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High entrance capacitances of ultrahigh-voltage (UHV) transformers make it difficult to generate impulses with standard front time during the lightning impulse tests. In this paper, we discuss the feasibility of examining the longitudinal insulation design of a transformer via impulses with a front time longer than the standard value. We consider the following features: transient voltage distributions and insulation characteristics of longitudinal insulation. The transient voltages of two UHV windings are measured with a capacitive voltage sensor under impulses with different front times. The results demonstrate that the front time of the applied impulse has little effect on the gradient voltage distributions and the oscillatory component of the transient voltage, but it determines the front time of transient voltages. Therefore, the relationship between breakdown characteristics of the turn-to-turn insulation and the front time is studied. Experimental results revealed that whatever the insulation thickness, an increase in the front time of the applied impulse decreases the breakdown voltage, but this variation is within acceptable tolerance when the front time changes from 1.2 μs to 6 μs. Thus, as long as the front time is restricted within 6 μs, we can ensure the validity of lightning impulse tests on the examination of longitudinal insulation designs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The breakdown and streamer behavior in double-layer oil-paper insulation under impulses of varying front time were investigated in this study to determine the prebreakdown process in oil-paper insulation. The relationships between front times and breakdown characteristics were investigated and impulse-polarity-dependent variations were observed. The complete impulse breakdown process and precise role of front time were assessed as per streamer initiation and streamer propagation based on emitted light signals and shadow images. The re-initiation of streamers in non-first oil gaps was determined to be the key factor in breakdown as-dominated by applied voltage and space charge accumulation. The initiation and propagation times of streamers were observed to find that the streamers tend to propagate at phases with higher voltage amplitude as front time increases, which facilitates streamer re-initiation and thus decreases the breakdown voltage. Equivalent applied voltages during streamer propagation were further calculated to quantitatively investigate the effect of front time on streamer propagation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lightning impulse withstand test is extremely important to the insulation examination of oil-immersed equipment, but the increase of the entrance capacitance of ultrahigh voltage equipment usually makes the front time T 1 of test impulses exceed the upper limit regulated by IEC 60060-1. In order to evaluate the equivalency between the withstand tests under standard lightning impulses and impulses with longer front time (T 1 < 6 μs), as well as to explore the effect of wavefront on dielectric strength of transformer oil, the breakdown characteristics of transformer oil under impulses with different front time in quasi-uniform and non-uniform field were studied. The results show that, in quasi-uniform field, the 50% breakdown voltages U 50 % are almost independent of the front time, but the minimum breakdown voltages slightly increase as the front time increases. In a highly inhomogeneous field, the front time has remarkable effects on the 50% breakdown voltages under positive impulses, contrary to the weak influences under negative impulses. Light signals and shadow images of streamers were recorded to analyze the influence of wavefront on the initiation and propagation characteristics. It is found that an increase in front time would increase the initiation voltages of both positive and negative streamers, but their shapes do not change much as front time varies. The dependence of light signals of streamers on front time was only observed under positive impulses. The mechanism underlying the differences between the front time related breakdown characteristics of transformer oil under positive and negative impulses is discussed, as well as the waveform equivalency for impulse withstand tests of oil-immersed equipment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a supplement to our previous studies on alternating streamer propagation in mineral oil under bipolar oscillating impulse voltage [Ni et al., Phys. Plasmas 25, 072125 (2018)], this study was conducted to further analyze waveform-dependent 50% breakdown voltages and polarity effects. Contrary to breakdown under unipolar impulses, breakdown voltages under positive bipolar impulses are generally higher than those under negative impulses, except for when the damping factor approaches 1. The polarity effect under bipolar impulses, per alternating streamer propagation in mineral oil, is attributable to the characteristics of positive and negative streamers as well as their roles in the prebreakdown process. The existence of polarity effects under bipolar impulses is also dependent on the arrangement of electrodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to clarify the basic process of streamer propagation in mineral oil at bipolar oscillating impulse voltage. Shadow images and light signals of streamers showed that under bipolar oscillating impulse, positive and negative streamers propagated in an alternating manner: after polarity reversal, new streamers with opposite polarity were initiated and propagated first through the gaseous channels left behind by former streamers and then toward the ground electrode. The velocity of positive streamers was found nearly an order