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The long-term operation of dry-type transformer bushings at high temperatures can impact the performance of their primary insulation material. This article presents an experimental study of the effect of thermal aging time on electrical treeing in the epoxy resin-impregnated paper. The experimental results show that the electrical treeing pattern along the middle path of the electric field and the interlayer creepage along the average direction of the electric field are closely related to the aging time. Under the effect of thermal aging at 150 °C, the tree-starting voltage of epoxy resin-impregnated paper tends to increase and decrease as the aging time increases. An analysis and discussion of the test results in conjunction with scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) tests suggest that the destruction of the cross-linked network of the epoxy resin-impregnated paper at 150 °C is a fundamental reason for the significant decrease in the material’s tree-starting voltage and the change in electrical treeing morphology and interlayer creepage. Long-term operation at high temperatures can seriously impact the primary insulation performance of dry-type transformer bushings and requires attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For extra-high-voltage high-temperature superconducting (HTS) cables, not only high electrical insulation performance but also low dielectric loss is required. Therefore, we focus on a porous synthetic paper with lower dielectric loss, e.g., Tyvek polyethylene nonwoven fabric, than that of polypropylene laminated paper (PPLP), which has been used for a conventional HTS cable insulation system. In this paper, we compare partial discharge inception characteristics for different liquid nitrogen/synthetic paper composite insulation systems. The partial discharge inception electric field strength in the composite insulation system depends on the electric field strength in the porous area of synthetic paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this article is to enhance the dc insulation strength of poly- ${m}$ -phenylene isophthalamide (PMIA) paper by surface treatment. CF4/Ar plasma is used to modify the surface of PMIA paper by fluorination, and the effects of fluorination on the microstructure, electrical parameters, and insulation properties of the material are investigated, and the optimized treatment parameters of CF4 concentration and treatment time are obtained, and the mechanism is further explained from the perspective of carrier traps. The results show that the moderate CF4/Ar plasma treatment can improve the surface insulation properties of PMIA paper without damaging its overall insulation properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an important piece of equipment of ultrahigh-voltage direct current, the valve side of a converter transformer contains a large dc component prone to partial discharge (PD) under the action of a slightly uneven electric field, which can be simulated using a wedge electrode. To study the PD characteristics of oil–paper insulation under a wedge-shaped electrode, a 2-D axisymmetric simulation model was established based on the bipolar-charge transport theory and the fluid dynamics drift-diffusion theory. The microscopic discharge images at nanosecond scale under different dc voltage polarities were calculated, and the change process of the space charge and electric field intensity distribution was obtained. The effects of the voltage amplitude, polarity, and dielectric constant on PD characteristics are discussed. The simulation results show that the discharge pattern and velocity exhibit a notable polarity effect. This polarity effect is related to the adsorption of the cellulose hydroxyl group to negative charge, which leads to the amplitude of the homopolar charge accumulated in negative polarity being greater than that accumulated in positive polarity under the same applied voltage intensity so that the homopolar charge has a greater barrier to the discharge. This type of adsorption is positively correlated with the difference of dielectric constant between the paperboard and insulating oil. The results of this study are of great theoretical significance for elucidating the dc discharge mechanism under wedge electrodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, seven groups of sheet insulation for use in liquid nitrogen immersed power transformers have been tested under three different standard electrodes from ASTM D149-97a. The seven groups consist of three different types of paper/film, nonadhesive Kapton 100 HN (Kapton), THERNOMID 14.20 paper (NMN), and Nomex 410 paper (Nomex). The porous paper, Nomex 410, is found to have ac dielectric strength of 62–68 kV/mm, which is likely to be independent from its thickness. The nonporous film, Kapton, shows the dielectric strength of 288 kV/mm, whereas NMN paper has a dielectric strength of 74–78 kV/mm, larger than Nomex with similar thickness. Liquid nitrogen gaps near the triple junction of electrodes as well as liquid nitrogen pockets between the fibers are the main sources of partial discharge (PD) for NMN and Nomex. For Kapton, PDs are more likely to occur in the cavities filled with liquid nitrogen, either on the surface of the electrode or around the impurities on the surface of the film. Electrodes with a small stressed volume are more appropriate for dielectric tests of thin paper/film insulation, such as Kapton, due to the lower influence of cavities on the electrode surface. In contrast, electrodes with a large stressed volume and uniform electric field distribution are suitable for the papers such as Nomex and NMN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the design, fabrication, and characterization results of a paper-based, low-cost, easy-to-use, comfortable and wearable tactile sensor array for human health monitoring applications. Paper substrate and spray-deposited metallic electrodes and traces are employed to achieve a low fabrication cost. Capacitive sensing scheme employing a deformable triangular PDMS sensing membrane is chosen due to its high sensitivity and zero DC power dissipation. Trade-offs among different sensor array designs are investigated to achieve an optimal design, which consists of a $1\times 5$ sensor array occupying an area of 10 mm $\times10$ mm. Each sensor in the array achieves a nominal capacitance value and sensitivity of approximately 1 pF and 30 fF/mmHg, respectively. Fabricated sensor array can be comfortably attached to an individual’s temporal region and ankle area to monitor real-time blood pressure (BP) pulse waveform with high fidelity, from which heart rate and heart rate variability information can be accurately obtained. In addition, the prototype sensor array demonstrates its capability of detecting atrial fibrillation (AFib) from BP pulse waveform measured from an AFib patient. [2020-0179] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paper-based digital microfluidic biochips (P-DMFBs) have recently emerged as a promising low-cost and fast-responsive platform for biochemical assays. In P-DMFBs, electrodes and control lines are printed on a piece of photograph paper using an inkjet printer and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) conductive ink. Compared with traditional digital microfluidic biochips (DMFBs), P-DMFBs enjoy significant advantages, such as faster in-place fabrication with printer and ink, lower costs, and