Search

With the annual global electricity production exceeding 30,000 TWh, the safe transmission of electric power has been heavily relying on SF 6 , the most potent industrial greenhouse gas. While promising SF 6 alternatives have been proposed, their compatibilities with materials used in gas-insulated equipment (GIE) must be thoroughly studied. This is particularly true as the emerging SF 6 alternatives generally leverage their relatively higher reactivity to achieve lower global warming potentials (GWPs). Here, a high-throughput compatibility screening of common GIE materials was conducted with a representative SF 6 alternative, namely, C 4 F 7 N (2,3,3,3-tetrafluoro-2-(trifluoromethyl)propanenitrile)/CO 2 gas mixtures. In this screening, the insulation performance of C 4 F 7 N/CO 2 gas mixtures, as an indicator of the C 4 F 7 N/materials compatibility level, was periodically monitored during the thermal aging with tens of materials from SF 6 -insulated GIE, including desiccants/adsorbents, rubber, plastics, composites, ceramics, metals, etc. The identification of incompatible materials and the follow-up mechanism studies suggested that the acidity of materials represents the primary cause for C 4 F 7 N/materials incompatibility when C 4 F 7 N/CO 2 gas mixtures are used as a drop-in replacement solution for existing SF 6 -insulated apparatuses. Mitigation strategies tackling the acidity of materials were then proposed and validated. Additionally, the amphoteric characteristics of C 4 F 7 N were briefly discussed. This work provides insight into the materials incompatibility of SF 6 alternatives, along with validated mitigation strategies, for the selection and design of materials used in future eco-friendly GIE.

In the design of MV AC and DC spacers, the predominant factors are surface and interface conditions. Design is generally carried out on specifications and standards which are based on long-term experience and lab testing. However, the diffusion of power electronics with a trend to increase electric field, switching frequency, and rise time to achieve higher power density calls for an innovative, global approach to optimized insulation system design. A new methodology, based on field simulation, discharge modeling, and partial discharge inception measurements, called the three-leg approach, can form the basis to optimize insulation design for any type of supply voltage waveform. This paper focuses on the influence of the type of electrode on the inception and phenomenology of surface discharges and, as a consequence, on the interpretation of the results used for application of the three-leg approach. It is demonstrated that a typical electrode system used for insulating material testing can generate both gas and surface discharges at the triple point, when the electrodes have a smooth profile that is used to avoid corona or flashover. Hence, testing partial discharge may not provide a straightforward indication of the surface discharge inception and, thus, be partially misleading for insulation design. Another takeover is that such analysis must benefit from PD testing tools endowed with analytics able to provide automatic identification of the type of defect generating PD, i.e., internal, surface, and corona, since design and remedy actions can be taken, and adequate insulating materials developed, only knowing the type of source generating PD. Hence, testing partial discharge may not provide a straightforward indication of surface discharge inception and, thus, be partially misleading for insulation design. In addition to the importance of the three-leg approach to favor reliable and optimized design of insulation systems, there is a clear need to have a PD testing tool endowed with analytics. It should preferably be able to provide automatic identification of the type of defect generating PD, i.e., internal, surface, and corona.