Electrical field calculations
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An electric field is formed around live components of the overhead line (conductors, fittings, insulators). The field strength determines how strongly free charge carriers are accelerated in the electric field and whether undesired partial discharges occur. Special software can be used to calculate the electric field occurring in the vicinity of the components during operation before commissioning.
If specific limit field strengths are exceeded, charge avalanches or corona discharges can occur that are visible to the naked eye in darkened rooms. These are undesirable, as they are not only associated with electrical losses, but also with the occurrence of radio interference voltages and acoustic noises that are perceived as disturbing by residents. Silicone composite insulators can also be severely affected in their service life by corona discharges on water droplets. It is therefore important that the field strengths occurring during operation do not exceed the specific limit values.
For a given operating voltage, a field calculation provides the maximum surface electric field strength for each component considered. Thus, a selection of suitable components can already be made in the design phase of the overhead line.
For a field calculation, geometry data of the considered components, information about operating voltage, arrangement of conductors and mast geometry are required. If the project-specific requirements (limit values) are known, the components examined can then be evaluated with a field calculation with regard to their suitability.