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The development of high‐precision, non‐destructive, and three‐dimensional (3D) in situ imaging of micro‐scale damage inside polymers is extremely challenging. Recent reports suggest that 3D imaging technology based on micro‐CT technology causes irreversible damage to materials and is ineffective for many elastomeric materials. In this study, it is discovered that electrical trees inside silicone gel induced by an applied electric field can induce a self‐excited fluorescence effect. Based on this, high‐precision, non‐destructive, and 3D in situ fluorescence imaging of polymer damages is successfully achieved. Compared with the current methods, the fluorescence microscopic imaging method enables slicing of the sample in vivo with high‐precision operation, realizing the precise positioning of the damaged area. This pioneering discovery paves the way for high‐precision, non‐destructive, and 3D in situ imaging of polymer internal damage, which can solve the problem of internal damage imaging in insulating materials and precision instruments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Breakdown in dielectrics, the mechanism of which is still not yet fully revealed, exhibits very complicated test phenomena and characteristics. The breakdown voltage of a dielectric is believed to be related not only to the dielectric properties but also to the waveform of the applied voltage. For most dielectrics, the impulse breakdown voltage decreases with increasing wavefront time. However, we found for oil-impregnated paper (OIP) used in power transformers, increasing wavefront time in lightning impulses (at microsecond timescales) may lead to a significant increase in breakdown voltage. In contrast, the variation in the wavetail time produces very little effect on breakdown voltage. Combined with our previous test results on the space charge distributions in OIP, we tried to provide two explanations regarding this interesting phenomenon: First, the wavefront time of the applied impulse voltage affects the movement process of the positive particles in the oil-filled micro cavities in OIP, which is strongly related to the local electric field in the oil filled micro cavities and the breakdown voltage of the OIP. Moreover, the wavefront time is closely related to the trapping and detrapping process of the dielectrics. Therefore the effects of the traps in dielectric on the breakdown characteristics are different when the wavefront time varies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the core component of composite insulation for dry-type high-voltage equipment, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) films are subjected to high temperatures and complex electric fields. Therefore, this study explores the effects of electric field and temperature on the space charge characteristics of double-layered PTFE films based on the measurement of space charge distribution in double-layered PTFE films under different DC voltages and temperatures using the pulsed electro-acoustic measurement system. Results show that more charges accumulated in the PTFE sample subjected to a positive electric field during polarization and the space charges dissipated more rapidly during depolarization compared with those subjected to a negative electric field. The existence of a PTFE/PTFE interface increased the density of trap and deepened the trap. The positive charges that accumulated at the PTFE/PTFE interface during polarization gradually held a dominant position with the increase of temperature. Finally, the formation of charge in the PTFE/PTFE interface mainly depended on two factors. When the applied DC voltage was not large, the charge formation was mainly dominated by the Maxwell-Wagner polarization effect. When the voltage increased to a certain threshold, the charge formation was mainly caused by the charge injection and migration characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under DC voltage, charge accumulates on the break insulation of mechanical DC circuit breakers, distorting the local electric field, which increases the risk of break insulation failure. Glass-fiber vacuum-impregnated epoxy resin can be used as an insulation material for DC circuit breakers owing to its excellent mechanical and electrical properties. We have created a system to measure the surface potential of an epoxy resin in different gases. The accumulation and dissipation of the surface charge in air and SF6 are determined, and the effects of air and SF6 are compared. The results show that the polarity of the surface charge is the same as that of the applied DC voltage, and that the main source of the charge is from Schottky charge injection. In SF6, the charge density is higher than that in air, and its decay rate is slower. The decay law of the surface potential in SF6 can be characterized by two exponential superposition formulas. In the early stage, surface charge is attenuated mainly by being transferred along the surface of the insulator and neutralized by gas ions. In the late stage, surface charge is attenuated mainly by transferring through the volume of the insulator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Impulse breakdown test results show the breakdown strengths of propylene carbonate modified by Al2O3 nanoparticles and Fe3O4 nanoparticles are improved by 13 % and 20 % than that of propylene carbonate without nano-modification, respectively. In order to explore the nano-modification mechanism, the electric field and space charge distributions in propylene carbonate with and without nano-modification were measured through a modified Kerr electro-optic measurement method. The measurement results show the space charge densities are decreased and the space charge transportations are inhibited in PC-based nanofluids compared with that of pure propylene carbonate due to the space charge adsorption of nanoparticle. Therefore, the streamer propagation in nanofluids is impeded, and the breakdown voltage is improved. The calculation of electric potential outside the nanoparticle indicates that Fe3O4 nanoparticle has stronger space charge adsorption capacity than Al2O3 nanoparticle. Accordingly, the Fe3O4-modified propylene carbonate shows greater improvement of breakdown performance than Al2O3-modified propylene carbonate. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The mechanisms by which conductive and dielectric nanoparticles (NPs) trap electrons are explained by the potential well distribution caused by induced or polarized charges on NPs. Thus, the distributions of surface and saturation charges on conductive and dielectric NPs are determined. Given conductive Fe3O4, semiconductive TiO2, and dielectric Al2O3 NPs, insulation performance tests are conducted and ionization models of nanofluids (NFs) based on transformer oil are developed. These models are compared with those of NFs based on pure oil. The NP whose conductivity or permittivity does not match that of the dielectric liquid has a potential well and an increased amount of saturation charges on its interface. This NP influences streamer development strongly and enhances the breakdown of oilbased NF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The leader progression model (LPM) is a tool for estimating the lightning performance of transmission lines. However, the large computation time remains a problem for the engineering application of this model. An analytical method is proposed in this paper to mitigate the aforementioned problem. First, nonlinear trajectory equations describing the movement of upward and downward leaders are obtained, starting with differential equations. Based on the trajectory equations, the average electric field between the upward and downward leader tips is represented with a comprehensive nonlinear equation. The final strike point is determined by solving the equations. Results show that the proposed method effectively mitigates the large computation time problem of traditional (numerical) LPM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Kerr electro-optic technique is used to investigate electric field and space charge effects using large Kerr constant propylene carbonate as the dielectric liquid with Kerr constant B≈1.22×10-12 m/V2. However, improved accuracy of this technique to measure space charge distributions remains an important goal. This paper describes inversion algorithm research on obtaining accurate space charge distributions from Kerr measurements. The original charge-coupled device (CCD) image of light intensity was converted into grayscale values for improved calculation. The grayscale CCD image was transformed into the frequency domain through a two-dimensional Fourier transformation. Butterworth filtering techniques were employed for edge enhancement algorithms. The most important parameter for calculation of space charge distributions are the integer fringe numbers n in the sequence of light and dark fringes measured by the CCD camera. Comparison of the improved algorithm and traditional methods for calculating electric field and space charge distributions between a pair of stainless steel parallel plate electrodes was investigated. The space charge dynamics were also calculated after processing the CCD images with some improvements. The results showed the electric field was essentially uniform at early times of pulsed high voltages. This uniformity indicated the absence of space charge during the early transient interval, while a bipolar charge injection was found in the central region between electrodes at later times. For longer times the electric field and space charge distributions slowly became uniform again. Grayscale processing and Butterworth filtering played an important role in the improvement of the algorithm for better image quality and edge enhancement. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The electrical performance of composite insulators with adhered ice is less than that of porcelain or glass insulator strings, which is mainly caused by the shed configuration differences. In this paper, the shed con-figuration optimization for ice-covered Extra High Voltage (EHV) composite insulators is discussed in order to improve the electrical performance of ice-covered composite insulators. The effects of the position and length of the air gaps on the electric field distribution of ice-covered composite insulators are investigated and analyzed based on the electric field calculation model. The basic optimization principles of the shed con-figuration for ice-covered composite insulators are based on the electric field calculation results. Moreover, the artificial icing flashover tests on the ice-covered composite insulators with different shed configurations were carried out in artificial climate chamber, and the flashover path was recorded by a high speed cam-era. According to the flashover voltage and the flashover path of composite insulators with different shed configurations, it can be concluded that the composite insulators with large shed spacing and various shed diameters have better electrical performance and can be used in the transmission lines across the icing area [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under operational conditions of high electric fields and elevated temperatures, the accumulation of space charges at multilayer insulation interfaces is often considered as an important factor affecting insulation performance. This study experimentally explored the influence of different thermal aging degrees (110 °C for 0, 720, 1600, 2100, and 2900 h) on physicochemical characteristics. The space charge dynamics in two-layered thermally aged PET-PET films were measured using the pulsed electro-acoustic (PEA) method and simulated on the basis of a one-dimensional modified bipolar charge transport model. The parameterization for key parameters involved in the model was analyzed through parameter sensitivity. Results indicated that the molecular structure, crystallinity, and dielectric spectra of the PET films are affected by thermal aging. The thermalization process also has noticeable effect on the surface state characteristics, which are characterized by deeper trap depth and larger trap density. Several experimental phenomena measured by the PEA method were observed on the basis of numerical simulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A detailed research on the streamer discharge local mechanism is necessary to enhance and develop the streamer theory. In the present paper, the characteristics of a streamer discharge in air at an atmospheric pressure are investigated using a hydrodynamic model based on plasma chemistry. Aside from continuity equations for electrons and ions, as well as Poisson?s equation for the electric field, the model includes the electron mean energy density equation and the neutral particle density continuity equation. The electric field strength and the velocities of streamer propagations obtained from proposed model are in good agreement with experimental and simulation results in literature. The mean electron energy is nearly constant in the streamer channel, except for a peak value at the streamer tip. Although the mole fraction of oxygen is only about 0.2 in air, oxygen ions are the dominant charged particles in the streamer discharge. At the electrode surface, the charged particle densities significantly decrease in the direction of the electrode because of surface reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The path of the lightning discharge shows characteristics of branching and tortuosity, and the lightning shielding failure of the transmission line also has statistical features. In this paper, an improved leader progression model using a fractal approach is introduced, which considers both the deterministic and stochastic features of the downward lightning leader. Based on the proposed model, the statistical features of lightning shielding failure on transmission lines will be analyzed. First, the fractal dimensions of the downward lightning trajectory in simulation are calculated and the value of breakdown probability constant η will be determined based on the fractal dimensions of natural lightning. Second, using the proposed model the shielding failure probability contour around the transmission line space is also obtained and used to describe the shielding failure zone and then the contour curve is applied to analyzing the characteristics of transmission lines that suffer from direct lightning strokes. Moreover, a method to estimate the lightning shielding failure rate of transmission lines is put forward, and the influence of the line height and the shielding angle of ground wires on the shielding failure rate of transmission lines are also investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]