IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON POWER DELIVERY, VOL. 29, NO.
6, DECEMBER 2014
Relevant Parameters in a Statistical
Analysis—Application to
Transmission-Line Energization
Patricia Mestas, Student Member, IEEE, and Maria Cristina Tavares, Senior Member, IEEE
Abstract—This paper summarizes the important factors that af-
fect statistical switching transients studies during transmission-
line energization. These factors include the number of repetitions
to ensure the statistical characteristic of the study, the variation
range of the mean closing time of the circuit-breaker contacts, the
model used for the representation of the transmission line, and the
influence of transposition. In addition, a statistical analysis of mit-
igation methods to reduce overvoltages during transmission-line
energization maneuver is presented, specifically the use of surge
arresters, of controlled switching, and of a preinsertion resistor.
The shunt compensation degree is considered as an independent
parameter. Digital simulations were performed with PSCAD.
Index Terms—Controlled switching, preinsertion resistor, statis-
tical analysis, surge arresters, transmission-line energization.
I. INTRODUCTION
T HE determination of switching overvoltages is of funda-
mental importance for the design of electric power sys-
tems, since it provides the basis for insulation coordination of
lines and substations, as well as for the equipment specifica-
tion [1]. In turn, the insulation level required to withstand the
switching overvoltages can have a significant influence on the
cost of transmission systems. Therefore, an accurate estimation
of the switching overvoltages magnitude under various condi-
tions of operation is decisive for the project of transmission sys-
tems [2].
The switching surge magnitudes depend upon the instant on
the voltage waveform at which the circuit-breaker contacts close
electrically. Consequently, for the overvoltages evaluation, sta-
tistical studies should be performed because the closing instant
of the circuit breaker (CB) is characterized by a random be-
havior [2]–[4].
The CB randomness in the final closing instant can be mod-
eled in electromagnetic programs through statistical switches.
The closing instants of CBs must be defined for each phase
switch by a mean value related to the closing mean instant and
Manuscript received October 10, 2013; revised February 06, 2014; accepted
April 04, 2014. Date of publication July 01, 2014; date of current version
November 18, 2014. This work was supported in part by a grant from São
Paulo Research Foundation-FAPESP, and in part from CNPq, Brazil. Paper no.
TPWRD-01152-2013.
The authors are with the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Uni-
versity of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas 13083-250, SP, Brazil (e-mail:
pmestasv@dsce.fee.unicamp.br; cristina@dsce.fee.unicamp.br).
Color versions of one or more of the figures in this paper are available online
at http://ieeexplore.ieee.org.
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/TPWRD.2014.2317875
0885-8977 © 2014 IEEE. Personal use is permitted, but republication/redistribution requires IEEE permission.
See http://www.ieee.org/publications_standards/publications/rights/index.html for more information.
2605
a standard deviation that represent the Gaussian distribution of
the pole spread. For this reason, the CB modeling requires that
each pole be modeled independently from each other [5], [6].
On the other hand, during transmission-line switching opera-
tions, several parameters affect the magnitude of transient over-
voltages on the line [2], [6]. These parameters can be distin-
guished in two types: parameters that define the statistic sim-
ulation method and parameters related to the transmission-line
modeling.
The relevant parameters for the simulation method include
the determination of the number of repetitions required to ensure
the statistical significance of the study [7]. Besides, for line en-
ergization, the closing mean time must be distributed uniformly
over a given period [4]. Therefore, it is important to verify if the
period of variation (1 or 1/2cycle) of the fundamental frequency
produces results statistically different.
Likewise, related to transmission-line modeling, it is impor-
tant to verify if the use of constant parameter line model [8]
or the frequency-dependent line model [9] will produce results
significantly different. Another important verification is if repre-
senting the actual transposition scheme of the transmission line
compared to an assumed ideally transposed line (balanced line)
has an influence on the overvoltage magnitude [10].
Another important factor during the transmission-line ener-
gization study is the method used to mitigate transient overvolt-
ages in order to improve power-quality levels. The most used
techniques are surge arresters, controlled switching, and prein-
sertion resistors. Each of these methods is directly related to the
CBs characteristics [3], [11] and should be analyzed considering
the randomness of the event (CB eventual closing moment).
