Comparative Analysis of High-Voltage Power Line Models for Determining Short-Circuit Currents in Towers Earthing Systems

The article deals with the problems of single-phase short-circuit current distribution in overhead power lines. Short-circuit disturbances cause many negative phenomena in power networks. Since experimental studies of short-circuits in real networks are practically impossible to perform, these effects can be evaluated only theoretically, based on short-circuit current calculations with the use of appropriate mathematical models. Although short-circuit modeling is considered to be one of the simplest power system calculations, the exact mathematical description of the phenomena occurring at short-circuits is complex. Simplified normative methods are often used for short-circuit current calculations; however, this does not give ground for a thorough analysis of short-circuit current distribution in power lines. The distributions are analyzed using power line models with different degrees of complexity in line with the assumptions made for a given model. The paper presents the problem of current distribution analysis in high-voltage overhead lines for single-phase faults to the tower structures. Simulation studies were conducted on the models developed for the calculation of short-circuit currents in the high-voltage power line earthing. The objective of the analysis was to assess the validity of simplification assumptions followed by practical recommendations on the applicability of the models.