2020 28th Iranian Conference on Electrical Engineering (ICEE)

Characteristic Impedance of Stator Bars to Study

Partial Discharge Pulse Propagation in Generators
Arash Abyaz Amir Abbas Shayegani Akmal Mohammad Hamed Samimi
High Voltage Institute High Voltage Institute High Voltage Institute
ECE Department ECE Department ECE Department
University of Tehran University of Tehran University of Tehran
Tehran, Iran Tehran, Iran Tehran, Iran
arash.abyaz@ut.ac.ir shayegani@ut.ac.ir m.h.samimi@ut.ac.ir

Abstract— Partial discharge (PD) test is one of the most high frequency components of PD pulse will be attenuated
commonly used methods for monitoring the status of generator more than the low frequency components [7]. This is only one
insulation system. Despite the major use of this method, the of the effects that happen during the PD pulse propagation.
interpretation of its results faces many challenges. Therefore, it
is necessary to study and recognize the PD pulse propagation Although many studies have been conducted on PD pulse
process in the stator winding. In this study, the characteristic propagation, there is not enough conception of this
impedance of a generator bar is calculated to increase the phenomenon. Different models have been used to simulate
accuracy of modeling the stator winding. Depending on how the the PD pulse propagation in the generator winding. In [8],
bar positioned in the stator core, the characteristic impedances Wagner et al has carried out the fundamental research on the
of the slot part and the end winding are obtained using finite theory of transients in the winding. In his study, the generator
element method. Finally, based on the results obtained, a winding is considered as a line with additional capacitance
suitable model for PD pulse propagation is implemented in between the turns. The Wagner equivalent circuit is
EMTP software to compare the simulation results with the inappropriate because it ignores the mutual inductance
previous experimental studies. between turns.
Keywords— characteristic impedance, Partial discharge, pulse Su et al proposed a model of homogeneous winding based
propagation, stator winding on the Bewley equivalent circuit in [9]. This model is
considered as a ladder network of slot part and end winding
I. INTRODUCTION inductances, mutual inductances between bars in the end
The availability, quality, continuity and reliability of the winding zone, capacitances of the slot part and end winding
electrical energy is a vital need for daily life and industrial to the ground and capacitances between bars in the end
activities [1]. The reliability of each component of power winding. Su introduced losses into the winding model
system can affect strongly the achievement of this goal considering the damping factor of the winding.
[2],[3]. Obviously, the generator stator winding has a more
Generators as a major source of electrical energy plays a complex structure than a homogenous single-layer winding.
vital role in the power system. About 56% of the generator Due to the frequency-dependent nature of the stator winding
failures are due to defects in its insulation system [2]. The parameter, it is necessary to model them in a frequency
generator winding is constantly under electrical, mechanical, manner to obtain proper results.
thermal and ambient stresses known as aging mechanisms As reported in [9], the propagation modes for PD pulses
[4]. PD reveals most of the insulation mechanisms and, are similar to a transmission line. Therefore, the stator
therefore, PD activities in generators are known as the winding has been implemented using the transmission line
prominent indicator for the evaluation of insulation quality model in some studies. To study the overvoltage inside the
[5]. generator winding, the transmission line model is simplified
Despite the widespread use of the PD test in generators to to the second-order RLC circuit in [10]. Accordingly, [11]
attain the operation with high reliability, there are many used a simple transmission line model to investigate the
challenges in interpreting the PD results. The PD pulse have distribution of voltage in the generator winding.
very sharp rise time and short duration. Thus, the frequency The main idea of this article is to calculate the
range of PD pulse is from zero to a few GHz. A PD pulse will characteristic impedance of a stator bar and use this
be remarkably distorted after propagation through a stator impedance to create a transmission line model. First, the
winding. In such circumstances, the PD pulse received at the characteristic impedance of a generator stator bar is calculated
measurement location may be significantly different from the using finite element method in order to enhance the accuracy
PD pulse generated at its origin. As a result, appropriate of PD pulse propagation simulation in the stator winding.
information from the generator insulation conditions may not Afterward, using the characteristic impedance of the stator
be obtained [6]. bar, the transmission line parameter can be adjusted more
In recent years, extensive studies have been conducted on appropriately to simulate the discharge pulse propagation
the propagation of PD pulse in the generator winding and more accurately. The COMSOL Multiphysics software is
some useful information have been obtained. For example, used to compute the characteristic impedance and EMTP is
when a PD pulse passes through the generator winding, the utilized for studying the transmission line model.