Based on a case study of an actual power system, this paper
aims to evaluate switching transients during transmission-line
energization, taking into account diverse factors in a general
way. In addition, the possibilities of reducing switching surges
are illustrated from the viewpoint of the statistical behavior of
the CB. Also, the standard deviation, important statistical pa-
rameters of the CB, is analyzed for each overvoltage control
method.
II. ANALYZED SYSTEM
Fig. 1 shows the analyzed system based on an actual transmis-
sion system of 500 kV and 1052 km. The study is focused on
the final line section, which corresponds to a 252-km-long line
from bus B4 to B5. The line was switched using the CB7 CB.
2606
Fig. 1. The 500-kV transmission system.
TABLE I
BASIC LINE UNITARY PARAMETERS 60 Hz
The compensation scheme is composed of three single-phase
reactors banks with a quality factor (X/R) of 400, grounded
through a neutral reactor with a quality factor of 40.
The line parameters for the fundamental frequency (60 Hz)
are shown in Table I.
The transient analysis and power system modeling were car-
ried out through simulations by using PSCAD [12]. The time
step used for all simulations was 50 s. The statistical analysis
was performed using the software OriginPro 8 [13].
III. STATISTICAL BEHAVIOR OF THE CB
The statistical nature of the overvoltages is caused by the ran-
domness in which each pole of the CB connects the line to the
voltage source. Thus, the mechanical poles spread, the instant
in the fundamental frequency cycle at which the command of
the operation is done, and the electric arc established between
the contacts before its closing determine the effective circuit
breaker’s closing [2], [6].
The nonsimultaneity of the mechanical closing of the CB con-
tacts can be simulated by systematic or statistical switches [4].
For the systematic switches, the closing instant is varied
in equal increments between a minimum and a maximum,
searching the maximum overvoltages. For the statistical
switches, two steps are necessary. First, the closing mean
time should be varied over a given time period by uniform
distribution. Second, the pole span should be represented with a
statistical parameter, typically a Gaussian (normal) distribution.
Fig. 2 shows an example to illustrate the statistical switch
behavior. The closing command corresponds to the closing
mean time (point ), which is issued randomly with respect
to the phase angle of the reference signal. Since the statistical
switching case consists of a given number of separate simu-
lations, the closing mean time must be varied with a uniform
distribution from point to point (01 cycle of the power
frequency).
The pole spread of the CB has a statistical behavior according
to a normal distribution and is expressed in standard deviation
. The maximum pole spread of the CB is information
normally provided in the CBs manufacturer specifications and
is linked to the CB by the truncation of the Gaussian curve.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON POWER DELIVERY, VOL. 29, NO. 6, DECEMBER 2014
Fig. 2. Closing instants defined by a mean value and a standard deviation ,
associated with variation over a given time period by uniform distribution.
It is possible to observe in Fig. 2 that about 68% of values
drawn are within one standard deviation away from the mean
(area under the points to ). About 95% of the values lies
within two standard deviations (area under the points to );
and about 99.7% is within three standard deviations (area under
the points to ).
The closing speed of CB poles is subject to variations deter-
mined by the temperature, the wear, and other factors. The CB
model accommodates these variations in the closing pole spread
according to normal distribution.
Some of the operating time variations are predictable and
some are purely statistical. The CB operating time is ex-
pressed as the sum of three terms [14]
(1)
is the mean operating time under normal operating con-
ditions that can be measured. is a predictable varia-
tion of the operating time that can be corrected. is a
purely statistical variation of the operating time. Closing mean
time (point ) indicated in Fig. 2 is the sum of .
The parcel represents the randomness of the closing
event, and the statistical results are not compromised by the
nominal closing time, even if it represents a high-speed CB.
The electric arc occurs when, during the contacts approxi-
mation, the potential difference between them exceeds the de-
creasing voltage of the dielectric withstand. The electric arc is
another random parameter in the generation of transients; how-
ever, in [15], it is reported that its effect is minimal in high-speed
CBs. Otherwise, its effect can be easily included in the analysis
by increasing the maximum mechanical dispersion between CB
poles.
