Abstract :
THE subcommittee on transient voltages in arc-furnace circuits was established about four years ago to investigate the magnitude, cause, and control of transient voltages occurring at the primary and secondary terminals of arc-furnace transformers. The subcommittee has sponsored a number of field investigations during the past four years with the co-operation of steel companies, manufacturers of furnace equipment, and electric-equipment manufacturing companies. Only a part of the data obtained has been made generally available through publication (see a paper by Z. R. Whitehouse and C. C. Levy, “Surge-Voltage Tests on Electric Steel Arc Furnaces,” presented at a joint meeting of AIEE and Association of Iron and Steel Engineers in Canton, May 1941, and also published references 1, 2, and 6). A data group of the subcommittee (L. W. Clark, chairman; S. B. Griscom, and E. R. Whitehead) was instructed to assemble all of the data available from the several field investigations, correlate the data as completely as possible to make them available for further study by the subcommittee, and prepare general conclusions regarding the magnitude of voltage transients found during the investigations. This paper summarizes the work of the data group and the preliminary findings of the subcommittee. It should be emphasized that this paper forms only a preliminary report of the work to date and is presented only so that the field data may be available for further study and analysis. The work of the subcommittee is continuing, not only in the collection and analysis of field data but also in experimental laboratory investigations and analytical analyses. It is expected that more definite recommendations regarding operating practices and possible protection schemes will be made after further study.
