Search

DC wall bushing is one of the key equipment in high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission project. At present, post insulators based on epoxy composites are widely used for supporting insulation in SF6-insulated apparatus. However, the flashover faults caused by surface charge accumulation can be a severe threat to the long-term operation of the post insulators under dc field. Therefore, the issue of charge accumulation on epoxy post insulators in HVDC wall bushing and its effect on flashover has been widely concerned. Aiming at this problem, the flashover characteristics of epoxy samples in SF6 gas under polarity reversal conditions with dc voltage prestressed for 10–600 min were measured in this article. The flashover process is analyzed through surface charge distribution measurement and electric field computation. The results show that with the increase of prestressed time, the accumulated negative charge density could reach $-14.8\,\,\mu \text{C}/\text{m}^{{2}}$ , which led to a 12% increase in maximum field strength. As a result, the polarity reversal flashover voltage could decrease by 12% and the flashover time delay could decrease by 84.6%. This article can offer as a reference for the effect of surface charge accumulation on flashover in SF6 gas-insulated equipment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • All the measurement were conducted on an actual well-built GIS/GIL platform. • Quantitative influence of surface charge on the flashover voltage are put forward. • Impacting mechanism of surface charges on flashover voltage is proposed. • The conclusion could provide guidance for the insulation design and fault diagnosis. Abstract Under AC, DC and switching impulse voltages, the surface charges accumulated on the basin insulators of Gas Insulated Substation (GIS) or Gas Insulated Metal Enclosed Transmission Line (GIL) could distort local electric field and even reduce the surface flashover voltage. In order to quantitatively measure the influence of surface charge accumulation on flashover voltage of insulator in actual GIS/GIL apparatus, a high-precision 3D surface charge measurement platform and a reasonable model were established for flashover tests in reference to the insulation design and flashover properties of actual 220 kV GIS basin insulator. The surface charge accumulation dynamics and corresponding flashover voltages of the built models under different conditions were captured and analyzed. The results indicate that, as the density of accumulated surface charges increases under either AC, DC or switching impulse voltage application, the surface flashover voltage would decrease from 62.1 kV to 55.7 kV, namely a margin of 10.3% under AC voltage application. In the context of DC voltage, there appears a 22.8% flashover voltage drop, from 61.0 kV to 47.1 kV. While for the case of switching impulse voltage, the charge accumulation reduced the flashover voltage to 52.9 kV with a 13.6% decline from 61.2 kV. Based on the simulation and theoretical calculations, the 'enhanced electric field zone' was identified to justify the influencing mechanism of surface charges on flashover voltage. The research results could contribute to optimal insulation design and fault diagnosis of basin insulator in GIS/GIL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Gas Insulated Switchgear (GIS) equipment observes surface charge accumulation under DC or AC voltage in real operation, which could distort the electric field and incur flashover eventually. With a 3D high-resolution surface charge measurement system established on actual 220 kV GIS basin insulator, the present research captured the surface charge distribution characteristics of the insulator under DC and AC voltage through high-precision probe scanning on the insulator surface. The test results show that: 1) Surface charge demonstrates obvious polarity effect under DC voltage. Under positive DC voltage, there accumulated mainly positive surface charges. Under negative DC voltage, the polarity of accumulated surface charges is all negative. Regardless of charge polarities, the surface charge density increases as the voltage amplitudes mounts and the voltage application duration prolongs. 2) Surface charge accumulation also takes place under AC voltage application. All charges are negative and distribute in a uniformed manner but in smaller density comparing to the DC scenario. As the voltage amplitudes increase, the surface charge density first increases, then decreases and finally reaches a near saturation state. As voltage application goes on, the surface charge accumulation becomes more obvious. Above all, the insulation issues in relation to surface charge accumulation require due attention in the application and maintenance of GIS equipment, and the present research attempts to provide useful reference for the optimal design of GIS/GIL insulators. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]