In the present study, SF gas live-tank CBs were assumed to
have been installed on the power system. The statistical perfor-
mance of this CB has been represented in PSCAD by a statis-
tical switch, according to [15]. A high-speed CB with a closing
time of 13 ms at each pole was selected. The standard deviation
is 1 ms, and the normal distribution curve is truncated at
and .
MESTAS AND TAVARES: RELEVANT PARAMETERS IN A STATISTICAL ANALYSIS—APPLICATION TO TRANSMISSION-LINE ENERGIZATION 2607

IV. STATISTICAL EVALUATION TABLE II

TRANSIENT OVERVOLTAGES AT LINE END. ANALYSIS
The overvoltage magnitudes generated during line energiza- OF THE NUMBER OF SIMULATIONS
tion follow a normal distribution (verified by the Kolmogorov-
Smirnov test). Therefore, the analysis of variance (ANOVA)
can be used for the statistical evaluation of overvoltages mag-
nitude [7].
ANOVA is essentially an inferential analysis procedure for
testing the statistical significance among different groups of data
for homogeneity. It is a robust test because it is not limited to
comparing the means of only two groups [7].
-test is part of the ANOVA process. It is used to assess
whether the expected values of a quantitative variable within
several predefined groups differ from each other [7].
The following aspects were evaluated:
• minimum number of simulations to ensure the statistical
significance of the study;
• the range variation of the mean closing time of CB con-
tacts;
• model used to represent the transmission line;
• influence of the line transposition scheme on the results of
overvoltages. TABLE III
The shunt compensation degree was taken as an independent ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE OF MAXIMUM OVERVOLTAGES AT THE LINE END.
MINIMUM NUMBER OF ENERGIZATIONS
parameter.

A. Number of Simulations
In order to determine the number of simulations necessary to
ensure the statistical representation of the study, different num-
bers of shots were analyzed, specifically: 100, 200, 300, 400,
and 500 simulations of the transmission-line energization, each
using a different set of CB closing times.
The multiple run feature available in PSCAD, making use of
a random number generator, enables a new selection of closing
mean times for the CB to be applied for each multiple case.
The breaker closing is initiated randomly over a period of one
cycle (in this case, more than 16.67 ms) and each pole closes
according to [15] over a spread defined by a normal distribu-
tion with the specified mean and standard deviation. The com-
bination of both factors enables achieving a different set of CB
closing times for each simulation, which results in nonrepeat-
able tests.
The line was considered ideally transposed and the depen-
dence of the longitudinal parameters with the frequency was
modeled using the frequency-dependent (Phase) transmission-
line model [9]. The existing surge arresters of the line ends were
not represented so that the worst overvoltages were not limited
by such devices.
The energization was performed at the final section of the
transmission line (Fig. 1). The shunt reactive compensation of
this line section was varied for 90, 70, and 50%.
Table II presents a summary of the maximum, mean, stan-
dard deviation, and coefficient of variation (CV) obtained for
the overvoltages at the open end of the transmission line.
As expected, the overvoltage magnitude increases with a de-
creasing compensation level. However, for each compensation
level, there is a similarity between the results of the groups com-
posed of a different number of simulations.
**Significance level of 1%
BG: between group; WG: within group
The ANOVA test was applied to establish if there exist sta-
tistically significant differences between groups, as shown in
Table III.
The results of the ANOVA test do not show statistically sig-
nificant differences between groups. That means that the shots
number (100, 200, 300, 400, or 500) will result in similar over-
voltage profiles.
Since the shot number results in similar overvoltages, either
option can be used for simulations. Due to the processing speed
of current computers, for this paper a central value was selected:
in this case, 300 runs.
B. Mean Closing Time
This analysis aims to determine if the variation of the range
for the mean closing time over 1 or 1/2 cycle of the fundamental
frequency influences the overvoltages magnitude.
