SUMMARY
This research presents the simulation of generated overvoltages during a maintenance maneuver off of a static reactive power compensator of 230 kV. The malfunction of the main circuit breaker causes a catastrophic failure including the explosion and fire equipment. Information from previous researches, where the stable and transient states of the compensator are analyzed does not take in to account the mixed behavior of the compensator and the failure opening of the disconnecting means. Improper opening of one pole of the circuit breaker compensator causes interesting overvoltages related with harmonic components of voltage and current signals which are handled by a thyristor-controlled reactor, which is a key element of the fault. The software Alternative Transients Program (ATP) is used to model the compensator and obtaining the calculation of transient surges. In addition, the analysis of natural frequencies and harmonic spectrum of the compensator are done to this particular fault condition. Images of the generated electrical arcs are also shown which are obtained from a video related to this event. This research is performed by first on this kind of equipment and it is very useful for subsequent electrical design and operation planning of the power grid.