Surge arrester operation investigation in low‐ and high‐current regions using MATLAB GUI: Implementing an educational goal for undergraduate students

Abstract

Metal oxide surge arresters (MOSAs) have been widely used as protective devices against switching and lightning overvoltages in power electrical systems. MOSAs have dynamic characteristics in low‐ and high‐current regions. The unique model of MOSA, which is able to evaluate all the possible operating conditions of power systems, would surely be so complicated. Therefore, by the selection of an operating condition, the appropriate model of MOSA has been created. Many parameters affect MOSA performance in low‐ and high‐current regions. As a result, MOSA's performance under different operating conditions has been investigated by using a MATLAB GUI environment. To make a software environment to simulate MOSA performance in a high voltage laboratory, temperature variations influence on leakage current and its harmonic components under power frequency applied voltages and also the efficacy of impulse parameters variations on MOSA's residual voltage have been investigated. The designed graphical environment has been used by 40 electrical engineering students. The results showed that the use of the graphical environment had a great impact on the concepts' understanding of MOSA's performance.