978-1-7281-7296-5/20/$31.00 ©2020 IEEE

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 2020 28th Iranian Conference on Electrical Engineering (ICEE)

II. THEORETICAL BACKGROUND In the end winding, given that the most part of the stator
The transmission line theory has a significant role in wave bar is surrounded by air, the mutual capacitance between the
analysis because it bridges the gap between field analysis and different bars are small. Depending on the structure of the
basic circuit theory. James clerk Maxwell, Lord Kelvin and stator winding, the slot part and the end winding part are
Oliver Heaviside laid the theoretical basis for the design and different. As a result, using the same model for both of the
analysis of the transmission line. It is a fundamental principle end winding and the slot part reduces the simulation accuracy.
in microwave and RF knowledge In this paper, the slot and end winding parts of the stator
The electrical length is the main discrimination between bar are simulated separately in the COMSOL Multiphysics
transmission line theory and circuit theory. In circuit analysis, software to determine the differences in the characteristic
the physical dimensions of the network are considered to be impedance between these parts. This will also improve the
much smaller than its electrical dimension. But the accuracy of the pulse propagation simulation.
transmission line in size may be a noticeable portion of a
wave length. Therefore, the transmission line is a network
with distributed parameters and along its length the voltage
and current can change in phase and magnitude.
One of the most important parameters in a transmission
line is the characteristic impedance. This parameter is not
dependent on line length. According to (1), the impedance is
calculated using distributed circuit parameters of the line [12]:

R + jω L
Z= (1)
G + jωC

where:
R is the series resistance per unit length (Ω/m)
L is the series inductance per unit length (H/m)
G is the shunt conductance per unit length (mho/m) Fig. 1. Stator winding structure
C is the shunt capacitance per unit length (F/m)
To calculate the characteristic impedance, it is necessary
The characteristic impedance plays an important role in to have the parameters of series resistance, shunt capacitance,
the transmission quality of a signal. The pulse may reach a series inductance and shunt conductance. This parameters
new medium during propagation. If the characteristic come from the electromagnetic field solution to Maxwell
impedance of the next medium is the same as the previous, equations. The electric field is used to extract capacitance and
the whole pulse is transferred to the new medium and no conductance. Implementation of this part is performed using
reflection happens. If the characteristic impedance of the two the electric current physic in the AC/DC module of the
medium is different, a part of the pulse energy is reflected and COMSOL. Since the electric conductivity difference between
the remaining part is transferred to the new medium. the dielectric and conductor is large, it is assumed that the
Therefore, high quality signal transmission requires constant conductors are equipotential. After selecting the appropriate
characteristic impedance throughout the transmission physic, the capacitance and conductance are calculated by
medium. combining circuit and electromagnetic theories as described
below [12]:
III. THEORY AND DESIGN
As mentioned above, due to the wide frequency spectrum ε
4 s
We = E .E * ds (2)
of the PD pulse, a frequency dependent model is needed to
investigate the PD pulse behavior in the stator winding. To
study the electromagnetic transient, the stator winding, as
shown in Fig. 1, is divided into two parts: stator bars in the C | V0 |2
We = (3)
slots and end winding (overhang). Due to the differences in 4
the characteristics of these two parts, this division is
necessary. Equations (2) and (3) are obtained from electromagnetic
theory and circuit theory respectively to calculate the average
Because of the iron core in the slot part of the stator bars, stored energy per unit length. In these equations, ε is the
at low frequencies, the bars have large inductances. The permittivity, E is the electric field and s is the cross-sectional
capacitance to ground is large due to the grounded semi- surface area. By combining (2) and (3), (4) is obtained to
conductive layer on the bar insulation. The capacitances calculate the capacitance:
between different bars in the slot part are diminished
significantly by the grounded core. Thus, if the iron core,
ε
which can increase the inductance and losses, is not
considered, the stator bar is similar to a coaxial cable with
C=
| V0 |2  E.E * ds
s
(4)

grounded shield.
The average power dissipated per unit length in a lossy
dielectric is given by (5) where ε '' is the imaginary part of the