of magnitude higher than that of negative ones; thus, positive streamers are primarily responsible for the insulation failure of mineral oil. Negative streamers played the role of maintaining gaseous channels and facilitating positive streamers initiation due to their strong heat effect. High oscillation frequency and large damping factor decreased the durations and amplitudes of positive peaks, which restrained positive streamer propagation and further resulted in the increase in the breakdown voltage. Experiments on dielectric behavior of mineral oil were conducted to verify above inferences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to clarify the hydrostatic pressure effect on the initiation and propagation process of oil streamers under the application of pulsed voltage with different polarities. The statistical characteristics of the impulse breakdown voltage and time lag in transformer oil were studied over a wide range of hydrostatic pressure, and the statistical time lag and the formative time lag were calculated by the Laue's pattern. The breakdown voltage distribution can be well fitted by 3 parameter Weibull distribution. The results show that the breakdown voltage increases with the hydrostatic pressure for both positive and negative polarity. However, the increase trend is different, linear for the negative polarity and saturated for the positive polarity. At a fixed voltage, when the pressure is increased, the breakdown time increases slightly for the negative polarity, but remarkably for the positive polarity. The statistical time lag for negative polarity is much larger than positive polarity, and the hydrostatic pressure has greater influence for negative polarity. The characteristics of formative time lag are quite different: for negative polarity, it decreases very slightly with the hydrostatic pressure, but increases remarkably for positive polarity. These differences are due to different initiation and propagation mechanisms, which are also discussed in the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Experimental investigation of transient characteristics is an important way to design transformer winding insulation structures. Of the previous measuring methods, there has been the problem of direct electrical connection with the winding, which may influence the transient characteristics. This paper presents a new non-invasive method for measuring the transient voltage distribution in transformer windings based on our previous study. The measuring method is based on the capacitive sensor with the stray capacitance between sensing electrode and transformer discs as the high-voltage arm and the film capacitance as low-voltage arm. An RC integrator and impedance adapter have been designed into the measurement circuit to enhance the sensor worked in the integrating mode and broaden its bandwidth respectively. The final measurement circuit can satisfy the need for measuring various kinds of waveforms, with 0.64 Hz lower cut-off frequency and 76 MHz higher cut-off frequency, respectively. The sensor array has been set up to measure the transient voltage distribution in a transformer winding. In this case, a mathematical conversion is put forward to decouple the influence of the adjacent discs on the corresponding disc to get the voltage distribution of different discs of the transformer winding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discharges in liquid obey time effect, pressure effect and scale effect. Traditional formulas are usually applied in a narrow range to keep the formula form consistent with Martin?s formula. In this paper, we have developed a new empirical formula for the electric strength of transformer oil depending on pulse duration, hydrostatic pressure and gap geometry in form Εbr = κe at-beff Ρ/,sub>spl gamma/ A>sub>-Β d-ϵ to be applied in a wider range. In this formula, the time dependent pressure effect is represented by constant γ, which can be expressed as γ=ape -bpt-c>peff . Time effect, area effect and distance effect are represented by e at-beff, Β and ϵ, respectively. For transformer oil, κ=0.42, a=0.53, b=0.23, ap=0.14, bp=0.93, cp=0.41, Β=0.1 and ?=0.25?0.06, with Ebr, teff, P, A and d in MV/cm, μs, MPa, cm2 and cm, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corona discharge under super low frequency (30–300 Hz) voltage is common in high-voltage transmission lines and equipment. The phase resolved partial discharge (PRPD) pattern is the most commonly used tool for power equipment condition-monitoring in the electrical engineering field. The present study centers on the correspondence between PRPD patterns and corona discharge modes under a wide range of applied voltage. Electric and optical emission characteristic measurement methods are applied to obtain PRPD patterns and phase resolved discharge images. The transition of corona discharge types and space charge behavior under different applied voltage are investigated. The electric field generated by negative needle electrode is shown to erase residual positive ions, which leads to an abundance of positive streamer bursts when applied voltage is low. Once the negative glow corona emerges under higher applied voltage, dense positive ions in the cathode sheath suppress the positive streamer bursts. The existence of residual positive ions is crucial for the transition from positive streamer discharge to glow corona discharge. A comprehensive understanding of PRPD patterns may help electrical engineers to assess the threat of partial discharge of the power equipment correctly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SF6 is widely used in the gas-insulated metal-enclosed switchgear or the corona-stabilized gas spark switch applications as a gas dielectric. It is generally believed that the