Flashover Probability of Wind Turbine Blade and Impact of Strong Electromagnetic Pulse from Lightning Strikes on Wind Turbine Safety

This paper systematically studies the flashover probability of wind turbine blade lightning arrester and the impact of strong electromagnetic pulses on the local and surrounding wind turbines during lightning strikes.The research results indicate that the flashover probability of direct lightning strikes by the wind turbine blade lightning arrester is almost negligible,and the strong electromagnetic pulse of wind turbine blade during lightning strikes has a serious impact on the electronic equipment of the machine,while the impact on the surrounding wind turbine is relatively small.At the same time,the calculation formula for the reflection of lightning current on the carbon brush between the wind turbine hub and the engine compartment during the flashing of the wind turbine blades is provided,and the calculation method for calculating the spatial gradient distribution of electromagnetic field intensity using Biot-Savart Law theorem is applied.The limitations of using wind turbine blades for lightning protection are pointed out,and a technical route for achieving wind turbine lightning safety is proposed,which can be used as a reference for wind turbine lightning protection technicians.

Wet flashover voltage improvement of the ceramics with dielectric barrier discharge

Surface modification techniques with plasma are widely investigated to improve the surface insulation capability of polymers under dry conditions,while the relationship between treatment method,surface physical and chemical properties,and wet flashover voltage is still unclear for inorganic ceramics.In this work,the surface insulation properties of ceramics under wet conditions are improved using nanosecond-pulsed dielectric barrier discharge with polydimethylsiloxane(PDMS)as the precursor.The relationships between PDMS concentration and the water contact angle,dry and wet flashover voltages are obtained to acquire the optimal concentration.The surface charge dissipation test and surface physio-chemical property measurement with SEM,AFM,XPS are carried out to further explore the mechanism of surface insulation enhancement.The results show that film deposition with micron thickness and superhydrophobicity occurs at the PDMS concentration of 1.5%.The dry flashover voltage is increased by 14.6%due to the induction of deep traps,while the wet flashover voltage is increased by 66.7%.The gap between dry-wet flashover voltage is decreased by 62.3%compared with the untreated one due to the self-cleaning effect.

Influence of Pulse Steepness on Vacuum Flashover of Casting Epoxy Resin

Research on the pulsed flashover characteristics of vacuum insulation material is significant for the design and manufacture of pulse power devices. In view of the voltage increase rate of the fast pulse （pulse steepness）, the vacuum fiashover characteristics of pure epoxy under different steepnesses is investigated by using a pulse generator with parameters of a rise time of 40 ns and a full width at half maximum of 2.5 μs. Pulses with six levels of steepness were achieved by changing the charging voltage of the generator. Based on the linear equation and electron emission equation, the relationship between the flashover voltage and pulse steepness was fitted. By virtue of the fitted formula, it was possible to predict the flashover voltage under near DC or higher steepness conditions. Based on the electron emission equation, the relationship between the time delay and flashover field was also fitted. Result shows that F-N electron emission dominates the flashover process.

Surface charge accumulation behavior and its influence on surface flashover performance of Al2O3-filled epoxy resin insulators under DC voltages

Surface charge accumulation on insulator surface can have great influence on surface flashover performance.An experimental system is established to investigate surface charge accumulation and decay characteristics of Al2O3-filled epoxy resin insulators in 0.1 MPa SF6 under DC voltages.Surface potential is recorded by a Kelvin vibrating probe connected to an electrostatic voltmeter.By pre-depositing charges on insulator surface,the influence of surface charges on surface flashover performance is studied.The results reveal that surface charge distribution appearance is the combined effect of electrode injection,back discharge and gas ionization.Surface charge distribution has obvious polarity effect.It is concentrated near the HV electrode under positive voltages and dispersed under negative voltages.The difference in positive and negative surface flashover voltage is attributed to the difference in surface charge distribution under DC voltages of different polarities.Surface charge decay contains two stages,which satisfies the law of double exponential function.At first stage,surface charge decays fast,which corresponds to charges escaping from shallower traps.While it decays slowly at the second stage,which corresponds to charge escaping from deeper traps.Surface charge decay process is dominated by surface conductivity mechanism.The pre-deposited charges on insulation surface have great influence on surface flashover performance.The deposited positive charges can increase positive flashover voltage but decrease negative flashover voltage.

