Author(s)

C. Gonz´alez, A. Peratta & D. Poljak

Abstract

This paper evaluates the currents induced in the human body when exposed to extremely low frequency (60 Hz) electric fields by numerical modelling with boundary elements. The exposure is driven by the voltage of a rectangular panel representing the control keyboard of a power substation room. The main focus is to study the variations of the current density in the human body when located at different distances from the panel. In addition, the sensitivity of the results for the current density when considering the human body with and without its internal organs is estimated. The numerical approach is based on the three dimensional boundary elementmethod (BEM) with the kernel of Laplace equation, in which the human body model considered is a simplified representation which allows parametric modifications of its geometry and physical properties. Keywords: extremely low frequency, human exposure, boundary elements, power substations. 1 Introduction Substation transformers are designed for a wide range of commercial, industrial, and utility applications. The usual activities of a power substation operator involve touching of control units, connecting and disconnecting switches as well as other groundedmetallic objects exposed to high electrical fields. As a result, when a person is either in the proximity of or in contact with conductive surfaces at different potentials, induced and contact currents may flow throughout the different tissues. Pre contact spark discharge currents may also occur. There are well defined symptoms of acute exposure. At low frequencies, induced currents can cause effects on

Keywords

extremely low frequency, human exposure, boundary elements, power substations.