better disposability. Since electrodes and CNT control lines are printed on the same side of this paper, a critical design challenge for P-DMFB is to prevent control interference between moving droplets and the voltages on CNT control lines. Control interference may result in unexpected droplet movements and thus incorrect assay outputs. To address this design challenge, a control-fluidic codesign methodology is proposed in this paper, along with two demonstrative design flows integrating both fluidic design and control design, i.e., the droplet-oriented codesign flow and the electrode-oriented codesign flow. The droplet-oriented flow is suitable for designing biochips with sparse electrodes and relatively larger number of droplets, whereas the electrode-oriented flow is suitable for biochips with dense electrodes and smaller number of droplets. The computational simulation results of real-life bioassays demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed codesign flows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the main material of the converter transformer dry-type bushing, the dielectric properties of epoxy/crepe paper at different temperatures and frequencies are related to the electric field and thermal field distribution of the bushing, which directly affects the safe and stable operation of the bushing. Here we report the dielectric response of samples of dry-type bushing insulation measured at a range of temperatures appropriate to operation and down to frequencies below those usually used. A significant loss peak observed below power frequency is interpreted as originating from the charging of internal epoxy resin interfaces by the transport of charge carriers on structured paths in the epoxy-impregnated crepe paper layers. A simulation model is proposed that allows estimation of the space charge and field distribution at any given frequency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is state-of-the-art to describe the dielectric behavior of an insulation material by its permittivity and its specific electric conductivity in order to estimate the dielectric stress of an insulation system. Thus, the electric field at DC voltage stress is determined according to the stationary electrical conduction field with the electric conductivity of the insulation materials. However, at oil-insulated arrangements a higher field strength in front of bare metal electrodes at high DC voltage stress occurs, which is not explainable with this model. Therefore, a charge carrier-based approach is presented to describe the dielectric behavior of the oil-paper insulation. It describes the movement of charge carriers and their effect on the electric field strength. Their drift leads to an accumulation of charge carriers in front of electrodes which results in a higher field strength in these areas, which can be calculated numerically using the Poisson-Nernst-Planck equation system. Compared to the conductivity-based model fundamental differences can be shown. Breakdown experiments qualitatively confirm the expectations according to the charge carrier-based approach. The results show that the charge carrier-based field distribution has to be considered for modelling the electrical field strength distribution at high DC voltage stress. They also show, that the dielectric behavior of these arrangements cannot be explained according to the state-of-the-art model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the influence of partial discharges (PD) on the subsequent dielectric properties of oil-impregnated paper (OIP) is investigated. Dielectric frequency response (DFR) of OIP is investigated at varied levels of moisture, thermal aging, temperature, oil conductivity and electrode material, to allow comparison of these influences. It is shown that PD activity inside OIP can significantly change the real and imaginary parts of permittivity of the paper layers, especially in the frequency range below 100 Hz. It is shown that even if the PD activity is concentrated on a few percent of the test sample, the real part of permittivity measured on the entire sample after a few tens of hours of PD activity can increase up to 10 times at very low frequencies (∼ 1 mHz) and the imaginary part of the permittivity can increase up to 100 times at low frequencies (∼ 1 Hz). The change of the real and imaginary parts of permittivity due to PD activity is permanent. It is very similar to the change caused by thermal aging, and somewhat similar to the change caused by moisture and higher oil conductivity. It is also shown that the dissipation factor of OIP in contact with copper and brass increases, even in the absence of PD, but contact with aluminum and stainless steel has no influence on DFR of OIP. The results suggest that the influence of PD can be significant when estimating the moisture content or the level of thermal aging of OIP with DFR method. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper reports on a new method to measure the mobilities of both positive and negative charges in insulating materials based on space charge measurement in two-layer samples. To fulfill the condition of a unipolar carrier system, a blocking material is used as a barrier on one electrode thereby preventing charge injection to ensure the unipolar charges injected from the other electrode are transported through the bulk and accumulate at the barrier. Experimentally, the carrier mobility of oil immersed cellulose paper was obtained using the proposed method, and the result of mobilities of both positive and negative charges is presented. The temperature and field dependence of carrier mobility were also investigated, and the activation energies for negative and positive charges were calculated. The obtained carrier mobility of negative charges (majority electron carriers) is approximately 2 times of that of positive charges, and the charge migration can be interpreted by the thermally activated hopping conduction mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is crucial for the successful application of high-temperature superconducting (HTS) power transformers that they are able to survive under abnormal operations, such as a short-circuit fault. Modeling, based on the design of a four-winding three-phase HTS power transformer, suggests severe boiling will occur on the surface of the winding during a short-circuit fault and will jeopardize the turn-to-turn insulation of the HTS power transformer. In this paper, a turn-to-turn insulation breakdown experiment platform involving the introduction of boiling on the surface of electrode has been built. Nomex 410 paper, one of the candidates for turn-to-turn insulation in the design of the HTS power transformer, was tested. The characteristics of dielectric strength of Nomex 410 in three different thicknesses (0.13, 0.18, and 0.25 mm) have been investigated, without boiling, as well as under different boiling situations, in an open bath of liquid nitrogen. The voltage application methods applied during both experiments test the electrical breakdown of Nomex 410 under a dynamic situation. The experiment results show that when under film boiling, compared to the test results for nucleate boiling, the dielectric strength of Nomex 410 paper decreases by approximately 38% of the value when no boiling is involved. Moreover, it is verified that the presence of an electric field accelerates the heat transfer between the liquid nitrogen and the heated electrode. