Metodologia de cálculo da tensão crítica de isolamento de linhas de transmissão de energia elétrica usando o método dos elementos finitos

Abstract

The present work presents the results obtained from an applicative based on the Finite Element Method to verify breakdown voltages in power transmission lines. The breakdown voltage is denoted by U50% and it indicates the breakdown of the line insulation in 50% of the cases. The proposed methodology considers the corona phenomenon and the stored energy around the wires, allowing the analysis of lines at any configuration. To compute the stored energy, a triangular finite element mesh is generated, considering a refined element distribution around the wires, since large gradients are observed in these regions. The boundary conditions for the model are prescribed potentials along the wire surfaces and null prescribed potentials along the boundary of the model which represents the earth. An iterative procedure is adopted to compute U50%, considering finite elements whose electrical fields overcome a critical value at an iterative step as being prescribed at the next step, adapting the computed results with the ionization area. In this way, wherever the computed electrical field is below a critical value, nothing is changed considering the finite element equations. On the other hand, when this critical value is overcome, a penalty parameter is introduced, in order to simulate the ionization of the air.