of member countries. Its mission is to promote the exchange of scientific knowledge and information related to power generation, high-voltage transmission, and large electric systems internationally. There are 16 technical committees in four areas: electrical equipment, electrical technology, power systems, and electrical new materials and information technology. Each technical committee establishes 1-2 technical working groups each year to study new challenges and solutions in their respective fields. The C4/A3.53 Working Group was jointly established by CIGRE’s C4 and A3 committees, officially established in 2019, with 37 experts and scholars from the power industry and academia from 12 countries worldwide, including technical leaders from internationally renowned surge arrester companies such as ABB, GE, Hubbell, Toshiba, Hitachi, and Xidian Surge Arresters, as well as scholars from institutions such as the Central Research Institute of the Electric Power Industry in Japan, Cardiff University in the UK, the University of Bologna in Italy, the University of São Paulo in Brazil, ESKOM in South Africa, ESB in Ireland, and China Electric Power Research Institute. The C4/A3.53 Working Group’s overall execution took nearly five years, during which multiple international exchange seminars were held in Paris, Hong Kong, and other locations.

Metal oxide surge arresters play a crucial role in ensuring the safe and stable operation of power systems, and their protective performance is fundamental to establishing the insulation level of power system equipment. Excellent surge arresters reduce the overvoltage level applied to equipment, thereby lowering the insulation level and reducing the cost of power equipment, significantly saving power construction investment. For ultra-high voltage (UHV) systems, which face challenges in equipment manufacturing technology and construction costs, limiting overvoltages to even lower levels is a significant technical requirement. The C4/A3.53 technical brochure introduces the development status of a new generation of surge arresters that effectively limit overvoltages in UHV systems. This includes low-residual-voltage surge arresters, high pollution performance surge arresters, and controllable surge arresters. The brochure analyzes the application effects of different types of low-residual-voltage surge arresters in UHV AC systems, discusses the feasibility of using surge arresters to eliminate the closing resistance of UHV AC system circuit breakers, and introduces the application of low-residual-voltage surge arresters in 1000 kV UHV AC systems. Compared to traditional surge arresters, the use of low-residual-voltage surge arresters can reduce lightning overvoltages and operational overvoltages in UHV AC systems by approximately 30%, significantly reducing the insulation level and manufacturing costs of UHV equipment, improving the safety and reliability of UHV power grids.

Low-residual-voltage surge arresters are of great significance for reducing the insulation level of power equipment at different voltage levels, lowering the cost of power equipment, and thus reducing the construction cost of power systems. The publication of this technical brochure will provide fundamental theoretical support for limiting overvoltages in deep-restriction power grids and offer key technical guidance for the application of a new generation of low-residual-voltage surge arresters.

Technical Brochure Link:

https://www.e-cigre.org/publications/detail/921-applying-low-residual-voltage-surge-arresters-to-suppress-overvoltages-in-uhv-ac-systems.html