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Oxide-based thin-film transistors (TFTs) with a lateral in-plane electrode are self-assembled on paper substrates, and the electrical modulation effect of the in-plane electrode is investigated. A \SiO2-based solid-electrolyte film with high specific capacitance is used as the gate dielectric, and the operation voltage is reduced to less than 2.0 V. The threshold voltage (Vth) of such paper TFTs is tuned from -0.98 to 0.94 V by different voltage biases on the in-plane electrode. The threshold voltage shift (\Delta Vth) can be described by \Delta Vth = -(CG2/CG1)VG2, where CG2 and CG1 are the in-plane electrode and bottom-gate specific capacitance values. High electrical performance with a current on/off ratio of \6 \times \10^5 \sim \10^6, a subthreshold swing of 0.14 \sim 0.19 V/dec, and a mobility of \8.64 \sim \9.45\ \cm^2/\V\cdot \s is obtained at different in-plane electrode voltage biases. Such low-voltage paper TFTs are promising for low-cost and portable electronics. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this study, the space charge in oil-impregnated thick pressboard and Kraft paper were measured by the pulsed electroacoustic (PEA) method from -20 to +60 °C. A bipolar charge transport model was used to simulate the transport processes of homocharge and heterocharge, and the acoustic attenuation process in the samples. The test results show that space charge accumulates in the thick pressboard and Kraft paper increases first and then decreases with temperature, and its maximum appears at 40°C, while little space charge accumulates at -20°C. The space charge near the lower electrode shrinks in the oil-impregnated thick pressboard at high temperature and the shrinkage is larger at 60°C. In the oil-impregnated Kraft paper, the accumulation and charge density of positive charge is different from negative charge. The ion transport process model simulates the charge shrinkage near the electrode, and disappears at the upper electrode after the acoustic attenuation simulation. The model established in this paper can well simulate the space charge distribution of oil-impregnated thick pressboard and Kraft paper under different temperatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Condition of insulation materials can be obtained by analyzing partial discharge (PD) characteristics since features of PD are closely related to it. In this paper, electrical deterioration caused by partial discharge of oil-paper insulation under long-term AC voltage is studied. Feature characteristics of PD, such as phase-resolved partial discharge analysis and equivalent time-frequency, were recorded during the test process. Electrical deterioration is divided into four stages: initial, develop, stagnation and erupt stage. Four stages are separated by pulse repetition rate and discharge magnitude of PD. In different deterioration stage, statistical characteristics of PD change significantly. Surface properties of pressboard in different deterioration stage were studied. Test results indicate that the depolarization of cellulose in pressboard is the main reason for development of partial discharge, and discharges occur in different position of pressboard in different deterioration stages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heretofore, unlike HVAC transformers, there is not much experience in both insulation design guides and test methods for ultra HV converter transformers. This special insulation phenomenon is very prominent due to the complication of voltage applied on valve-side windings of converter transformers. There is a severe lack of empirical research on partial discharge in oil-paper insulation under the combined ACDC voltage. The study in this paper provides a timely research into the issues. Nine possible configurations, which intent to simulate different defects in the transformer, have been investigated. The PD inception voltages varied ratios of combined AC-DC voltages were conducted. The discharge magnitude and its relation with the applied voltage for selected four common configurations were obtained during voltage increasing and decreasing respectively, which presented the PD initiating process and also reflected the insulation behavior of dielectrics. Besides, the Finite Element Analysis Soft was used to propose the effect of morphology of electrode surface (3 dimensional roughness is approximately 0.03 mm) on PD characteristics, which is very lacking in the previous references. The roles of DC and AC component in PD characteristics were discussed in the context of the relevant work in literatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accumulation of interfacial space charge in oil-paper interface is a critical issue in insulation diagnostics of transformers. This interfacial charge mainly accumulates due to the conductivity difference of oil and paper. Accumulation of interfacial charge leads to localized field enhancement, which further leads to partial discharges and acceleration in the aging of insulation. Therefore, from the point of view of transformer insulation diagnostics, assessment of interfacial charge is very important. However, it is not easy to estimate interfacial space charge behavior from the transformer diagnostics methods currently in use. In case of Polarization-Depolarization Current (PDC) measurement, a well known method for transformer condition monitoring, the effect of interfacial charge is reflected in the non-linearity of current response during polarization and de-polarization. During de-polarization process, a part of the interfacial charge accumulated during polarization period is absorbed by the electrodes producing a current, which is difficult to separate using conventional linear dielectric theory. In this paper, an attempt has been made to separate this current component from de-polarization current through considering charge de-trapping mechanism. Terming this current component as de-trapping current, its relationship with other parameters of transformer insulation is discussed. The developed methodology has been applied on several practical transformers. It was observed that the time constant of de-trapping current is related to the paper conductivity, oil conductivity, dissipation factor and age of the insulation. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Gassing problems and premature insulation failures in wind turbine transformers indicate reliability concerns about the insulation of such components. This fact necessitates investigating degradation of transformer insulation systems under high-dV/dt pulse voltages that exist in today's wind energy plants. For this purpose, PD activity, generally assumed to be the main long-term cause of insulation deterioration, needs to be analyzed. This work evaluates the effects of impulse voltage parameters such as rate of rise and repetition frequency on inception voltage and intensity of PD activities. PD parameter measurement under high-dV/dt voltages is challenging due to interferences from fast oscillations, and difficulties of PD energy measurements. To avoid such issues, which are related to electromagnetic detection methods under pulse energization, this work uses a chemical approach to compare PD activities, based on the rate of hydrogen generation in a controlled test chamber with oil/paper samples. Gas monitoring of the oil containing impregnated paper samples reveals that a faster rate of rise increases PD energy as well as inception voltage. Results based on experiments