Comparison of SF6/N2 and SF6/CO2 gas mixtures as alternatives to SF6 gas

The interest in SF₆ gas mixtures has been re-ignited in recent years by the issue of the greenhouse effect of the SF₆ gas, and most research work is now focused on a SF₆/N₂ gas mixture, which is suitable for application in electrical apparatus with slightly non-uniform fields. This paper presents a comparison of SF₆/N₂ and SF₆/CO₂ gas mixtures with a viewpoint of their possible applications to gas-insulated transformers, where both highly non-uniform field problems and partial discharges in gas/film insulation are inevitable. It is shown that in this case the dielectric strength of SF₆/CO₂ is superior to that of SF₆/N ₂ with a minor disadvantage related to the gas decomposition in SF₆/CO₂. However, this may not be a problem for the SF₆/CO₂ gas mixture to be used in gas-insulated transformers, where internal breakdown is not allowed     

Movement of particles in compressed SF6 GIS withdielectric coated enclosure

In compressed GIS (gas insulated switchgear), the control of wire particle contamination by dielectric coating of enclosure is demonstrated in this paper. Assuming that a particle acquires free charge through a partial discharge, the modeling of particle movement when the inside surface of a horizontal section of GIS/GITL (gas insulated transmission line) enclosure is coated is described. Under an applied 60 Hz ac voltage, the maximum height reached above the enclosure by a particle is much lower for a coated than for an uncoated enclosure. When the applied ac voltage varies, the maximum height reached depends on the magnitude of the applied voltage, phase and velocity at which the particle hits the enclosure. Typical results show that by coating the enclosure, the maximum height reached by a wire particle in a coaxial system can be reduced, thus inhibiting particle movement and minimizing the possibility of insulation breakdown     

Partial discharge and breakdown mechanisms in ultra-dilute SF6/N2 gas mixtures

With the goal of reducing SF₆ gas usage, we investigated partial discharge (PD) and breakdown (BD) mechanisms in ultra-dilute (0 to 1%) SF₆/N₂ gas mixtures. The experimental results and discussions are given in this paper. In particular, we focused our research on the transition characteristics of the electrical insulation performance with an extremely small amount of SF₆ content, the PD behavior on the applied voltage, and the relation among prebreakdown streamer, return stroke and BD. Moreover, we discussed the PD and so mechanisms with reference of space charge behavior. From these results, the transition threshold at which the influence of SF₆ gas on the discharge characteristics began to appear, was clarified to be SF₆ content k=10 ppm for a total pressure of 0.1 MPa     

SF6/N2 mixtures: basic and HV insulationproperties

The widespread use of SF₆ by the electric power and other industries has led to increased concentrations of SF₆ in the atmosphere. This causes concern as to possible effects on global warming, because SF₆ is a potent greenhouse gas. This paper first touches on this issue and then documents the behavior of high pressure gases such as N₂ and SF₆/N₂ mixtures that can be realistically considered as acceptable intermediate or long-term replacements for pure SF₆ in some HV applications. The possible use of dilute SF₆/N₂ mixtures as an alternative to pure SF₆ for some of industry's insulation needs (albeit at higher pressure) is documented, and existing knowledge on these mixtures and on the individual components (N₂ and SF₆), both basic and applied, is compiled. A guide to existing literature is provided     

Pattern analysis of partial discharges in SF6 GIS

The measurement of partial discharge(PD) of several faults in gas-insulated system (GIS) is discussed. Phase-resolved PD patterns have been measured using three different PD detection measuring systems: according to the IEC 270 recommendations, a VHF/UHF measuring system with narrow band filtering, and the UHF measuring system with wide band filtering. PD patterns are compared using computer-based discrimination tools. The influence of the selected center frequency on the PD patterns is discussed for the narrow band VHF/UHF measuring system. The influence of the number and type of GIS components between the discharging defect and the capacitive coupler on the shape of the PD patterns is analyzed. For several GIS components the signal reduction is studied. It was found that the shape of PD patterns is independent on the used PD detection circuit and the propagation path of the PD signals. As a result, discrimination and classification of PD distributions of several studied defects are possible using digital tools     

Development and practical operation of perfluorocarbon immersed 275kV transformers with compressed SF6 gas insulation

A perfluorocarbon (PFC) immersed 275 kV power transformer with compressed SF₆ gas insulation has been under development. This paper clarifies the AC partial discharge inception voltage and time characteristics of PFC immersed insulation and also clarifies that a prototype 275 kV 100 MVA three-phase transformer could be operated without any trouble during long-term overvoltage tests. This prototype proved that it had AC partial discharge inception strength of higher than 1.5 times the AC test voltage and lightning impulse breakdown strength of 1.5 times the test voltage. A 275 kV, 250 MVA three-phase power transformer was developed and operated at the outdoor substation of the Chubu Electric Power Co., Japan. This transformer has been successfully operated to date and a detailed internal inspection of the transformer was carried out after one year and 9 months of successful practical operation. No significant abnormal condition was recognized     

