Development of 72‐kV high‐pressure air‐insulated GIS with vacuum circuit breaker

SF₆ gas has excellent dielectric strength and interruption performance. For these reasons, it has been widely used for gas‐insulated switchgear (GIS). However, use of SF₆ gas has become regulated under agreements set at the 1997 COP3. Thus, investigation and development for GIS with a lower amount of SF₆ gas are being carried out worldwide. Presently, SF₆‐free GIS has been commercialized for the 24‐kV class. Air or N₂ gas is used as the insulation gas for this GIS. On the other hand, SF₆‐free GIS has not been commercialized for the 72‐kV‐class GIS. The dielectric strengths of air and N₂ gas are approximately one‐third that of SF₆ gas. To enhance the insulation performance of air and N₂ we have investigated a hybrid gas insulation system which has the combined features of providing an insulation coating and suitable insulation gas. We have developed the world's first 72‐kV SF₆‐free GIS. This paper deals with key technologies for SF₆‐free GIS, such as the hybrid insulation structure, a bellows for the high‐pressure vacuum circuit breaker, a newly designed disconnector and spacer, and prevention of particle levitation. Test results of the 72‐kV high‐pressure air‐insulated GIS with the vacuum circuit breaker are described. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 157(4): 13–23, 2006; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.20451     

Insulation technology in dry air and vacuum for a 72‐kV low‐pressure dry‐air insulated switchgear

A new 72‐kV rated low‐pressure dry‐air insulated switchgear applying electromagnetic actuation and a function that supports CBM has been developed. First, the dielectric characteristics in dry air under lightning impulse application were investigated for bare and insulator‐covered electrodes. The dependence of the breakdown electric field strength on the effective area was found in order to apply it to the configuration design of the insulation mold for the vacuum interrupter. In addition, the dependence of the moisture volume on the surface resistance was found in order to decide the moisture volume in the gas pressure tank. Next, a new vacuum circuit breaker (VCB) was designed. To keep the dimensions the same as in the previous 72‐kV SF₆ gas insulated switchgear, the distance between contacts in the vacuum interrupter must be shorter than in the previous switchgear. The voltage withstand capability between electrodes practically designed for the vacuum interrupter was investigated under DC voltage application, in a small capacitive current breaking simulation. The gap configuration, including contacts and slits, was optimized and the distance was shortened by 11% from the previous switchgear. As a result, the new low‐pressure dry‐air insulated switchgear was designed to be comparable in external size to the previous SF₆ gas insulated switchgear. Using dry air as an insulation medium with low pressure makes it possible to reduce the environmental burden. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 175(1): 18–24, 2011; Published online in Wiley Online Library ( wileyonlinelibrary.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.21058     

Insulation resistance under DC stress and electrification characteristics of GIS epoxy insulator

Gas‐insulated switchgear (GIS) has widely been used for AC power distribution because of its high reliability and compactness. Recently, DC GIS has been developed with various investigations for dielectric breakdown characteristics of DC gas insulation. GIS insulation is composed of SF₆ gas and solid spacers, and it has been recognized that the dielectric performance of DC GIS is mainly influenced by solid spacers. Under DC stress, the electric field is directed one way, the effect of electrification for charges to be accumulated in the spacer must be taken into account and also the effect exists in AC GIS because the switching operations may leave the remnant DC charge on the AC GIS spacer. This paper first describes the effective resistivity (the bulk or the surface) of the solid spacer under the DC stress from the experimental investigation, and the critical factor on the solid spacer that causes reduced dielectric performance of the GIS insulation is studied. Second, the present paper deals with the electrification on the GIS with various levels of surface roughness of the epoxy insulator and metallic electrode. Finally, the DC insulation characteristics of GIS insulator are investigated based on the experimental results. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 168(4): 6–13, 2009; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.20788     

66/77-kV C-GIS using composite insulation in SF6 gas

A second-generation model of cubicletype gas-insulated switchgear (C-GIS) with composite insulation incorporating SF₆ gas has been developed. The design does not require a gas process in field assembly; it has high reliability and its installation is more rapid; and a further reduction in size is achieved. The design principles are described in detail.     