As in the previous analysis, the line was considered as ide-
ally transposed and the frequency dependence of the line longi-
tudinal parameters was modeled using the frequency-dependent
(phase) model.
2608
TABLE IV
TRANSIENT OVERVOLTAGES AT LINE-END. ANALYSIS OF MEAN
TIME VARIATION
TABLE V
ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE OF MAXIMUM OVERVOLTAGES AT LINE END. MEAN
TIME VARIATION
For each range, 300 shots were performed (01 cycle or
cycle). The analysis was conducted for 90, 70, and 50% of shunt
compensation.
Table IV shows that both ranges of variation present similar
overvoltage magnitude for each compensation level.
Through the -test of ANOVA shown in Table V, it can be
concluded that the fact of adopting 1 or 1/2 cycle of the funda-
mental frequency, as the range of variation for the mean closing
time, does not alter the results concerning the maximum tran-
sient overvoltages at the end of the transmission line.
From the results, the statistical studies of transmission-line
energization are proposed, and the closing instants can be dis-
tributed uniformly over 1 cycle of the fundamental frequency.
C. Transmission-Line Model
The goal of this evaluation is to verify if the results for line
energization will vary when a different line model is used.
For this purpose, the following transmission-line models
were analyzed:
1) line model with constant frequency parameters or Berg-
eron model [8];
2) line model with frequency dependence of longitudinal pa-
rameters represented or phase model [9].
For each transmission-line model, 300 shots were performed
and one cycle of the fundamental frequency was considered for
the variation of the range for the mean closing time. The analysis
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON POWER DELIVERY, VOL. 29, NO. 6, DECEMBER 2014
TABLE VI
TRANSIENT OVERVOLTAGES AT LINE END. ANALYSIS OF
TRANSMISSION-LINE MODEL INFLUENCE
TABLE VII
ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE OF MAXIMUM OVERVOLTAGES AT LINE END.
TRANSMISSION-LINE MODEL INFLUENCE
was performed for 90, 70, and 50% of shunt compensation. The
surge arresters at the line ends were not represented.
Table VI shows the comparison of the results obtained. For
the three compensation levels, it is possible to verify higher
overvoltages magnitude when the transmission line is modeled
through the Bergeron model.
Table VII shows the results of the ANOVA test. Comparing
the values, it can be seen that statistically significant differ-
ences exist between the two study groups regarding the trans-
mission-line model.
The results are consistent because the resistive part of the
line series impedance increases with the frequency, resulting
in greater transient attenuation. Consequently, when the line is
represented by constant longitudinal parameters, the switching
overvoltages will have higher values. However, these results
will not be observed in the field.
The Bergeron model should not be used for transient studies.
In contrast, the phase model will give more accurate represen-
tation for a wide range of frequencies contained in the transient
phenomena, compared to the constant parameter line model.
D. Line Transposition
Transmission lines employ phase transposition in order to min-
imize their own unbalance. In a practical sense, this is achieved by
periodically rotating the phase positions in the circuit [10]. In gen-
eral, in Brazil, the transposition scheme is commonly used, which
uses three towers such that the lines are divided into four parts,
respectively, with , , , and of its length.
MESTAS AND TAVARES: RELEVANT PARAMETERS IN A STATISTICAL ANALYSIS—APPLICATION TO TRANSMISSION-LINE ENERGIZATION
TABLE VIII
TRANSIENT OVERVOLTAGES AT THE LINE END.
INFLUENCE OF LINE TRANSPOSITION
Ideal transposition is a mathematical average of the unbal-
anced line. This is equivalent to visualizing an infinite number of
transposition cycles, where the line segment length approaches
zero. The result is a series impedance matrix and a shunt admit-
tance matrix that are perfectly symmetrical and balanced [16].
Usually, in transient studies, such as the line energization, the
lines are represented as balanced lines (ideally transposed).
In order to determine the influence of the transposition
scheme on the overvoltage magnitude, the transmission line
was modeled for the following cases:
1) transmission line ideally transposed (IT);
2) transmission line with real transposition scheme (RT)
(transposition scheme 1/6-1/3-1/3-1/6).
For each transposition scheme, 300 shots were performed.
