Evaluation of mathematical models of metal oxide surge arrester for energy absorption study

Metal oxide surge arresters (MOSA) are widely used to protect the insulation of a power system or part of it against excessive stress due to overvoltages. Metal oxide elements are capable to dissipating the energy of a transient overvoltage by way of heat. MOSAs have a very nonlinear V-I characteristic that include a dynamic behavior, so their modeling is still a problem. There are several models for surge arresters. Appropriate modeling of their dynamic characteristics is very important for insulation coordination, arrester location and energy absorption studies. The paper compares several models of surge arrester applicable to an energy absorption study.