Development of insulation technology in compact SF6 gas‐filled bushings: Development of compact 800‐kV SF6 gas‐filled bushings

Efforts of designers of gas‐insulated switchgear (GIS) are currently focused on such features as smaller installation area and economical efficiency. Circuit breakers (CB), disconnecting switches (DS), and earthing switches (ES) have been redesigned in more compact configurations. Compactness and light‐weight requirements are applied also to bushings used in GIS. GIS bushings can be divided in three general types: capacitor, gas‐filled, and molded bushings. Requirements of the light weight and the economical efficiency of gas‐filled bushings can be satisfied by improvements in insulation technology. Size reduction can be effectively achieved by moderation of the electric field strength on the outside surface of the hollow insulator in the area of the inner grounded electrode tip. We devised a new inner grounded electrode structure consisting of a cylindrical electrode and a ring electrode supported by column electrodes. This paper describes the effect of reduction of the maximum value of electric field strength on the outside surface of the hollow insulator by a new type of grounded electrode. Then, improvement of insulation performance for electrodes with insulation coating in SF₆ gas is described as the composite insulation technology. Finally, the efficiency of these insulation technologies is described by the basic insulation test results of a prototype compact 800‐kV SF₆ gas‐filled bushing. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 171(1): 19–27, 2010; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience. wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.20898     

Development of a high‐pressure air‐insulated 72/84‐kV disconnecting switch corresponding to bus‐transfer current switching

SF₆ gas has excellent dielectric strength and current interruption performance. For these reasons, it has been widely used for gas‐insulated switchgear (GIS). Today, such global environmental problems as global warming are important issues of concern. SF₆ gas is known as a greenhouse gas with a long atmospheric lifetime, and has global warming potential of 23,900. SF₆‐free 72‐kV GIS was recently developed by using high‐pressure air and a gas/solid hybrid structure. But an alternating current disconnecting switch (DS) has yet to be developed thus making this type of SF₆‐free 72‐kV GIS unsuitable for double bus‐bar application. Consequently, the development of a high‐pressure air‐insulated DS corresponding to bus‐transfer current switching has been expected. The bus‐transfer current is the highest among all current interruption requirements for the DS. To develop an alternating current DS, efforts must be made to reduce arcing damage to the electrode. This paper describes the fundamental characteristics of current interruption in the plain break type and the magnetic field driven type. Then, average arcing time of the magnetic field driven type was estimated by magnetic flux density. Finally, two types of DS, which were a high‐speed plain break and a low‐speed magnetic field driven, were confirmed to comply with bus‐transfer current switching requirements on JEC standard. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 167(2): 48–55, 2009; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.20595     

Breakdown characteristics of gas‐insulated switchgear for nonstandard lightning impulse waveforms under nonuniform electric field

To improve the insulation specification of gas‐insulated switchgear (GIS), it is necessary to recognize the insulation characteristics of SF₆ gas during actual surges (called nonstandard lightning impulse waveforms) occurring at field substations. The authors observed the insulation characteristics of SF₆ gas gap under various types of nonstandard lightning impulse waveforms and compared them quantitatively with those obtained with standard lightning impulse waveforms. The experimental results were used to derive an evaluation method for real surges, which was applied to typical surges for various UHV and 500‐kV systems. In the preceding study, therefore, only the case of a quasi‐uniform electric field (with a typical range of field utilization factors in the bus of a GIS) was investigated. In the present investigation, the insulation characteristics of an SF₆ gas gap for a nonuniform electric field were observed experimentally and an evaluation method for converting nonstandard lightning impulse waveforms equivalently to the standard lightning impulse waveform was investigated. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 177(1): 11–18, 2011; Published online in Wiley Online Library ( wileyonlinelibrary.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.21144     

A study on hybrid insulation composition joint using gas and solid insulator for gas‐insulated power equipment