The transmission line was represented by the phase model. One
cycle of the fundamental frequency was considered for the vari-
ation range of the mean closing time. The analysis was per-
formed for 90, 70, and 50% of shunt compensation. The surge
arresters at the line ends were not represented.
Table VIII shows that the line model used was decisive for the
results. In all cases analyzed, higher overvoltages were observed
when the line was modeled with an actual transposition scheme.
These results are coherent as the transposition will generate
reflection points, making the voltage waveform noisier, re-
sulting in higher overvoltages.
Table IX shows the results of ANOVA. In this case, the -test
shows statistically significant differences between treatments,
depending on the line simulation with or without a real transpo-
sition scheme.
From the obtained results, it is recommended that the trans-
mission lines should be represented with the field-existing trans-
position cycles and not through ideally transposed line models.
V. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF MITIGATION PROCEDURES
As has been described before, closing the contacts of a CB
are normally done in a totally random way and, consequently,
transient overvoltages may appear in the system. A typical way
for reducing overvoltages is to add components, such as surge
arresters, resistors, or a combination of both. Nevertheless, it
would also be possible to control these transients by operating
the CB in synchronism with a voltage waveshape.
Since each of mentioned methods are directly related to the
random behavior of CBs, this part of the paper aims to illustrate
2609
TABLE IX
ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE OF MAXIMUM OVERVOLTAGES AT THE LINE END.
INFLUENCE OF LINE TRANSPOSITION.
and to evaluate the overvoltages control methods in statistical
terms.
For each of the three control methods, 300 shots were per-
formed; and one cycle of the fundamental frequency was con-
sidered for the variation range of the mean closing time; the
transmission line was modeled by the phase model with the ac-
tual transposition scheme. The analysis was performed for 90%
of shunt compensation, and the surge arresters at the line ends
were not represented, unless when it was the mitigation method.
A. Metal–Oxide Surge Arresters
The modern metal–oxide surge arresters with lower pro-
tection levels and higher energy dissipation capacity can be
very simple and potentially more economical devices to reduce
switching overvoltages [3], [17].
From the statistical perspective, when surge arresters are used
as the control method, the closing of the CB is regarded as un-
controlled[11]. Fig. 3 shows the closing instants for each pole,
during line energization.
In this case, an order to close the three phases at the same in-
stant is sent, which means that the mean closing time is the
same for the three phases, but the individual operating instants
of each phase follow a Gaussian distribution with a standard de-
viation; in this case, 1 ms was used. Angle represents the time
interval between the closing of the former and of the last pole.
The closing time variations are purely statistical, so each pole
closes at a different instant. The time intervals between the in-
stant when the closing order is given, and the instants ,
and when the poles 1, 2, and 3 effectively close are indicated
by , , and .
For Brazilian 500-kV transmission lines, the surge arresters
normally specified are the metal–oxide type, having a rated
voltage of 420 kV and a rated energy-absorption capacity of
13 kJ/kV, which corresponds to a total absorption of 5.46 MJ.
The surge arresters were appropriately modeled according to
its V-I characteristic curve. Three classes of surge arresters were
analyzed:
• Class 5–420-kV rated arrester with a protection level of
830 kV at 2 kA, normally specified for 500-kV Brazilian
transmission lines;
• Class 5–396-kV rated arrester with a protection level of
783 kV at 2 kA; according to [3] and [17], this arrester
2610 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON POWER DELIVERY, VOL. 29, NO. 6, DECEMBER 2014

TABLE X
TRANSIENT OVERVOLTAGES AT THE LINE END USING THE SURGE ARRESTER

TABLE XI
ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE OF MAXIMUM OVERVOLTAGES AT THE LINE END.
SURGE ARRESTERS AS THE CONTROL METHOD

Fig. 3. Closing instants of CB poles. Surge arresters.

provided more effective performance and greater reduction

in overvoltages;
• Class 3–360 kV rated arrester with a protection level of
742 kV at 2 kA; this case was simulated with an illustra-
tive and comparative purpose because the appropriate se-
lection of the surge arrester is determined not only by the
protective level, but also by the operational characteristics
of the system as a whole.