discharge characteristics are only related to the electric field distribution and gas molecular density; however, the electrode chemical reactions can indeed markedly affect the SF6 discharge characteristics in the extremely inhomogeneous electric fields under the steady-state voltage. In this study, we used a needle-plane electrode system to build an extremely inhomogeneous electric field and examined the discharge characteristics within it including U-p characteristics, corona appearance, and corona current. We also analyzed the micro-region characteristics of the electrode surface, including the surface morphology, elemental composition, and chemical state to fully qualitatively determine the role of the electrode chemical reactions in discharge behavior. We found that the N-shaped U-p curve widens, the filamentous leader channels disappear, and the corona current drops suddenly as the duration of the electrode chemical reactions increases. Varying the surface morphology, elemental composition, and chemical state was observed on the electrodes of different polarities through micro-region analysis. The metal fluoride or metal sulfide film on the electrode surface may serve as a resistive coating due to its low electrical conductivity, which obstructs the leader discharge while enhancing the streamer discharge, suppressing the transition from the streamer to leader discharge and altogether significantly altering the discharge characteristics. The resistive coating produced is the primary cause of the electrode chemical reaction effects on the discharge characteristics, primarily as it depresses the transition from the streamer to leader discharge. The results presented here may provide useful guidelines for further research on SF6 discharge under inhomogeneous electric fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bubbling phenomenon usually arises from overheated cellulose insulation in oil, which is known for deleterious effects on the insulation strength of oil-immersed transformers. In this paper, the experiment was conducted on a self-heating conductor wrapped with insulation paper. The inception temperature of bubbling phenomenon negatively correlates to the rising rate of temperature and moisture content of paper, which is in accordance with the results of previous research. Besides, bubbles formed under different conditions could be different in morphology and locations. Thereafter, a method for temperature rise was proposed, based on which the models were heated for component research. It is found that the component changes in oil and blanket gas are significant in a short time interval under bubbling conditions. Comparison trials were then conducted on naked conductors and paper-wrapped conductors. Based on the theory of mass transport, it is revealed that the water vapor and carbon oxides contribute a major part in bubble composition, and their proportions vary with the bubbling temperature. This study concludes that bubbling phenomenon at temperature below 120 ?C can be recognized as the vaporization of moisture in paper. Moreover, bubbles formed at temperatures around 160 ?C can be attributed to the combined effect of water vaporization and gases from cellulose degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate partial discharge-induced degradation characteristics of oil-immersed pressboard under DC voltage, an experimental platform with needle-plane oil-pressboard insulation model is established. The surface condition and DC breakdown voltage of pressboard samples after PD pretreatment are observed and measured. In addition, a fitting formula to evaluate the degradation extent of pressboard samples is proposed. The results show that under constant PD pretreatments, surface roughness of pressboard samples decreases first and increases afterwards. The changing rate is positively correlated with PD intensity. During PD pretreatment, a ?whitish-colored circular region? appears at samples' surface and grows with PD intensity. For PD pretreatments of 500 pC and 1000 pC, DC breakdown voltage of pressboard samples remains unchanged. The breakdown spot has no clear carbonization nor creepage trace. For PD pretreatments of 2000 pC and 3000 pC, DC breakdown voltage decreases. The breakdown spot is obviously carbonized and creepage paths emerge around spots. Further analysis indicates that degradation of oil-immersed pressboard samples due to DC PDs is the result of motion activation process induced by electrical and thermal effects under DC electric field. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

To investigate the characteristics of micro bridges and their interactions with partial discharge (PD) in oil-paper insulation under DC voltage, an experimental platform with two-copper-electrode models is established. Generation and growth of micro bridge impurities are observed. PDs in experimental process are detected and analyzed. The result shows that the generation and growth of micro bridges have three stages based on their quantity and shape. At first stage PD accelerates the generation of micro bridges. At second stage the grown bridges trigger stronger discharges. At the last stage a so-called "hazardous bridge" that triggers highly intensive PDs emerges, through which breakdown happens. Therefore, bridges and PDs promote each other to cause insulation failure. In addition, impurities at the second stage are observed to transform into pile-like, bridge-like or particle-like shapes. The transformation process is considered to relate with the change of composition force on fiber bundles. Besides, a "cluster discharging" phenomenon is observed at the second stage, which is associated with the generation and disappearance of micro bridge impurities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]