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 2020 28th Iranian Conference on Electrical Engineering (ICEE)

complex permittivity. Circuit theory gives (6). The IV. FEM SIMULATION AND DISCUSSION
conductance can be calculated by combining (5) and (6). As mentioned above, the characteristics of the slot part
Therefore, using the circuit and electromagnetic theories, two are different from the end winding due to the structure of the
parameters out of the four parameters, needed to calculate the stator winding. Therefore, the characteristic impedances of
characteristic impedance, are obtained. these two parts are calculated separately.

ωε '' The structure shown in Fig. 2 is simulated in the

Pd =
2  E.E * ds (5) COMSOL to calculate the parameters of the slot part. This
s part of the stator bar is considered to consist of three layers,
which are the bar conductor, insulator, and stator core,
G | V0 |2 respectively. The stator conductor is not considered in the
Pd = (6) strand form. Since the characteristic impedance is not
2
dependent on the length, the dimensions of the considered
In a similar way, the AC/DC module of the COMSOL is model are down-scaled to decrease the computation load
used to calculate the series inductance and resistance. The during simulation.
stator winding is intended as a single layer winding to Copper, epoxy resin and iron are used for the materials
calculate the current distribution proportional to the of the stator conductor, insulator and stator core,
frequency. The following equations, which are the magnetic respectively. By solving the problem, the characteristic
dual of the previous equations, are used to calculate the impedance for the slot part is obtained. Fig. 3 shows the
inductance: amplitude of the characteristic impedance of the slot part
versus the frequency.
μ
Wm =
4  H .H * ds (7) As shown in Fig. 3, the characteristic impedance varies
s in range of 30 to 300Ω. Its amplitude decreases with
increasing the frequency. The characteristic impedance
L | I 0 |2 obtained in this article corresponds to the values reported in
Wm = (8) in [13], where the characteristic impedance of the slot part
4
of a stator winding is about 30 Ω. The simulation results also
Equation (7) is derived from the electromagnetic theory show that the resistance increases with increasing the
and (8) from the circuit theory. In these equations, Wm is the frequency. The resistance behavior indicates a bigger
attenuation at higher frequencies as previously demonstrated
average stored magnetic energy per unit length, H the by experiments on the stator winding [14].
magnetic field strength and μ is the magnetic permeability.
Combining (7) and (8) leads to the following equation for
deriving the inductance per length:
Stator core

μ
L=
| I 0 |2  H .H * ds
s
(9)

The power dissipation per unit length given by (10) must

be calculated to obtain the resistance. In this equation, Rs is
the surface resistance of the conductors and l1+l2 represent the
Conductor
integration path over the conductor boundaries. Equation (11)
is related to circuit theory for the dissipated power in a Insulator
resistance.
Fig. 2. Simulation model for slot part
R
Pc = s
2 
l1 + l2
H .H * dl (10)

| I 0 |2 R (11)
Pc =
2

By combining (10) and (11), the series resistance is

calculated. After achieving the required parameters, the
characteristic impedance is calculated using (1).
It should be noted that for the calculation of these
parameters, it is assumed that the conductivity of the
dielectric medium is equal to zero. It is noteworthy that this
assumption has no significant effect on the results though it
eases the simulation. Fig. 3. Characteristic impedance of the slot part

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 2020 28th Iranian Conference on Electrical Engineering (ICEE)