conducted in small oil chambers show good correlation between the amount of hydrogen detected and PD energy level; hence it can be used as a benchmark for comparing PD energy levels under various impulse waveforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Results of a comparative analysis of two non-dimensional coefficients, calculated based on signals emitted by partial discharges (PD) are presented in the paper. The PD were generated using setups for modeling of three basic types of PD sources, which can occur in paper-oil insulation in power transformers. The following measuring methods were considered: electrical, ultra-high frequency, acoustic emission, and optical spectrophotometry. All measurements, for each of the PD-source configuration using the various methods, were conducted simultaneously in a laboratory under same measurement conditions. Based on the gathered results it was stated that it is possible to recognize the partial discharges form based on the non-dimensional coefficients, which differ in value for all of the considered methods except for the acoustic emission. The main contribution of the research performed lies in the simplicity of the applied signal processing procedure, which can be adopted to a device or system for diagnosis of partial discharges occurring in paper-oil insulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Space charge behavior is important in the oil-immersed-paper insulation in converter transformers for HVDC transmission. This paper reports an investigation of the space charge property in samples with two layers of oil-immersed-paper and oil. Based on pulsed electroacoustic (PEA) technique, a waveform recovery method was proposed to get rid of the effects of interface and anisotropy on PEA result, and the space charge distributions in the two-layer samples under different voltage and oil thicknesses were measured. It?s found that the charges with the same polarity as oil side electrode were accumulated at the interface and gradually increased with the increase of applied voltage. However, the positive charge charges always appeared in the oil under positive and negative voltages. Moreover, the charges in samples increased with the increase of applied voltage, while the amount of interface charges decreased with the increase of oil thickness. Due to the existence of interfacial charges, the electrical field in oil-immersed-paper was distorted with its maximum close to the interface. It is indicated that due to the different mobility properties of charges in paper and oil and the interface trap state, the interface between paper and oil plays an important role in charge formation and decay. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The presence of Corrosive sulphur in mineral transformer oil affects the performance of insulation system of transformers. In this paper results of experimental investigations carried out on voltage current characteristics and insulation resistance of paper oil insulation in presence of copper sulphide are presented and discussed. A model for copper sulphide migration is proposed to explain the increase in leakage current and reduction in insulation resistance. Existence of two regions in voltagecurrent characteristics, one dependent on the insulation properties of paper oil insulation and other due to semi-conducting copper sulphide is discussed and explained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deposition of transparent oxide films at atmosphere pressure onto polymeric substrates at room temperature is a technique gaining rapid acceptance. These films can be used for numerous applications such as antiscratch and water permeation barrier coatings. In this paper, a \sim 1.4 - \mu \text{m} SiOx layer has been deposited on polypropylene-coated paper at atmosphere pressure with a filamentary dielectric barrier discharge (DBD). The DBD linear discharge was driven by a 30-kHz power supply. Scanning electron microscope, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy were used to characterize the deposited film. The deposited thin film decreased water permeation through the paper by \sim 15$ %. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

As the temperature gradient always exists in the insulation of power equipment, the influence of temperature gradient on oil-impregnated paper insulation is studied by experiments and simulation. It's found that in the both single-layer and double-layer structures, the heterocharges always appear near the lower temperature electrode, and increase with the enhancement of temperature gradient and field stress, resulting in more considerable field distortion. However, there are more heterocharges in the single-layer samples while the field distortion is more severe in double-layer samples. Numerical simulations were carried out to investigate the mechanism of temperature gradient effect. It is indicated that the space charge accumulation is mainly due to the temperature dependence of the charge injection and conduction. The behavior of interface charges can be well described by assuming an energy barrier for charge transportation at the interface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presence of space charge is a serious threat to the reliability of insulation material under voltage polarity reversal. The results of space charge evolution in oil-paper insulation during external voltage polarity inverse at room temperature were presented in this paper. A mirror image effect charge was observed in the steady state, but the formation of it was affected by the first polarizing, which could cause a change of electrical property. The results showed that the mirror image effect was independent of the involved nature, type and dynamics of charge. Experiments of different reversal polarities and periods indicated that the slow decay of heterocharge retained from previous homocharge injection was the cause of electric field enhancement. And the reversal period therefore had an effect on voltage polarity reversal, namely the shorter the reverse period, the higher the stress enhancement. The reliability of oil-paper insulation could be influenced by the polarity reversal because charge injection and distribution were unpredictable, and space charge modified and in return was affected by the field as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Partial discharge (PD) characteristics of hexadecane were studied in a needle-plane electrode geometry under AC field with a tungsten needle of 20 μm tip radius. PD experiments were conducted on samples containing known concentrations of oil/paper degradation compounds. Partial discharge inception voltage (PDIV), streamer repetition rates, and phase resolved PD (PRPD) patterns were acquired. Ionization potentials (IP) and electron affinities (EA) of hexadecane and a selection of additives were calculated with density functional theory (DFT) and correlated to PD characteristics. IP did not have a significant effect on the number of streamers initiated as most additives had higher IP relative to hexadecane. The presence of electronegative oxygen changes substantially the PD characteristics and, for most additives, increases the number of positive and negative streamers initiated. The greatest changes in PD characteristics, a reduced number of negative streamers, was observed for compounds with large electron capture cross section, even those with negative EA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the fabrication of a plasma-generating device on a paper substrate. This device was fabricated using a screen print process. Plasmas were ignited between two parallel electrodes with a plasma gap of 237 to 710 \mu\m using a dc power source. We demonstrated that a stable helium plasma can be sustained when the substrate is flat, rolled, and folded along various orientations. When the plasma was ignited with a 0.2-\mu\L salt solution droplet with 1.4, 4.6, and 7.8 ng of Li, Na, and K respectively applied to the discharge gap, clear metallic emission lines emanated from the plasma. Our result demonstrates that this paper-based plasma device can be used in analytical applications.