High-voltage substations with rigid conductors — Full-scale short-circuit tests and comparative FEM studies on connections with so-called elbow bends —

In HV substations elbow-bended conductors are in general use to form the connection between different bus-bar levels or to transformer bushings. Yet, so-called simple methods for short-circuit strength assessment as specified for other types in IEC 60865 and DIN/VDE 0103 do, so far, not exist for these conductor arrangements. With the intent to open the possibility of further-going parameter studies to form the basis for a simplified approach to short-circuit strength assessment, the authors report on the results of full-scale short-circuit tests and comparative FEM calculations on four representative 100 kV conductor arrangements. The agreement of calculation and test results is excellent and proves the applicability of the FEM technology for the particular task as well as the quality of its practical usage. The authors express their expectation that the studies will contribute to the eventual development of the urgently required simplified calculation procedure.