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Based on a Marx generator and a coaxial pulse forming line, an experimental investigation of surface flashover characteristics in vacuum is conducted by using nanosecond pulses of 10 ns rise time and 30 ns full width at half maximum (FWHM). Insulator dielectrics chosen for this investigation are Teflon, PMMA and Nylon. The tested factors include gas pressure, cone angle of conical frustum, diameter and length of cylindrical insulator, material and shape of electrode, and contact style between insulator and electrodes. The effects of these parameters on the surface flashover characteristics are described and analyzed in this paper. In addition, the character of flashover time lag in the nanosecond range, and surface flashover theory in vacuum charged by nanosecond pulses are also discussed. Index Terms--Surface flashover, vacuum, nanosecond pulse, cathode triple junction, electron emission.

This study focuses on a compact vacuum circuit breaker (CB) for nominal voltage of 72.5 kV, nominal current of 2000 A and short circuit current of 31.5 kA. The dielectric conception of the vacuum interrupter (VI) is based on a multiple floating shield configuration which reduces the risk of total breakdown due to partial breakdown between the contacts and shield. An optimised electrical field distribution on the contact surface with the maximum field pointing towards the floating shield is arranged and hence reducing the breakdown effective area of the contacts facing each. All tests have been performed on a specially designed single-phase circuit breaker pole-unit equipped with a low energy spring type mechanism. Interruption performance was confirmed in direct tests. The circuit-breaker pole was proved to be restrike-free with respect to cable charging class C2. Dielectric tests in new condition and after interruption tests confirmed the announced ratings. These tests confirm the feasibility of this HV-CB with 25% more compact VI's based on the outlined dielectric conception. Index Terms--Vacuum breakdown, dielectric breakdown, vacuum interrupters, high-voltage techniques, circuit breakers, S[F.sub.6].

An improvement in dielectric strength is required in vacuum circuit breakers (VCBs) intended for use in higher voltage systems. In order to develop higher voltage VCBs, it is important to improve the dielectric strength in a vacuum based on consideration of the vacuum breakdown mechanism. Particularly for gaps longer than 10 mm, little is known about the breakdown mechanisms and their quantitative analyses in a vacuum. This paper discusses the breakdown conditioning characteristics of long gap electrodes, under a non-uniform electric field in a vacuum. We treat gap lengths of up to 50 mm in this paper. The conditioning characteristics are investigated under impulse voltage applications. A negative standard lightning impulse voltage was applied to rod-plane electrodes made of Cu-Cr and SUS304 for different tip radii and gap distances until the conditioning effect was completed. We observed illumination spots on electrodes at each breakdown during the conditioning process and calculated the corresponding breakdown field strengths. Experimental results revealed that the tendency of breakdowns associated with long gaps is different from that for the short gaps. As a result, we clarified that the breakdown field strengths are nearly constant at 110-120 kV/mm at the distances longer than 10 mm, and the breakdown field strength is at its maximum when the gap distance is about 5 mm. Index Terms--Breakdown conditioning, non-uniform electric field, long gap, lightning impulse voltage.

The paper is devoted to study of the mechanisms responsible for vacuum breakdown as a whole and the total voltage effect in particular. Experiments at dc and pulsed voltages were carried out. It has been shown that there is no manifestation of the total voltage effect at dc voltages up to 20 kV. The strong dependence of hold-off on anode temperature was recognized at dc voltages while pulsed hold-off turned out to be almost the same with heating the electrodes. This gives a basis to consider gas desorption as an insufficient factor in the initiation of pulsed breakdown. An attempt to enhance hold-off with electrostatic removing of loosely bound particles with assistance of electron flow from a thermionic cathode was undertaken in the work. The approach turned out to be ineffective. Index Terms--Vacuum breakdown, vacuum insulation, vacuum measurement.

Breakdown (BD) characteristics in vacuum are strongly dependent on the electrode surface conditions, such as surface roughness. However, there is little known concerning the details of the relationship between the surface roughness and BD conditioning effect. In practical application, it is important to clarify how the surface roughness affects the breakdown conditioning characteristics, especially for the non-uniform field configuration. This paper discusses the effect of surface roughness on breakdown conditioning characteristics under non-uniform electric field in vacuum under applications of negative standard lightning impulse voltage. For this purpose, we examined the BD conditioning of a rod-to-plane electrode made of SUS304 and Cu-Cr. The surface roughness of [R.sub.a] is controlled from 0.3 to 2.5 [micro]m. Experimental results revealed that the enhancement of surface roughness of electrodes increases the number of BD to complete the conditioning effect. We explained the results from the observed results of the electrode surface. Consequently, we could clarify the effect of surface roughness on the conditioning effect under non-uniform electric field in vacuum quantitatively. Index Terms--Vacuum, conditioning effect, non-uniform electric field, lightning impulse voltage, vacuum circuit breaker, electrode surface roughness.

In general, power devices and systems operating in vacuum or space environment are more susceptible to partial discharges, corona, or volume discharges due to the partial vacuum conditions. Additionally, high frequency operation of a power system is a contributing factor in lowering the breakdown voltage of insulation. In this paper we present our studies on the breakdown characteristics of helium operating in dc and 20 kHz ac field in partial vacuum, for a point-to-point and point-to-plane electrode configurations. Breakdown voltage as a function of pressure in the range of 27 to 400 Pa (0.2 to 3 torr) for both the dc and 20 kHz ac cases is presented. Voltage and current waveforms along with the optical emission waveform of the breakdown events are also presented. A variable dc power supply for dc and an in-house built variable dc-offset-ac power supply for the high frequency breakdown experiments are used. A high voltage probe and a Pearson current sensor are used for the voltage and current detection, and a photo-multiplier-tube with a digital pico-ammeter and a video camera are used for the optical signal detection of this set-up. The breakdown voltage as a function of pressure for both the ac and dc experiments, along with voltage breakdown waveforms for both electrodes are presented. Index Terms--Helium, partial discharges, inhomogeneous field.