230 kV optical voltage transducer using a distributed optical electric field sensor system

Optical technology for use in high-voltage (HV) environments has advanced considerably over the past decade. The design and testing of HV optical voltage transducers (OVTs) that use a series of small optical electric field sensors are described. Three 230 kV OVTs were built and were successfully tested as per IEC (60044-2 and -7), IEEE/ANSI C57.13, and BC Hydro internal specifications at Powertech Labs in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada. The devices met the accuracy requirements of IEC 0.2% class and IEEE 0.3% class and passed lightning impulse tests, chopped impulse tests, partial discharge tests, wet and dry power-frequency withstand tests, and mechanical withstand tests. Further tests showed that the OVTs maintained their calibrations in the presence of "substation-like" changes in local conductor geometry