Estimation of electric and magnetic fields in a 230 kV electrical substation using spatial interpolation techniques

Abstract

Abstract This study presents the estimation of the electric and magnetic fields level inside a 400 MVA electrical substation. Located in the northeast region of Brazil, the power plant operates with 230 and 69 kV at 60 Hz frequency. The on‐site measurements were performed at previously selected locations covering the whole courtyard and followed the international and national regulatory standards. The electrical and magnetic fields 2‐D contour maps over the entire courtyard are presented, which allow better visualisation and analysis of the exposure levels around all equipment. By using the GoldenSurfer V.13 tool, eight interpolation methods were applied to predict unsampled locations. The plots were made using the method that best fit the sampled dataset after the cross‐validation technique is used. The measurements were taken during six days during a period of 16 h on 741 locations. For this electrical substation, the maps validate the high electric field level close to breakers and switches at 230 kV and high magnetic field close to equipment operating at 69 kV. The comparison between the exposure levels and those established in current guidelines indicate that the electromagnetic environment on this substation is safe for the occupational population as well as for the general public.

Keywords

• Interpolation and function approximation (numerical analysis)
• Substations