SF₆ is used as the main insulation gas for gas‐insulated switchgear (GIS), but it has recently become a gas that must be restricted because of its greenhouse effects. To date, we have studied the insulation characteristics of compressed N₂ and CO₂ as possible alternatives for SF₆. We have reported that N₂ or CO₂ must be pressurized to 2.0 MPa when it is used as a substitute for SF₆ at 0.5 MPa. Therefore, we have proposed a hybrid installation composition that uses gas and solid insulators. Because the central conductor of GIS is covered by a solid insulator in this composition, a high‐pressure gas at 2.0 MPa is not needed. However, the joint of the solid insulator becomes a weak point for discharge development. In this paper, we describe an effective configuration for improvement of the withstand voltage based on experiments. The most effective connector was made of resin without an implant electrode and the most effective configuration was one without a solid–solid interface between the solid insulator of the central conductor and the resin connector. In this experiment, the improvement of breakdown electric field of the hybrid composition was 44% or more compared with the case of only gas insulation (conventional method). In addition, further improvement can be expected by optimizing the insulation creepage distance and configuration. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 178(1): 11–20, 2012; Published online in Wiley Online Library ( wileyonlinelibrary.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.21107     

Insulation characteristics of CO2 gas for nonstandard lightning impulse oscillations: Evaluation method of nonstandard lightning impulse waveform for CO2 gas insulation

SF₆ gas is widely used in electric power apparatus such as gas‐insulated switchgears (GIS), because of its superior dielectric properties; however, it has been identified as a greenhouse gas at COP3 in 1997, and alternative insulation gases to SF₆ have recently been investigated. One of the candidates is CO₂ gas, which has lower global warming potential (GWP). However, CO₂ gas has a lower withstand voltage level than SF₆ gas; therefore, it is necessary to rationalize the equipment insulation level and reexamine the insulating test voltage for electric power apparatus as low as possible. From our previous investigation, in SF₆ gas insulation system, we obtained that the insulation requirements of the real surges (called nonstandard lightning impulse waveform) are not as severe as those of the standard lightning impulse waveform. This paper describes the evaluation method for real surges, based on insulation characteristics of CO₂ gas gaps. Furthermore, the method was applied to typical field overvoltage waveform in the lightning surge time region for 500‐kV systems and it is obtained that the equivalent peak value of the standard lightning impulse waveform is possibly reduced by 10 to 15%. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 163(3): 1– 9, 2008; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.20560     

基于有限元分析的热塑性绝缘套管的开发

在中压充气柜开关设备中,绝缘套管作为输配电的接口,将电流引入或引出开关设备的金属外壳,起着载流导体和高压对地绝缘与支撑的作用。现有的绝缘套管其绝缘部分基本上使用环氧树脂材料,通过自动压力凝胶(APG)工艺成型,采用该工艺的成品重、生产效率低、能耗大、材料无法回收且难以降解,对人体和生态环境具有潜在的危害。通过使用热塑性材料,根据热塑性材料的设计准则和成型要求,对通用的充气柜绝缘套管重新建立3D模型;并使用SolidWorks和Maxwell分别进行机械强度和电场强度的仿真分析,使其满足相关标准;实现了轻量化、高效节能、利于环保等目标。研究结果可以为热塑性绝缘件的合理设计提供参考依据。     

Permissible Electrical-Field Intensities in the Cast Epoxy Insulation of a 6- to 110-kV Switchgear

The method of choice of the working intensity of the electrical field in the cast epoxy insulation of a 6- to 110-kV switchgear taking into account its dimensions, structure, and basic operational factors is studied. The volt–time characteristics of the electrical strength of the cast epoxy insulation corresponding to a low probability of the breakdown at the different intensity of the partial discharges are analyzed. It is shown that the distribution of the electrical strength of the cast insulation under the short-term and long-term action of the commercial-frequency voltage is well described by the Weibull law and the influence of the dimensions on the electrical strength is specified by the “active” volume of the dielectric—the area where the electricalfield intensity makes up no less than 85% of the maximum in the clearance. The estimation of the permissible field intensities in the cast insulation of a 10- to 35-kV switchgear with various degrees of the field inhomogeneity and intensities of the partial discharges is given.     