Trap distribution of polymeric materials and its effect on surface flashover in vacuum

The surface trap parameter can significantly affect the development of surface flashover in vacuum,but the effective mode and mechanism are not very clear yet.The trap parameters of three polymeric materials were tested and calculated by means of isothermal surface potential decay.The flashover experiment was developed under different applied voltages.The results show a positive correlation between the withstand voltage and the deep trap,i.e.,the deeper trap energy level is,the higher flashover voltage is.The dynamics process of charge trapping and detrapping was analyzed based on the charge transport model in dielectrics with a single trap level and two discrete trap levels.The time of charge trapping was compared with that of the discharge development.The results show that the charge trapping time is longer than the flashover development time.The way to influence flashover for a trap is not to decrease the secondary electrons in single discharge development,but to change the electric field distribution on the dielectric surface by charge capture.

Study on the Pulsed Flashover Characteristics of Solid-Solid Interface in Electrical Devices Poured by Epoxy Resin

In electrical devices poured by epoxy resin, there are a lot of interfaces between epoxy resin and other solid dielectrics, i.e. solid-solid interfaces. Experiments were carried out to study the flashover characteristics of two typical solid-solid interfaces （epoxy-ceramic and epoxy~ PMMA） under steep high-voltage impulse for different electrode systems （coaxial electrodes and finger electrodes） and different types of epoxy resin （neat epoxy resin, polyether modified epoxy resin and polyurethane modified epoxy resin）. Results showed that, the flashover of solid-solid interface is similar to the breakdown of solid dielectric, and there are unrecoverable carbonated tracks after flashover. Under the same distance of electrodes, the electric stress of coaxial electrodes is lower than that of finger electrodes; and after the flashover, there are more severe breakdown and larger enhanced surface conductivity at interface for coaxial electrodes, as compared with the case of finger electrode. The dielectric properties are also discussed.

Experimental Study of Electron Emission Characteristics of a Surface Flashover Trigger in a Low Pressure Environment

Characteristics of electron emission induced by a surface flashover trigger device in a low-pressure trigger switch were investigated. A test method to measure the emitted charges from the trigger device was developed, and the factors affecting the emitted charges were analyzed. The results indicated that the major emitted charges from the trigger device were induced by surface plasma generated by surface flashover occurring on the trigger dielectric material. The emitted charges and the peak emission current increased linearly with the change in the trigger voltage and bias voltage. The emitted charges collected from the anode were affected by the gap distance. However, the emitted charges were less affected by the anode diameter. Furthermore, the emitted charges and the peak emission current decreased rapidly with the increase in gas pressure in a range from 0 Pa to 100 Pa, and then remained stable or changed slightly when the increase in gas pressure up to 2400 Pa.

Experimental Study on Triggering Characteristics of a Surface Flashover Triggered Vacuum Switch

Triggering characteristics of triggered vacuum switch （TVS）, including the discharge delay time, delay jitter, range of operational voltage and peak of pulsed current, are investigated. Both structure and experimental circuit of TVS are presented. The results indicate that TVS, as a surface flashover triggering device with high dielectric permittivity material, is with excellent triggering characteristics. When the hold-off voltage reaches 120 kV, the minimum operational voltage is 1.3 kV, and the minimum discharge delay time and jitter are 100 ns and ±10 ns, respectively. The peak current is up to 240 kA when the operational voltage reaches 100 kV. TVS can well satisfy the main demands of high voltage and current applications, and can also be used under a multi-crowbar circuit.