The traditional solution of one arrester at each line terminal is
preferentially adopted, although a third arrester in the middle of
the line can bring further reduction of the line switching over-
voltages [3], [18]. However, technical-economical constraints
may not recommend the use of the latter solution. For the present
analysis, surge arresters were assumed to have been installed at
either ends of the transmission lines.
Table X shows representative values of overvoltages for the
three types of surge arresters analyzed. It can be seen that the
overvoltages magnitude are reduced as the surge arrester-rated Fig. 4. Closing instants of CB poles. Controlled switching.
voltage decreases.
Table XI shows the results of ANOVA. The -test confirms switching overvoltage. For transmission-line energization,
statistically significant differences between treatments. closing commands are delayed in such a way that switching
will occur very close to the voltage across CB zero crossing
B. Controlled Switching [3], [19].
The controlled switching involves the individual closing of Fig. 4 shows the closing instant for each pole. The sequence
each phase in the CB at the optimal point of wave to reduce starts closing the phase A at zero crossing, followed by the phase
MESTAS AND TAVARES: RELEVANT PARAMETERS IN A STATISTICAL ANALYSIS—APPLICATION TO TRANSMISSION-LINE ENERGIZATION
TABLE XII
TRANSIENT OVERVOLTAGES AT THE LINE END USING CONTROLLED
SWITCHING.
TABLE XIII
ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE OF MAXIMUM OVERVOLTAGES AT THE LINE END.
CONTROLLED SWITCHING AS A CONTROL METHOD
C and, finally, by phase B. In this case, the closing of the CB is
regarded as controlled.
The zero crossing instant of the voltage wave across the CB
corresponds to the closing mean time and of phases
A, C, and B, respectively; with 60 of delay between them.
Values and are the time intervals from the
closing command to the actual mechanical contact of poles 1, 2,
and 3, respectively. The effective closing instant , and
follow normal distribution.
The effectiveness of controlled switching depends on several
factors; the most important is the CB operating time consis-
tency. Breakers with a deviation in operating times (i.e., sta-
tistical scatter) of less than 1 ms and with a steep rate of
decay of dielectric strength (RDDS) are best suited for con-
trolled switching applications [18]–[20].
Furthermore, the CB must close fast enough so that the
prestrike does not miss closing the phase at the voltage zero
crossing. In this regard, three values of CB closing time stan-
dard deviation were analyzed: 1.0, 0.5, and 0.2 ms.
Table XII shows the overvoltages magnitudes at the terminal
receiver. The reduction of the standard deviation of the CB causes
a slight reduction of the maximum voltage at the line end.
However, the results of the ANOVA test shown in Table XIII
do not report significant differences between groups, which
means that overvoltages are statistically equal for the three
groups. It would not be necessary to specify a CB with ex-
tremely small standard deviation.
C. Preinsertion Resistor
The traditional method to control switching overvoltages in
transmission lines involves the installation of preinsertion resis-
tors in the CB. Although it is an effective method, its implemen-
tation and maintenance costs are very high [3],[17],[18]
The closing resistors are inserted in series with the load
circuit, acting as a voltage divider, being switched after a given
time, before closing the main contacts—thereby damping the
switching transient overvoltages. In this study, an existing
400- resistor was simulated, with an insertion mean time of
8 ms.
2611
Fig. 5. Closing instants of CB poles. No controlled switching.
TABLE XIV
TRANSIENT OVERVOLTAGES AT THE LINE END USING THE
PREINSERTION RESISTOR
As shown in Fig. 5, when the CB is provided with a prein-
sertion resistor, the main and the auxiliaries’ contacts have tol-
erance in the closing instants. In the present study, two mean
values were adopted: and corresponding to the mean
time of the main contacts closing and the mean closing time of
the auxiliary contacts, respectively. The instants , , and
, correspond to the actual closing instant of the main
and auxiliary CBs, respectively.
The CB closing was considered uncontrolled. The mean time
of the main contacts of the CB closing is similar for the three
phases.