Similarly, the structure shown in Fig. 4 is simulated to the accurate simulation of PD pulse propagation requires
calculate the characteristic impedance of the end winding. proper estimation of the characteristic impedance of the stator
This section of the stator bar is modelled as a small section bar and its difference between the slot part and end winding.
of it inside the slot and the rest of the bar section out of the
slot. For accurate modeling of this part, the anti-corona layer Using the details obtained from the structure of the stator
of the conductor surface should also considered. bar, the model of stator winding is implemented in the EMTP
software to observe the PD pulse propagation. EMTP is
The materials used for the conductor, insulator and stator chosen since it has the frequency dependent transmission line
core are similar to the ones used in the slot part. Furthermore, (FDTL) model. The parameters of the FDTL are adjusted so
the materials used for the anti-corona coating is the silicon that the pattern and amplitude of its characteristic impedance
carbide. The amplitude of the characteristic impedance of the are similar to the characteristic impedance obtained in
end winding versus the frequency is shown in Fig. 5. COMSOL.
The characteristic impedance of the end winding varies The model of the stator winding used in the EMTP
in range of 80 to 450 Ω as shown in Fig. 5. Similar to the software is shown in Fig. 6. Each bar is modeled using three
pervious case, the characteristic impedance of this section is FDTLs, in which one FDTL is positioned in the middle,
inversely proportional to the frequency. The results obtained which is the slot part, and two other FDTLs are positioned at
from the simulation is within the range reported in earlier the two ends as the end windings. Finally, several bars are
studies. inserted in series to form a phase of the stator winding. To
measure the PD pulses, a 10 nF coupling capacitor is located
Conductor as the coupling capacitor of the PD detector at the beginning
of the first bar.

Insulator
Stator core
Anti-corona

Fig. 4. Simulation model for end winding

Fig. 6. EMTP model for PD pulse propagation

Fig. 5. Characteristic impedance of the end winding

Comparing Fig. 3 and Fig. 5 shows that the characteristic

impedances of these two parts are significantly different. The
reduction of the characteristic impedance of the slot part with
frequency is greater than the end winding. Thus, the PD Fig. 7. Response at detector for pulse injection at three position in stator
pulse does not observe a constant impedance along the winding
propagation path.
Injected pulse has amplitude of 4 V, rise time of 30 ns and
V. EMTP MODEL duration of 100 ns. The pulse is injected to the first, third and
As stated earlier, if the characteristic impedance changes sixth bars away from the detector. The measurement results
along the propagation path, a part of the wave is reflected and at the detector place are shown in Fig. 7. As seen, the
the remaining part will be transferred to the new medium. amplitude of the detected pulse decreases with increasing
Therefore, wave reflection due to the change in the distance between the detector and the place of pulse injection.
impedance along the stator bar is another factor of PD pulse Therefore, the measured amplitude will be different from the
attenuation during propagation. As shown in this contribution, apparent charge of PD pulse. Attenuation of PD pulses makes

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 2020 28th Iranian Conference on Electrical Engineering (ICEE)

it difficult to interpret the measurement results. As a result, [12] D. M. Pozar, "Microwave engineering," Wiley, 2012.
having the characteristic of propagation medium, which [13] Q. Shaozhen and S. Birlasekaran, "The study of PD propagation
phenomenon in power network," IEEE Transactions on power delivery,
obtained from simulation, will improve the process of PD vol. 21, no. 3, pp. 1083-1091, 2006.
data analysis. [14] Y. Luo, Z. Li, and T. Chen, "Experimental study of partial discharge
With increasing distance from the detector location, the pulses propagation in stator winding of hydro generator," in 2017 IEEE
time delay of the receiving pulses increases. Thus, by 2nd Information Technology, Networking, Electronic and Automation
analysing the pulse delay, useful information about the pulse Control Conference (ITNEC), 2017: IEEE, pp. 773-777.
location will be obtained. Due to receiving the reflected [15] A. Pemen, P. Van Der Laan, and W. de Leeuw, "Propagation of partial
discharge signals in stator windings of turbine generators," IEEE
waves, which is considered in this contribution, there are Transactions on Energy Conversion, vol. 21, no. 1, pp. 155-161, 2006.
some peaks after the main peak. The results of the simulation
are in accordance with the experimental studies presented in
[15].
VI. CONCLUSION
In this work, a method is presented to compute the
characteristic impedance of the slot part and the end winding
of a stator bar. Also, the difference of the characteristic
impedance between the slot part and the end winding is
shown and its amount is calculated. By obtaining the
characteristic impedance, the simulation of PD pulse
propagation is performed accurately. Also, given that the
difference of the characteristic impedance of two medium
causes wave reflection, its consideration in the simulation
will help to estimate the PD pulse apparent charge better. By
placing the results in the EMTP software, it was observed that
the results of the PD pulse propagation obtained from
simulation are very similar to the results of previous practical
studies. Therefore, the presented model is verified and can be
used for further studies.
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