\hfill[2012-0006] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An electrophoretic display (EPD) cell with a triple-layered microcavity structure was fabricated using a convenient dry film resist. The inherent structural advantage arising from the function of the middle channel layer as a background colored state enabled the EPD to operate with two different-colored states by using a single type of electronic-ink particles, thereby eliminating the possible agglomeration of oppositely charged ink particles and supporting the potential application of the proposed structure to color the electronic paper. The preliminary operation of this new EPD structure was demonstrated as white and blue display states on a rigid glass exhibiting a contrast ratio of 1.5 : 1 with saturation voltages of +30 and -30 V, respectively. Successful demonstrations on both the indium–tin–oxide-patterned glass and flexible polyethylene substrates are also provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This letter presents a simple and economical paper-based device that is able to generate an array of stable Ar microdischarges. This is a dielectric-barrier-discharge device that exhibits filamentary-type features. The device is sustained by an ac voltage with a 550-V amplitude and 10-kHz frequency. Optical emission spectra show that Ar lines dominate the emission, with a trace amount of CH and \C2 emissions. Despite slight damage, the electrode lifetime exceeds 20 min. Results demonstrate that this device is flexible and is able to achieve maskless patterning of hydrophilic patterns on flat and curved glass surfaces.\hfill[2012-0361] [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In addition to AC or DC voltages, superconducting electrical equipment must withstand transient overvoltages. Up to a voltage level of 245 kV, equipment has to be tested for its lightning impulse (LI) withstand voltage. Above 245 kV, the test for switching impulse (SI) withstand voltage must also be performed. These transient overvoltages are particularly demanding for compact bifilar coil windings used in resistive superconducting fault current limiters. Therefore the aim of this study is to investigate the LI and SI strength of insulating materials in tape arrangements in liquid nitrogen. Polyimide (PI), a porous insulating paper (Grade 4) and the mixed polymer PPLP (polypropylene laminated paper) in the thickness range of 125 to 130 µm are part of the investigation. The results for LI and SI show the highest values of the dielectric strength for PPLP with 203 kV/mm and 240 kV/mm. PI achieves the second highest values with 194 kV/mm as LI strength and 226 kV/mm as SI strength. With Grade 4, the lowest values are measured at 166 kV/mm and 148 kV/mm, which are, however, surprisingly high for a conventional insulating paper. Additionally, Grade 4 is the only material with a higher LI strength than SI strength. Compared to the AC strengths, the values of the impulse strengths are higher for all materials investigated, with the exception of PI, where the AC strength is in the same range as the SI strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the field of high-voltage transmission systems, different degradation phenomena affect the reliability of the employed components. In particular, under dc stress, the space charge accumulation phenomenon is believed to be the most responsible of the dielectrics lifetime reduction. To measure the accumulated space charges in flat specimens, the pulsed electro-acoustic (PEA) method is one of the most used techniques. The working principle of the PEA cell is based on the acoustic waves propagation and detection. As is well known, the acoustic waves propagating in different means are partially transmitted and partially reflected. Therefore, the piezoelectric sensor of the PEA cell is subjected to both direct and reflected waves. The latter, which are also present in the PEA cell output signal, if are not taken into account, could be easily confused as a charge accumulation. For this reason, in this paper, the acoustic waves’ behavior within the PEA cell has been simulated in order to avoid incorrect interpretation of the PEA cell output charge profiles. In this paper, compared to other works present in the literature in which only the surface charges were considered, the space charges accumulated in the insulation bulk are also considered for a complete analysis of the waves behavior during the PEA measures. The results found in this paper are very useful for cable manufacturing industries in which the choice of the dielectric materials is strongly influenced by the space charge accumulation phenomenon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single horizontal and vertical grounding electrodes are often used for an earth connection of the lightning protection system. However, there are many practical situations when such electrodes have to be enhanced for better efficiency and replaced by multiple horizontal, vertical and/or inclined electrodes. This paper presents a systematic approach to evaluating and comparing the lightning performance of such grounding arrangements based on simple formulas. The contributions of this paper are: It is shown that impulse impedance Z may be derived from known formulas for low-frequency grounding resistance R; a new definition of effective length is introduced that allows for such a derivation; a collection of accurate formulas for R of all considered grounding electrode arrangements is presented; and a new concept of “effective volume” is described that enables a simple procedure to increase electrodes’ effective length. The new formulas for R, Z, and effective length of the different electrode arrangements allow an analysis that might help search for a choice of cost-effective configuration and dimensions of the grounding systems in the early design stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the results of experimental studies about the prebreakdown phenomena in mineral oil under lightning impulse. Experiments were carried out in a non-uniform field setup with HV electrode covered by crepe paper. The results of the experiments were compared with the results of research performed for bare HV electrodes. The onset voltage, propagation velocity, time to initiation, shadowgraph photos of discharges and light emission were respectively measured or recorded during the experiments. Analysis of the research outcomes indicates that the fundamental role of paper insulation is to raise the onset voltage by shoving away the onset sites out of the region of high field stress. The insulation wrapping does not have an influence on the shape of discharge patterns and on the propagation velocity. Some of the results connected with the times to initiation points that the mechanism of discharge initiation at the HV electrode