Transient Performance of

Capacitor Voltage
Transformers (CVT)

Introduction
In steady state, the secondary voltage of a capacitor voltage transformer mirrors the primary voltage.
Because of the energy-storage
elements used, the transient output, caused by sudden change in
primary voltage, is no longer a replica of the primary. This distorted
output may last for a few cycles of
the supply frequency. These errors
may be termed as the CVT linear
transient since they would still
occur in the event that all of the
components of the CVT were linear. In addition to this, ferroresonance may occur resulting in voltage measurement error. Ferroresonance is caused by the saturation
of the electromagnetic unit or
inductive burden. Unlike the linear
transient it does not occur with
every change in primary voltage.

Linear Transient Error

(Transient Response)
The linear transient error is mainly
influenced by the following factors:
1 The Thevenin equivalent capacitance referred to the secondary
voltage level, Ce.
2 The burden value and configuration.
3 The point of wave voltage interruption.

E 214.60

A CVT system can be represented

by its Thevenin equivalent circuit.
The analysis of a simplified L-C-R
circuit for the case of a sudden
collapse of the primary voltage
(assuming a given set of initial
conditions) produced the following
conclusions:
1 If the equivalent capacitance Ce
is larger and assuming a fixed
value of the burden, the magnitude of the residual transient
voltage becomes smaller. The
intermediate voltage should also
be maximized in order to achieve
a high value of the equivalent
capacitance.
2 The effect of the burden is so
profound that it can dominate
the CVT behavior. The burden
configuration is insignificant
since it determines the way in
which energy can be stored and
the path through which it can
discharge. Pure resistive burden
dissipates and does not store
energy. Stored energy burdens
(lagging or leading) create harmful effect on the transient
response producing oscillations
of low frequency nature.
The oscillograms shown below
illustrate the variation in the
residual voltages as a function of
burden at crest fault initiation. At
zero fault initiation, the transient
response worsens.

3 During the sudden application

or sudden disappearance of
primary voltage, the distribution
of energy stored in the CVT is
a major factor in understanding
the effect of the point of wave
voltage interruption. The transient performance in those
cases is similar with the transients in the case of the primary
short circuit.
The amount of energy accumulated by the capacitor at zero initiation is equivalent to the energy
stored by the series reactor at
crest voltage initiation.
The discharge time constant will
vary depending upon where the
maximum energy is stored. A
typical example of transient response ( see below) indicates the
worse case with the maximum
energy on the capacitor at the
time the primary voltage wave is
going through the zero voltage
interruption.