Recovery of SF6 from N2/SF6 gasmixtures by using a polymer membrane

The investigation of gas recovery from N₂/SF₆ gas mixtures using a polymer membrane has been reported. It has been shown that the purity of recovered gas, the recovery loss, and the gas handling speed depend on various parameters such as original gas mixing ratio, gas feeding pressure, gas flow rate, and temperature of the membrane. A gas recovering system with two membrane separators connected in cascade has proved to be very efficient in attaining high purity in a recovered gas, with negligibly small recovery loss and high handling speed for practical use. Furthermore, this system could be applied for CO₂/SF₆, He/SF ₆ and even for ternary mixtures such as N₂/CO₂/SF₆ without any modification in the system, where we expect much better performance in comparison with N ₂/SF₆     

Investigation of S2F10 production andmitigation in compressed SF6-insulated power systems

The Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA), established to study the production and mitigation of S₂F₁₀ (disulfur decafluoride), one of a number of toxic by-products formed in electric discharges in the insulating gas SF ₆, is described. The particular concern about S₂F ₁₀ is due to its highly toxic nature, the ceiling limit value being 10 parts per billion (ppb, or 1 part in 10⁸), and the need for development of sensitive detection techniques down to this level. In the presence of an electrical discharge such as an arc, spark, or corona, a portion of the SF₆ decomposes into lower fluorides of sulphur which can react to form a number of chemically active by-products including SOF₂ and SO₂F₂ . During the maintenance or repair of SF₆-insulated equipment, the handling of these gaseous is a matter of concern. Preliminary arc experiment results, reported health-related incidents caused by SF₆ by-products, and ongoing studies are discussed     

Capacitive voltage sensor for measuring very fast transient overvoltages in GIS

A reliable technique is needed for accurate measurement of very fast transient overvoltages such as disconnector-induced surges occurring in GIS which have very steep front and high-frequency oscillation. Recently, capacitive voltage sensors with very short response times have been proposed for this purpose. However, few studies have been made on the dielectric properties of materials used for a low-voltage-side capacitor, as well as the frequency bandwidth of the measuring system. In this paper a thin mica plate is proposed for a low-voltage-side capacitor which has a surface coated with silver on both sides. This material has been shown to have stable and high static capacitance up to a high-frequency range. A quantitative estimate also is given for the frequency bandwidth of the measuring system. Furthermore, a practical-scale sensor of this type has been developed which can successfully measure simulated disconnector-induced surges of several hundred kilovolts under similar conditions in GIS.     

基于一维电弧模型的SF6混合气体灭弧性能评价

SF₆混合气体是广受关注的SF₆替代气体方案之一。为定量评估SF₆混合气体的灭弧性能,文中采用一维衰减电弧模型和玻尔兹曼方程相结合的方法,将电弧熄灭过程划分为热恢复阶段、弧前介质恢复阶段和弧后介质恢复阶段,分别引入热恢复率、弧前介质恢复率和弧后介质恢复率作为各阶段的评价参数,并计算三者的调和平均数作为综合评价参数,以此来评估SF₆-N₂、SF₆-CO₂、SF₆-CF₄以及SF₆-Air混合气体的灭弧性能。基于上述方法,文中初步探讨SF₆含量、背景气体种类和压强大小对SF₆混合气体灭弧性能的影响。结果表明,随着SF₆含量的减少,混合气体的灭弧性能整体上呈现下降趋势;当SF₆含量为10%～50%时,4种混合气体中SF₆-N₂的灭弧性能最优,其次...     

Anomalous creeping flashover characteristics in N2/SF6 mixed gas under single pulse voltage

Creeping flashover characteristics for the needle electrode-plane electrode filled with N₂/SF₆ gas mixtures have been investigated. In the case of the needle-plane configuration, the flashover voltage was enhanced by an admixture of SF₆ into N ₂. On the other hand, by the insertion of a solid dielectric barrier between the needle and the plane, only the negative creeping flashover voltage was reduced drastically by the admixture of SF₆ gas into N₂ gas, and a highly emissive region at the top of a creeping corona was found in N₂/SF₆ gas mixture. This behavior is strongly affected by the creeping corona extension process, depending on the creeping distance and the gas pressure     

SF6气体绝缘设备的放电特性研究

随着SF6气体绝缘设备在系统中的广泛应用,对其绝缘状态的监测、检验以及相应的缺陷类型识别,成为当前亟待解决的问题.通过建立缺陷模型,对SF6气体在不同状态下放电特性进行试验分析,得到了不同缺陷情况下SF6绝缘设备的放电类型特征参数,和特征气体组分.结果表明:典型特征气体可作为实际检测的比对标准,也可作为SF6气体绝缘设备故障诊断专家系统的数据资料.     