气体绝缘开关柜绝缘水平试验高压引入装置的研究开发

气体绝缘开关柜通常采用内锥或外锥套管作为绝缘水平试验时的高压引入接口。目前常用的高压引入装置为高压试验电缆,环氧绝缘内锥高压适配器。提出了一种新型的硅橡胶绝缘高压适配器设计,适用于各种C-GIS或其他气体绝缘开关设备的绝缘水平试验用高压引入接口。该设计结构简单、制造成本低、安装快捷方便,已广泛应用于气体绝缘开关设备的工厂出厂试验、现场交接试验等需要高压引入的场合。     

Insulation characteristics of SF6 gas for nonstandard impulse voltage polarity reversal pulse waveforms

Evaluation of insulation strength for lightning surge that actually enters into substations is important in estimating insulation reliability of gas‐insulated equipment. The standard lightning impulse voltage (1.2/50 µs) is used for factory tests. However, the actual lightning surge waveforms in substations are complex and are usually superimposed with various oscillations. Insulation characteristics of SF₆ gas as a function of such complex voltages have not been sufficiently clarified. This paper deals with gap breakdown characteristics in SF₆ gas under submicrosecond pulses. Breakdown voltages are lower under a polarity reversal condition than under a monopolarity condition. The cause of this difference is discussed while observing discharge propagation using an image converter camera. The electrode size effect is also discussed. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 146(4): 18–25, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.10246     

Problems of the application of N2/SF6 mixtures to gas‐insulated bus

In designing a gas‐insulated bus (GIB) using N₂/SF₆ mixtures, there are many application problems, such as the mixture pressure needed in order to maintain the required dielectric and heat transfer performance. Problems of recycling SF₆ are also essential in applying N₂/SF₆ mixtures. This paper presents the minimum breakdown field strength at lightning impulse and the temperature rise of the conductor and enclosure as measured for N₂/SF₆ mixtures. Considering the dielectric and heat transfer properties, we clarify the problems of application of mixtures to a GIB and discuss the appropriate mixture ratio of SF₆ in designing a GIB comparable to the present dimensions. In addition, the lowest limit of SF₆ content in a liquefied recovering method is theoretically estimated for reference in practical SF₆ recovery from mixtures. It is important for design to consider both breakdown phenomena, including the area effect of electrode, and the heat transfer properties of mixtures. © 2001 Scripta Technica, Electr Eng Jpn, 137(4): 25–31, 2001     

改性常温固化环氧浇注胶

本文研究了一种可室温固化的环氧烧注胶，该胶具有良好的应用工艺生和电气性能及机械性能，可应用于电机的线圈、电气接插件的浇注，改善了体系的工艺及力学性能。     

Insulation characteristics and its evaluation method of N2 gas for nonstandard lightning impulse waveforms

Until recently, SF₆ gas has widely been used as the best insulating medium in substation equipment. However, SF₆ gas was specified to be a greenhouse gas at COP3 in 1997 because of its high global warming potential (GWP), and alternative insulation gases to SF₆ have been sought for a long time. Alternatives using the natural gases are considered to be suitable, but none of them show better properties for insulation as well as good environmental compatibility. Therefore, it is necessary to rationalize the equipment insulation level and reduce the test voltage of electric power apparatus to as low a level as possible. The actual lightning surge waveform (so‐called nonstandard lightning impulse waveform) occurring in the actual field is different from the standard lightning impulse waveform (1.2/50 μs). There are many cases in which the actual lightning surge waveform has a steep rise and large decay of overvoltage, and the insulation requirements are not as severe as those for the standard lightning impulse waveform. In this paper, we focused our research on N₂ gas as an SF₆ substitute and investigated the insulation characteristics of N₂ gas for a single‐frequency oscillatory waveform with various frequencies from 2.7 to 20.0 MHz and damping ratios. Based on the experimental results, it might be possible to reduce the test voltage of N₂ gas insulation by evaluating the crest value of the actual lightning surge waveform that has been converted into an equivalent standard lightning impulse waveform. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 167(2): 10–20, 2009; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.20754     

基于混合气体热特性的GIL氮气使用配比研究

SF₆存在全球变暖潜能值高,价格昂贵等问题,因此具有良好的绝缘性能和环境友好性的SF₆/N₂混合气体被认为是目前最具发展前景的SF₆替代气体。在保证气体绝缘输电线路(Gas insulated transmission lines,GIL)绝缘水平的前提下,对SF₆/N₂混合气体的热特性进行研究,确定不同条件下的SF₆/N₂混合比,对减少SF₆使用量,降低电力设备对环境的影响具有重要意义。因此,本文利用有限元分析法,建立电磁场-流体-温度场耦合的三维GIL模型,通过改变SF₆/N₂混合比、绝缘气体压力、负载电流和环境温度得到不同工况下的GIL热特性,从而确定SF₆/N₂混合比与温升之间的关系。仿真结果为GIL选择合适的SF₆/N₂混合比提供依据,具有良好的工程应用前景,对减少SF₆使用量,降低电力设备对环境的影响具有重要意义。#$NL关键词：GIL;SF₆/N₂混合气体;气体绝缘;有限元分析;热特性分析#$NL中图分类号：TM75     