surface does not depend on the fact it is insulated. The source of ?weak points? of the paper-oil insulation system is the oil, not the surface of insulation wrapping or metal of electrode. Observation of the oscillograms of light emitted by discharge channels indicates the difference in the mechanism of discharge propagation. The surface and space charge carriers left in the interelectrode space after discharge flash play an important role. In the case of insulated electrodes, the surface charge remains longer on the surface of electrode, reducing the electric field stress which is responsible for reignition. Simultaneously, the space charge reduces the degree of channel ramification. Both the observations are clearly visible on the oscillograms of light as differences in the frequency of light impulses and their peak values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document presents an experimental study on the propagation of first mode negative streamers along mineral oil-solid interfaces. Samples made of an oil impregnated kraft paper and a low-porosity paper made from cellulosic micro and nano fibrils, as well as different polymeric films (low density polyethylene (LDPE), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF)) are used as the solid. A comparison of the length, charge and velocity of streamers for all different mineral oil-solid interfaces is reported. It is shown that streamers propagate longer and faster along mineral oil-solid interfaces with low surface roughness, low porosity and higher electrical permittivity than mineral oil. Those streamers show a quasi-continuous injection of charge in the early stage of their propagation. This quasi-continuous charge injection consists of a sequence of small charge steps separated by few tens of nanoseconds in between. In comparison, the streamers that propagate along surfaces with similar permittivity to the mineral oil have lower injection of charge and higher stopping voltage conditions than streamers propagating free in the liquid without any solid barrier. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most of the literatures dealing with time domain simulation of grounding system response to lightning surges use an electrostatic approach. In this approach frequency dependence of soil electrical parameters and plane-wave propagation constant are not included. In this paper, based on Hybrid Electromagnetic Method and simplification of it, a new method is developed to include frequency dependent parameters of soil in time domain simulation. Since only one convolution is used, the simulation time is significantly reduced. The consistency of the developed formulation while the plane-wave propagation constant is ignored is investigated through comparisons with experimental results and precise frequency domain approaches. Simulations results show ignoring both effects simultaneously can lead to high levels of error (140%), whereas the error significantly reduces when frequency dependence of soil parameters is considered. The developed model exhibits errors of about 2% to 25% compared to the results of models that take into account both effects. However, simulation results showed all these errors to be conservative. Due to neglecting propagation constant, the model is more suitable for lightning studies of grounding system with short length. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An closed oil circulating system with plane electrode was built to study the effect of space charge on oil flow electrification under DC voltage. The results reveal that with the increase of applied voltage, the streaming current was always enhanced. However, the polarity of streaming current depends on the sample configuration. If the negative high voltage electrode was exposed to oil layer, streaming current was negative. Otherwise streaming current had a tendency to be positive as applied voltage increased. In experimental model without exposed electrode, the polarity of streaming current was always positive. And the amplitude of streaming current was related to the number of insulating papers placed under electrode. More craft papers placed under negative high voltage electrode led to the increase of streaming current. Based on the bipolar transport model, a new simulation method is proposed to study the effect of charge injection and transportation on flow electrification under DC voltage. The simulation results agree well with the experimental result. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the development and description of research aimed at investigation of nanosecond surface microdischarge plasma effect on biomaterials. The technique is based on application of a simple discharge device. The device is assembled on a standard microscope slide from inexpensive materials. An optical microscope equipped with a digital camera is used for visualization of the studied samples and microdischarges. Many images of the microdischarges on the biological objects are presented in this paper. Spatial resolution of the images allows studying the discharges along the cellular structure of the tissue. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this paper, the current distribution of an experimental lead cell is estimated using two methods and the results are compared. Noninvasive measurements are obtained using our magnetic tomography system, consisting of an array of magnetic sensors and a solver algorithm that is specially adapted for application to lead cells. Verification of this magnetic tomography system is achieved by comparing the results with data from a new invasive measurement instrument also reported in this paper. This new instrument is an array of ferrous cored current transducers submerged in the cell electrolyte, providing a direct spatially and temporally resolved measurement of the ionic current in a lead cell. Comparisons between the techniques and data are drawn. The new flowthrough internal sensor array has been designed specifically for this application and represents an improvement over a similar system reported in the literature. In addition, some auxiliary features of the experimental setup are designed to enable useful magnetic measurements to be taken by minimizing the complexity of the setup, and therefore the complexity of the models needed to interpret the data. Example results are presented for a typical automotive lead cell operating at a low state of charge and in a fatigued condition, to demonstrate the ability of both measurement systems to produce spatially and temporally resolved images of current distribution. The methods are evaluated, and the future work is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ground wires (GW) struck by lightning are often exposed to transient impulse voltages in the MV range. This results in intense negative streamer-type corona, causing a considerable increase in the effective wire capacitance and a corresponding reduction in its surge impedance. Such variables have a significant influence on the tower top potential and on the electromagnetic coupling between the ground wire and phase conductors. Presently there is considerable uncertainty regarding the impulse corona parameters to be used in back flashover calculations. In the present paper a new method is formulated for determination of GW impulse corona parameters. The new approach is compared with two existing methods and with available experimental results. It is found that the method usually used within the IEEE has little