The mean closing time of the auxiliary CB contacts is also
similar for the three phases. In this sense, three standards devi-
ation values for the closing time of the auxiliary CB contacts
were analyzed: 1.0, 0.5, and 0.2 ms. The objective of this varia-
tion was to analyze the impact of the auxiliary CB precision on
the magnitude of the overvoltages.
Table XIV shows the overvoltages values. The reduction of
auxiliary CB standard deviation does not imply reducing max-
imum voltage at the remote line terminal.
From the results of ANOVA presented in Table XV, it is ver-
ified that although the closing time precision of the auxiliary
CB is increased by the reduction of the standard deviation, this
factor does not influence overvoltages magnitude.
2612 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON POWER DELIVERY, VOL. 29, NO. 6, DECEMBER 2014

TABLE XV 3) Regarding the transmission-line model, it is strongly rec-

ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE OF MAXIMUM OVERVOLTAGES AT THE LINE END. ommended that a model that properly represents the fre-
PREINSERTION RESISTOR AS THE CONTROL METHOD
quency dependence of longitudinal parameters be used. A
simple model like the Bergeron model should be avoided.
4) Regarding the line transposition, the actual transposition
should be modeled, and the line should not be considered
as a balanced one.
Another important contribution presented in this paper is the
statistical analysis of mitigation methods applied to the trans-
mission-line energization maneuver. It can be stated that the
characteristics of low protective levels and high-discharge en-
ergy capabilities of the modern surge arresters provide a poten-
tially economical device. The preinsertion resistor method has
better performance to reduce the overvoltages; however, the re-
sults for controlled switching methods are just slightly higher.
It is suggested then that the controlled switching method should
be used for mitigating transmission-line energization overvolt-
ages instead of the preinsertion resistor due to the drawbacks of
the latter method, such as higher implementation and mainte-
nance costs.

Fig. 6. Comparison of maximum overvoltages at the line end.
D. Comparative Analysis of Control Methods
Since several alternatives among each mitigation method
were studied, just the following items were considered for
comparing the methods:
• the 396-kV rated voltage surge arrester;
• the CB with a standard deviation of 0.5 ms for controlled
switching;
• preinsertion resistor.
Fig. 6 shows a graphical comparison of the results of the ana-
lyzed methods. The preinsertion resistor method has better per-
formance to reduce the overvoltages; however, the difference
with the controlled switching is very small. Since the preinser-
tion resistor has other drawbacks, controlled switching should
be considered when overvoltages at the energization maneuver
must be reduced.
VI. CONCLUSION
The main contribution of this paper was the identification of
relevant parameters in a transient study. The study was applied
to transmission-line energization and the main results can be
summarized as follows.
1) Regarding the number of shots, in the range of 100 to 500,
no relevant statistical difference was observed. This means
that the result will be the same if a study is performed either
with 100 or 500 shots.
2) Regarding the variation range of the mean closing time
of CB contacts, no relevant statistical difference was ob-
served. Adopt either 1 or 1/2 cycle of the fundamental fre-
quency since the variation range of the mean closing time
does not alter the results.
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2613
Patricia Mestas (S’07) received the degree in electrical engineering from San
Agustín de Arequipa University (UNSA), Arequipa, Peru, in 1998, and the M.Sc.
and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering–electrical energy from the University
of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, Brazil, in 2007 and 2011, respectively.
From 2000-2003, she worked in the planning, assembly, and maintenance of
transmission lines. Currently, she is a Researcher with the School of Electrical
and Computer Engineering, UNICAMP. Her main research interests include the
study of electromagnetic transients, transmission lines, and digital simulations.
Maria Cristina Tavares (M’98–SM’08) received degrees in electrical engi-
neering and the M.Sc. degree in electrical engineering from the Federal Uni-
versity of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1984 and 1991,
respectively, and the D.Sc. degree in electrical engineering from the University
of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, Brazil, in 1998.
Currently, she is an Associate Professor at UNICAMP, where she has been
since 2002. She has provided consultation for engineering firms and her main
interests are power system analysis, arc modeling, and very long distance trans-
mission systems.