Leman, J.T.; Olsen, R.G.; Renew, D. Calculation of Transmission Line Worker Electric Field Induced Current Using Fourier-Enhanced Charge Simulation. Energies2023, 16, 7646.
Leman, J.T.; Olsen, R.G.; Renew, D. Calculation of Transmission Line Worker Electric Field Induced Current Using Fourier-Enhanced Charge Simulation. Energies 2023, 16, 7646.
Leman, J.T.; Olsen, R.G.; Renew, D. Calculation of Transmission Line Worker Electric Field Induced Current Using Fourier-Enhanced Charge Simulation. Energies2023, 16, 7646.
Leman, J.T.; Olsen, R.G.; Renew, D. Calculation of Transmission Line Worker Electric Field Induced Current Using Fourier-Enhanced Charge Simulation. Energies 2023, 16, 7646.
Abstract
Exposure to quasi-electrostatic field induced currents is a hazard of live-line transmission work. These steady-state induced currents are typically less than 1 mA, and their sensory effects range from imperceptible to painful depending on the person and conditions such as contact area and duration. Permanent injury from these currents is unlikely but they can distract workers, increasing the risk of injury from falls or other dangers. Identifying contact current severity and training workers can help reduce risk of accidents. Measuring induced currents along a climbing route is time consuming and simulation is challenging because of geometric complexity of the worker, transmission structure, conductor bundles, and electric fields in the climbing space. This research explores calculation of worker contact current using a recently developed adaptation of the charge simulation method. The method uses Fourier principles to improve computational efficiency when explicitly modeling all bundle subconductors. The research also examines reasonable simplifications for modeling lattice structures and human geometry. Calculated results compare well to measured currents for a worker climbing a 400 kV lattice structure. This indicates the method is a practical option for calculating the severity of steady-state contact currents. A simple calculation is suggested for estimating these currents.
Keywords
safety, high voltage, transmission, live-line work, contact current, microshock, capacitance, electric field, charge simulation
Subject
Engineering, Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