GIS中SF_6气体分解机理分析及使用维护方法建议

随着GIS等SF6气体绝缘设备的大规模使用,探索SF6气体的分解机理对延长设备寿命并确保其安全运行有重要的理论指导和现实意义。笔者探讨了GIS中典型放电性故障特征及相应的SF6气体分解产物和分解机理,给出了不同放电类型故障相关试验结果,并对最常见的电晕放电故障给出了放电量与分解产物的关系。在此基础上,归纳了不同放电故障下主要气体分解产物的反应方程。可见,对于GIS等充气类设备,通过检测SF6分解气体可辨识设备早期故障,若结合有效合理的气体管理措施可大幅降低GIS类设备的故障率,从而显著提高设备运行安全性。     

Space charge behavior in SF6 gas and sequentialgeneration of PD pulses

We observed time-resolved partial discharge (PD) characteristics under ac and dc conditions in order to demonstrate the effects of space charge behavior and the corona stabilization effect in SF₆ gas. From the experimental results, we found that the charge magnitude of the first PD in the positive half cycle of applied ac voltage depended only on the instantaneous voltage. Under dc conditions we found that the magnitude of the PD charge related closely to the time interval between PD pulses. Space charge behavior and the PD generation mechanism are interpreted diagrammatically, and we describe how positive ions reduce the magnitude of PD charge and activate the corona stabilization effect and that the negative ions shorten the time interval between PD pulses     

Calculation of the uniform breakdown field strength of SF6 gas

We calculated the uniform dielectric breakdown field strength of SF₆ gas over the temperature range of 300 to 3000 K. The local thermal equilibrium (ITE) composition of the dissociated gas is connected to the electron impact collision cross sections of the species SF₆, F₂, F and S. The critical reduced electric field strength of the composition is determined by a balancing electron generation and loss modeled by chemical reactions evaluated by the electron energy distribution function (EEDF) derived from the Boltzmann transport equation. At room temperature, pure SF₆ has a critical reduced electric field strength of 362 Td. With increasing temperature and decreasing density we found a small decrease of this value, whereas at temperatures higher than 1500 K, dissociation starts to decrease the dielectric strength of the composition. Furthermore, we found that generation of electrons by (associative) detachment from F ^- starts to play an important role at temperatures >2500 K, where the critical field strength still has a value of 118 Td. This value is found to decrease rapidly afterwards with increasing temperature to the value of 38 Td at 3000 K. The calculated results agree very well with independently predicted values and measured data     

Seismic behavior of `candle' type SF6 outdoor circuitbreakers and associated SF6 insulated current transformers

The authors analyze the seismic behavior of live tank circuit breakers of the candle-type architecture, i.e. breakers that support only one chamber per column and have a closing resistor built in the interrupting chamber. This arrangement has a lower interrupting module weight and the resistor is in the axis of the column. In the case of T or V configurations with two chambers per column and with a closing resistor chamber in parallel to the main chamber, it results in some large masses off-centered on each side of the column. It is shown that the candle architecture makes possible a simple simulation and economical solution to the problem of seismic resistance, SF₆ current transformers associated with these breakers are also modeled by a simple computational model     

Breakdown mechanism of a gap with a small arc current in SF6 gas

Using an experimental apparatus modeled for a gas-insulated switchgear (GIS), the influence of the arc duration on the breakdown voltage between the contact and the grounded tank of the GIS was investigated in the case that the arc was kept ignited in the contact area. From the result, characteristics of the breakdown voltage vs. the arc duration were found to be divided into six stages and the characteristics in each stage were estimated     

On the calculation of breakdown voltages for uniform electricfields in compressed air and SF6

A novel method is described for calculating the breakdown voltage of uniform field gaps in compressed air and SF₆ without the need for experiments. This method is based on the criterion of self-recurring single-electron avalanches developed in the gap. It is shown that the results computed by this method for pd values to the right of Paschen's minimum (up to 15 kPa·m in air and up to 5 kPa·M in SF₆) are in good agreement with those measured experimentally. It is also shown that the use of the streamer criterion overestimates the breakdown voltage when applied for pd values where Townsend's mechanism is valid. In addition, it is shown that the size of the avalanche (and hence the parameter K) at breakdown is not constant as adopted in the literature; it depends upon the gap length and gas pressure     

通过检测SO2发现SF6电气设备故障

通过几例SF6电气设备故障的分析和检出,说明检测SO2能够诊断SF6电气设备故障。SO2是SF6主要分解物SOF2的水解产物,是稳定气体,在分解物中一般含量较高,当故障涉及到固体绝缘材料时,SO2含量更高,检测SO2方法很多,用检测管简易方便,有足够的灵敏度。     

Simulation of limiting field behavior in electron swarms inSF6+N2 gas mixtures

Limiting field behavior of the electron swarms in SF₆+N ₂ mixtures is investigated by a Monte Carlo simulation technique. (E/N)_lim values directly obtained from the simulation are given for 5, 10, 20, 40, 60 and 80 SF₆ fractional component in the mixture together with the corresponding electron drift velocities and mean energies. Furthermore, in the E/N range of 243⩽E/N⩽606T_d, effective ionization coefficients and mean energies in SF₆+N₂ mixtures are also evaluated with fractional SF₆ contents of 0, 20, 40, 60, 80 and 100%. The simulation results obtained are compared with the available data in the literature