Modification of streamer-to-leader transition model based on radial thermal expansion in the sphere-plane gap discharge at high altitude

Historically,streamer-to-leader transition studies mainly focused on the rod-plane gap and low altitude analysis,with limited attention paid to the sphere-plane gap at high altitude analysis.In this work,sphere-plane gap discharge tests were carried out under the gap distance of 5 m at the Qinghai Ultra High Voltage(UHV)test base at an altitude of 2200 m.The experiments measured the physical parameters such as the discharge current,electric field intensity and instantaneous optical power.The duration of the dark period and the critical charge of streamer-toleader transition were obtained at high altitude.Based on radial thermal expansion of the streamer stem,we established a modified streamer-to-leader transition model of the sphere-plane gap discharge at high altitude,and calculated the stem temperature,stem radii and the duration of streamer-to-leader transition.Compared with the measured duration of sphere-plane electrode discharge at an altitude of 2200 m,the error rate of the modified model was 0.94%,while the classical model was 6.97%,demonstrating the effectiveness of the modified model.From the comparisons and analysis,several suggestions are proposed to improve the numerical model for further quantitative investigations of the leader inception.

Dynamic development model for long gap discharge streamer-leader system based on fractal theory

Establishing a long air gap discharge model considering the streamer-leader transition and randomness of the discharge path is of great signiflcance to improve the accuracy of discharge characteristic prediction and optimize external insulation design.Based on fractal theory and thermal ionization theory of streamer-leader transition,this work establishes a dynamic development model for the long air gap discharge streamer-leader system,which includes streamer inception,streamer development,leader inception,development of streamer-leader system and flnal jump.The positive discharge process of a 3 m rod plate is simulated to obtain the fractal distribution of the discharge path and the law of leader development for comparison with the discharge test results.The results show that the simulation model is similar to test results in the development characteristics of leader path distribution,each stage time and leader velocity.Finally,a simulation calculation of a 50%breakdown voltage of the rod-plate gap and ball-plate gap is carried out,with results fairly consistent with test data,proving the effectiveness and practicality of the model.

Experiment on Leader Propagation Characteristics of Air Gaps in UHVDC Transmission Towers Under Positive Switching Impulse Voltages

Rapid developments in EHV/UHV transmission systems require a deeper understanding of the mechanism of long air gap discharge.Leader propagation is one of the main processes in long gap breakdown.In this paper,the leader propagation characteristics of real size±800 kV UHVDC transmission tower gaps under positive switching impulse voltages(185/2290μs)are investigated.An integrated observation platform consisting of an impulse voltage divider,a coaxial shunt,a high-speed video camera,and a set of integrated optical electric field sensors(IOES),is established.The waveforms of impulse voltage,discharge current,electric field variation at specific positions,and time-resolved photographs of discharge morphology are recorded.Axial leader velocity and the relationship between leader advancements and injected charge are obtained.The typical value of leader stable propagation velocity is 1.7–2.2 cm/μs,which varies slightly with the gap length and applied voltage amplitude.The leader velocity in the re-illumination process is much higher,and is seen as varying from 5 cm/μs to 30 cm/μs,with an average value around 10 cm/μs.The charge in leader channel per unit length is 20–40μC/m,which illustrates a near-direct proportion relationship between discharge current and leader velocity.The observed parameters are important for further simulation of the tower gap breakdown processes.