基于SF6混合气体绝缘性能的设备补气策略研究

随着电力需求的增长和环境保护要求的提高,SF₆气体的使用逐渐受到限制。SF₆混合气体在一定程度上减少了SF₆气体用量,目前已经在电气设备中应用。文中针对SF₆混合气体在220 kV气体绝缘组合电器（GIS）中发生泄漏引起的绝缘变化展开研究,通过改变微量的气压值和混合比,探究混合气体的绝缘性能变化,分析气压、混合比因素对工频击穿电压的影响规律,获取各气压下各比例混合气体的绝缘强度曲线图,从而得到保证设备安全稳定运行的补气策略。研究发现,混合气体击穿电压的变化规律呈现出随着压强和混合比的提高,非线性程度增大的特点,并且得到了设备安全运行的混合比和气压的边界值。文中的研究可以为SF₆/N₂混合气体绝缘设备提供运维规程和技术标准,同时为制定混合气体的检测技术标准奠定基础。     

Insulation properties and degradation mechanism of insulating spacers in gas insulated switchgear (GIS) for repeated/long voltage application

Gas insulated switchgear (GIS) has been increasingly being used in recent years and high reliability and rational insulation design are required. This research provided V-N characteristics (the dielectric breakdown voltage versus number of repetitions characteristics) regarding the internal insulation and creeping insulation of the epoxy spacer, which are the main insulation elements of GIS, in order to help set LIWV (lightning impulse withstand voltage) and SIWV (switching impulse withstand voltage). The insulation strength decreased the most when the lighting impulse voltage was applied to internal insulation of the spacer, however, taking the absolute values into consideration, it turned out that the impact of frequent surges is slight. In the experiment in which alternating current voltage is applied for a long period of time, it was found that there is no decline in the insulation properties even after the voltage is applied for the equivalent of 30 years when the electric field intensity is 12 kVrms/mm or less although the combination with the multiple lightning impulse application may bring about damages to the spacer insulation. The degradation mechanism caused by generation of micro-pits was also understood through simultaneous microscopic observation of the surface and of the interface between the electrode and epoxy     

The influence of electrode macroscopic curvature upon surface roughness effects in compressed SF6

Contents Previous theoretical studies of electrode surface roughness effects in compressed SF₆ have not included the macroscopic curvature of the electrode in the analyses. The omission of this parameter can lead to erroneous conclusions regarding the existence of a lower limit to the effect of surface roughness upon insulation strength. This aspect is examined through the application of an intersecting sphere model to the breakdown of compressed SF₆. The results indicate that, in a practical system, no lower limit exists and consequently electrode surface roughness will always lead to a reduction in the insulation strength.

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Die Einwirkung der makroskopischen Elektrodenkrümmung auf Oberflächenrauhigkeitseffekte in komprimiertem SF₆

Übersicht Bei den bisherigen theoretischen Untersuchungen der Oberflächenrauhigkeitseffektc in komprimiertem SF₆ wurde die makroskopische Krümmung der Elektroden nicht berücksichtigt. Die Vernachlässigung dieses Parameters kann zu falschen Schlußfolgerungen über die Existenz einer unteren Schranke für die Einwirkung der Oberflächenrauhigkeit auf die Isolationsfestigkeit leiten. Das Problem wird hier untersucht durch Anwendung eines aus sich schneidenden Kugeln bestehenden Modells auf den Durchschlag in komprimiertem SF₆. Aus den Ergebnissen geht hervor, daß es keine untere Schranke bei praktischen Systemen gibt; daraus folgt, daß die Oberflächenrauhigkeit immer eine Reduktion der Isolationsfestigkeit bewirkt.