physical justification and is excessively conservative. It is also shown that such corona parameters significantly depend on the GW height above ground, which has been totally ignored in the CIGRE method. This and other unjustified simplifying assumptions explain the surprisingly large discrepancy between values of the negative impulse corona constant recommended by CIGRE and IEC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With its great advantage in weight and volume, superconducting transformer is considered as potential candidate for the portable power station. To achieve a more compact design, the insulation properties of liquid nitrogen in real operation state is crucial. This paper firstly presents an AC withstand voltage test of liquid nitrogen under different kinds of electric field. Then the bubble influence on the macroscopic insulation performance of liquid nitrogen is analyzed based on finite element method. In addition, the effect of Sumoto effect at liquid surface is also studied by experiments. The results of this paper can be used in future design of compact superconducting transformers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of the application of 12 kV at 150 °C on the formation of corrosive mineral copper sulfide in mineral transformer oil was investigated. It is considered that the presence of sulfur corrosion causes failures in operating windings transformers above 35 kV. Research trials on mineral transformer oils were performed at 150 °C without an electric field, and also at 150 °C in electric field based on the norms for the detection of corrosive sulfur established by ASTM D-1275 and IEC 62535. The effect of the applied electric field on the process of corrosive sulfur formation was determined. Varying amounts of copper sulfide were found, both on bare Cu electrodes and Cu electrodes covered with Kraft paper, pure Cu formation was also found in the oil. Copper sulfide was quantified using the X-ray dispersion technique with a scanning electron microscope, with EDX.SEM E., and chemical methods are used to determine the quantity of Cu in the oil after the test. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the results of studies of dust formations in a radio frequency (RF) discharge plasma. In particular, the behavior of dust clouds in various types of traps was investigated. The experiments were carried out in argon plasma with the following discharge parameters: gas pressure of 0.02–0.6 Torr and discharge power of 1–50 W. Two types of the ring were used as a trap—“closed” and “nonclosed.” It was found that by changing the discharge parameters and using a different type of trap, it is possible to control the capture region of dust formations, and therefore, manipulate the extraction of dust particles by mass (size, in the case of monodispersity of particles). It has been observed that at a lower gas pressure the dust cloud is less affected by the traps; moreover, the wider the edge opening of “nonclosed” ring trap, the more efficient the process of extracting dust particles. The results of this paper can be useful for practical application in the processes of separation and extraction of dust particles from a plasma crystal, the study of particle interactions, and the manipulation of individual particles, etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photodetectors (PDs) based on organic–inorganic hybrid materials such as graphene and perovskites have recently emerged at the forefront of the research in optoelectronic devices. Despite the remarkable progress in the performance of optoelectronic devices based on hybrid materials, some aspects such as stability have so far not been thoroughly addressed. This paper serves to demonstrate a fully inkjet-printed PD fabricated by hybrid perovskite (CH3NH3PbClx-3I3) layer between the two graphene electrodes as graphene/perovskite/graphene (GPG) heterostructure. The fully inkjet-printed GPG PD is found to be effective for the visible light region, which can be attributed by the high uniformity and low defects of the printed materials. Thus, the GPG PD achieves a high responsivity of 0.53 A/W. Fully inkjet-printed hybrid perovskite PD demonstrated in this paper unveils the facile, potentially large-scale and cost-effective methods for fabrication of hybrid perovskites-based optoelectronic devices, including PDs and solar cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The instability of amorphous indium–gallium–zinc oxide (a-IGZO) thin-film transistors (TFTs) under ultraviolet (UV) light was thoroughly investigated in this paper. Unlike in a darkened state, an off-state leakage current can be found in the dual-sweep I–V transfer curve of a-IGZO TFTs under UV light illumination. Furthermore, despite the same UV light condition, the forward sweep and reverse sweep show different I–V curves, representing two different physical mechanisms. First, the subthreshold swing degradation and threshold voltage shift to the negative direction in the forward sweep are due to the total channel barrier lowering and can be confirmed by changing the light exposure region. Second, in the reverse sweep, the suggested back-channel leakage current can be controlled by dual-gate TFTs. UV light exposure of the metal–insulator–semiconductor–metal structure verifies that the off-state leakage current passes through the back channel in a reverse sweep. Finally, the physical mechanism links between forward and reverse sweeps have comprehensive interpretation in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a new configuration of dielectric-barrier discharge (DBD) reactor with three electrodes was manufactured and used to produce ozone. Designed flatly, this reactor is capable of establishing three different discharge modes from type of the volume and surface discharges, without modifying its internal structure. The aim of presenting this paper is to experimentally analyze the three discharge modes and their combination using a second channel to produce ozone. The two reactor channels are identical in terms of dimensions, material, and manufacturing process. Two frequency-adjustable pulse generators of the same electrical characteristics and two high-voltage transformers were used in the course of the experiments. The applied sinusoidal voltage is from 0 to 12 kVp-p. The frequency range was determined and fixed for all three discharge modes for the highest ozone concentration at a fluctuation rate of 1 L/min. Effects of increasing the applied voltage on the obtained concentration from the three different discharge modes were experimentally analyzed. Using the provided inlets–outlets, the effect of flowing gas through the length and width of the discharge area on ozone concentration was investigated, and appropriate flow directions were determined for the flowing gas under either of the three discharge modes. Experimentally results have been done for this three discharge modes as well as hybrid modes. The maximum ozone production rate achieved up to 14.52 g/h in the series combination of two different volume discharge. At 96% oxygen purity, ozone production yield, in two modes volume discharge VaDBD and surface discharge SDBD, have been improved up to 529.87 g/kWh. However, the total input power of the entire system is 120.2 W. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The past measurements of the plasma density and potential profiles near the exit of the keeper electrode in a hollow cathode device suggested that turbulent ion acoustic fluctuations and ionization instability in the cathode plume significantly increased the energy of the ions that flow from this region. The lifetime of keeper electrode is limited by sputtering or ion bombardment of the Molybdenum surface exposed to the discharge plasma. Increases in the cathode gas flow reduce the amplitude of the fluctuations and the number and energy of the energetic ions, which decreases the erosion rate of the keeper electrodes. However, as the cathode gas flow is raised for a given discharge current, the performance of a 5-kW Annular-Geometry Ion Engine (AGI-Engine) declines. There is a strong relationship between the performance and the lifetime of the ion thruster. To validate whether the 20-A hollow cathode satisfied China’s communication satellite platform’s application requirement for North-South station keeping, this paper analyzed the effect of the cathode gas flow on the performance and the lifetime of the AGI-Engine. Different from the previous methods, this paper first tracked the movement of energetic ions generated in the plume of the hollow cathode, predicted erosion rates, found where they hit the keeper electrode, and then determined the amount of material that they sputtered. A review of past experimental results was presented first. Next, based on the existing experimental data, theoretical analysis and numerical calculations were performed to determine the optimum gas flow range and the performance curve of the 20-A hollow cathode. The results showed that the primary erosion mechanism of the keeper electrode was caused by impact from Charge Exchange Xenon (CEX) ions, which caused the cathode orifice to be widened and attenuated over time. However, heavy double xenon ($\text{X}_{\text{e}}^{++}$) ions, which struck the keeper electrode more severely than CEX ions, were the most crucial factor that limited the lifetime of the 20-A hollow cathode due to their high energy and large mass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bar-plate configuration has a vital function in the intensive study of corona discharge mechanism. To study the discharge characteristics of the steady current stage in this configuration, this paper proposes a hybrid numerical algorithm composed by the finite-element method and the finite-volume method. The former solves Poisson’s equation and calculates the value of onset field intensity. The latter solves the current continuity equation, in which a time-varying charge item is added. This charge item can increase the stability of the hybrid algorithm. This paper also proposes a new selection strategy for the initial charge and inception voltage on the bar electrode surface. Based on this algorithm, corona current under different electrode radii, gap distances, and applied voltages was calculated. In this way, the distribution characteristics of an electric field intensity and space charge density along the whole gap in the model can be obtained through the experiment. To verify the validity of the algorithm, the related experiment is carried out in the laboratory. The simulation results have a good consistency with the experimental results, verifying the validity of the algorithm proposed in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper will describe the influence of mesh geometry on the homogeneity of discharges, power, and efficiency of ozone generation. Homogeneous discharges increase the efficiency of the generation of ozone. Geometry of mesh electrodes affects the power and type of discharges, concentration, and efficiency of the ozone generation. The analysis of selected results indicates the need for the use of mesh electrodes with a small cross section at least $0.1\times0.1$ mm2 mesh to obtain a homogeneous discharge. The mechanism by which the geometry of mesh electrodes on the homogeneity of discharge is illustrated in this paper. Homogeneous discharges increase the efficiency of the generation of ozone that reduces the cost of ozone production. The results of the experimental studies show an increase in the average efficiency of 60% of the ozone generation and a 20% reduction in the demand for power with the constant concentration of ozone, justifies the problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been a growing demand of electric power in many urban agglomerations. To address this demand, 110-kV power networks are regularly expanded inside and around cities in Poland. These power networks are often constructed as underground cable lines. The 110-kV cable lines are usually designed as three single-core cables laid in a common route. In case of long 110-kV cable lines, the cross-bonding method is applied to the connection of metal sheaths of these cables. Additionally, one or more earth continuity conductors are laid along the main cable line and earthed at both their ends. These earth continuity conductors can be uninsulated and can cause electric shock hazard (danger step voltages). The problem defined in this paper consists of an attempt to calculate the expected step voltages for different considered earth continuity conductor arrangements in 110-kV cable lines and to compare the obtained results to admissible values of the voltages found in an appropriate standard. Protection against electric shock, calculation of earthing resistance, and step voltages, as well as simulation studies in case of sample 110-kV cable lines have been described in the paper. The results show the analyzed layouts of 110-kV cable lines have significant impact on the values of voltages occurring in and around earth continuity conductors. The maximum values of earth electrode voltage (and in this way expected touch voltages), as well as step voltages occur in the layout of single cable line and single earth continuity conductor arranged in parallel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Active flow control by means of plasma actuators has potential advantages over conventional strategies, e.g., mechanical or hydraulic components may be replaced by lightweight, compact, fast response plasma actuators. In this paper, several designs of dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma actuators are presented for aerospace applications and the focus is on the associated feedback control implementation. The interdisciplinary nature of aerodynamic feedback control with plasma, however, makes direct experimental demonstrating an outstanding challenge. Here, we propose a realistic experimental control implementation afforded by commercial off-the-shelf electric products and the major achievement is the detailed instruction (in both electricity and aerodynamics) and the successful demonstration of the closed-loop design in controlling the dominant modes from a cylinder flow setup. The essence of our approach is to drive DBD plasma actuations by a downstream sensor and excite aerodynamic velocity perturbations, which are further amplified on the shear flow from the cylinder, leading to airflow structures, such as vortex roll-up and randomization, which are measured by the downstream sensor to complete the whole loop. We benchmark our control approach by comparing to the predicted dominant frequencies of the controlled flow system, which can be achieved by the Barkhausen stability criterion after establishing the corresponding transfer function of the whole flow control system. Overall, this paper shall assist a host of new applications in aerospace applications in the near future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]