Surface modification of silicone rubber by CF4 radio frequency capacitively coupled plasma for improvement of flashover

The flashover performance of insulating materials plays an important role in the development of high-voltage insulation systems.In this paper,silicone rubber(SIR)is modified by CF4 radio frequency capacitively coupled plasma(CCP)for the improvement of surface insulation performance.The discharge mode and active particles of CCP are diagnosed by the digital single-lens reflex and the spectrometer.Scanning electron microscopy and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy are used for the surface physicochemical properties of samples,while the surface charge dissipation,charge accumulation measurement,and flashover test are applied for the surface electrical characteristics.Experimental results show that the fluorocarbon groups can be grafted and the surface roughness increases after plasma treatment.Besides,the surface charge dissipation is decelerated and the positive charge accumulation is inhibited obviously for the treated samples.Furthermore,the surface flashover voltage can be increased by 26.67%after 10 min of treatment.It is considered that strong electron affinity of C–F and increased surface roughness can contribute to deepening surface traps,which not only inhibits the development of secondary electron emission avalanche but also alleviates the surface charge accumulation and finally improves the surface flashover voltage of SIR.

Study of Polluted Insulator Flashover Forecasting Based on Nonlinear Time Series Analysis

To solve the problem of the flashover forecasting of contaminated or polluted insulator,a flashover forecasting model of contaminated insulators based on nonlinear time series analysis is proposed in the paper.The ESDD is the key of flashover on polluted insulator.The ESDD value of insulator can be forecasted by the method of nonlinear time series analysis of the ESDD time series and a forecasting model of polluted insulator flashover is proposed in the paper.The forecasting model consists of two artificial neural networks that reflect relationship of environment,ESDD and flashover probability.The first is used to estimate the ESDD time series of insulator and the second is employed to calculate the probability of the flashover.A series of artificial pollution tests show that the results of the forecasting model is acceptable.

Generalized Blaze Flash,a“Flashover”Behavior for Forest Fires—Analysis from the Firefighter’s Point of View

The phenomenon called “flashover” or “eruptive fire” in forest fires is characterized by a sudden change in fire behavior: everything seems to burst into flames instantly and firefighters are overwhelmed by a sort of eruption, spreading at a speed at far several meters per second. Unfortunately it has cost several lives in the past. The reasons for such an accident always create controversy in the research field. Different theories are highlighted and especially two major axes are currently subject to discussion because they are very popular among people involved in fire-fighting. The one with regard to VOCs emissions is the best-known among firemen. Under great heat, during summer or with a fire approaching, plants emit VOCs and the more the temperature grows, the more the amount of VOCs emitted grows. Under specific conditions (essentially topographical, meteorological and atmospheric), the cloud of gas can accumulate in an appropriate zone. The concentration of VOCs may therefore reach the Lower Explosive Limit, triggering the burst of the cloud when in contact with the fire. The second theory depends on physical considerations. An example is based on a convective flow created by the fire itself. When a fire spreads on a slope, it creates an aspiration phenomenon in a way to supply the fire with oxygen. The more this phenomenon is important, the more the flames tilt and increase the rate of speed, needing even more oxygen and thus induced flow. This vicious circle can stabilize or have an erratic behavior to trigger off a fire eruption. This article presents these two theories, and especially the new advances on this research subject.

A Multiplex Multi-Stage Surface Flashover Switch

A new type of surface flashover switch, suitable for multiplex pulse generation, is studied. The switch is composed of several parallel rail gaps （PRGs）. Each multistage PRG is composed of several serial subgroup gaps （SSG） formed by intermediate electrodes. The trigger electrode of the switch is a common electrode isolated from the main discharge circuit and located parallel to the central line of PRGs. The multistage scheme of PRG is helpful to multi-channel discharge. The switch has some advantages, such as a low jitter, low conduct inductance and short switching time. These advantages and the multiplex scheme make the switch suitable for short frontal rising time pulse formation and accurate synchronization for a multi-module parallel operation device. In a primary test, the jitter of the switch is about 3.3 ns. It has been applied in a linear transformer device successfully.

