Impulse-breakdown characteristics of polymers immersed in insulating oil

Wilson, M.P. and Given, M.J. and Timoshkin, I. and MacGregor, S.J. and Sinclair, M.A. and Thomas, Kenneth J. and Lehr, J. (2010) Impulse-breakdown characteristics of polymers immersed in insulating oil. IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science, 38 (10). 2611 - 2619. ISSN 1939-9375 (https://doi.org/10.1109/TPS.2010.2044877)

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Abstract

Surface discharges along oil-immersed solids used as insulators and supports in high-voltage pulsed-power equipment can lead to catastrophic system failures. To achieve reliable compact pulsed-power systems, it is important to quantify the electrical fields at which surface flashover, or other types of breakdown event, will occur for different dielectric materials. This paper reports the observed behavior of samples of polypropylene, low-density polyethylene, ultrahigh-molecular-weight polyethylene, Rexolite, and Torlon, which were subjected to impulse voltages of peak amplitude of 350 kV and a rise time of 1 $muhbox{s}$. The cylindrical samples were located between pairs of electrodes immersed in insulating oil. Breakdown events were studied under both nonuniform- and uniform-field conditions, with sample lengths being chosen so that the breakdown events occurred on the rising edge of the impulse. Ultrahigh-molecular-weight polyethylene showed the highest average breakdown field, which is 645 kV/cm, in uniform fields, and the corresponding breakdown field was reduced to $sim$400 kV/cm in the nonuniform fields. Weibull plots of the various sets of results are presented, providing comparative data for system designers for the appropriate choice of dielectric materials to act as insulators for high-voltage pulsed-power machines.

ORCID iDs

Wilson, M.P. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3088-8541, Given, M.J. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6354-2486, Timoshkin, I. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0380-9003, MacGregor, S.J. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0808-585X, Sinclair, M.A., Thomas, Kenneth J. and Lehr, J.;
  • Item type:Article
    ID code:15018
    Dates:
    Date
    Event
    October 2010
    Published
    12 April 2010
    Published Online
    Notes:(c) 2010 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other users, including reprinting/ republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes, creating new collective works for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted components of this work in other works.
    Subjects:Technology > Electrical engineering. Electronics Nuclear engineering
    Department:Faculty of Engineering > Electronic and Electrical Engineering
    Depositing user: Strathprints Administrator
    Date deposited:30 Jun 2010 12:08
    Last modified:03 Dec 2024 01:11
    URI:https://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/id/eprint/15018
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