Flashover Characteristics of Flat Plate Model Under DC Voltage in Wind-sand Condition

The influence of sand dust on discharge of external insulation has caused widespread concern.At present,the research results show wind-sand electricity has a remarkable effect on the discharge characteristics of insulator and has little influence on the discharge characteristics of air gap.The flashover of insulator strings occurs along the insulator surface and air gaps,and the sand dust deposited on the insulator surface may affect the flashover characteristics of insulator strings.This paper studies the flashover characteristics of flat plate model under DC voltage in wind-sand condition.The experimental results show that under positive polarity voltage,the flashover voltage of the flat plate model has a maximum value,while under negative polarity voltage,the flashover voltage of the flat plate model has a minimum value with a certain degree of sand dust deposition.The wind or sand in sand-dust weather has an important effect on the flashover characteristics of the flat plate model.In certain variation range of electric charge,electric charge of sand dust has little effect on the flashover voltage of flat plate model under DC voltage.The deposition of sand has significant influence on the flashover process of flat plate model,which is related to the deposition density and moisture content of sand particle.

Resistance Measurements and Interpretations Relating to Flashover of Artificially Contaminated Ceramic Insulator Strings

The flashover of insulator strings occurring at normal working voltages undercontaminated/polluted conditions, obviously deserves serious consideration. Though much researchhas been gone into pollution-induced flashover phenomena but grey areas still exist in ourknowledge. In the present experimental study the breakdown (flashover) voltages across gaps oninsulator top surfaces and gaps between sheds (on the underside of an insulator), also the flashoverstudies on a single unit and a 3-unit insulator strings were carried out. An attempt has been madeto correlate the values obtained for all the cases. From the present investigation it was found thatresistance measurement of individual units of a polluted 3-unit string before and after flashoverindicates that strongly differing resistances could be the cause of flashover of ceramic discinsulator strings.

Experimental Research of ZnO Surface Flashover Trigger Device of Pseudo-Spark Switch

Pseudo-spark switch（PSS） is one of the most widely used discharge switches for pulse power technology.It has many special characteristics such as reliability in a wide voltage range,small delay time,as well as small delay jitter.In this paper,the measuring method for the initial plasma of ZnO surface flashover triggering device of PSS is studied and the results of the measurement show that the electron emission charge is mainly influenced by trigger voltage,gas pressure and DC bias voltage.When the bias voltage increases from 2 kV to 6 kV with the gap distancc fixed at 3 mm,the electron emission charge changes from 2 μC to about 6μC.When the gap distance changes from 3 mm to 5 mm with the bias voltage fixed at 2 kV,the electron emission charge increases from 1.5 μC to 2.5μC.When the gap distance is 4 mm,the hold-off voltage of PSS is 45 kV at gas pressure of 2 Pa,the minimum operating voltage is less than 1 kV.So,the operating scope is from 2.22%to 99%of its self-breakdown voltage.The discharging delay time decreases from 450 ns to 150 ns when the trigger pulse voltage is 1 kV and the discharging voltage is changed from 1 kV to 12 kV.When the trigger pulse voltage is 6 kV,the discharging delay time is less than 100 ns and changes from 100 ns to 50 ns,and the delay jitters are less than30 ns.

Zinc Oxide Surface Flashover Triggering of Pseudospark Switch

Accurate and reliable triggering is one of the most important issues with high power pseudospark switch, because it not only has an impact on the design of discharge chamber of switch, but also has an influence on the dynamic range of operation voltage, repetition frequencies and lifetime of switch. The unique feature of pseudospark switch is its hollow cathode geometry. The hollow cathode effect produced by the hollow cathode provides the protection of the switch for the triggering unit from erosion by high discharge plasma. In this paper, a zinc oxide (ZnO) surface flashover triggering is presented. This trigger unit possesses an excellent time delay (80 ns - 360 ns) and jitter (20 ns - 50 ns) at the switch voltage of 30 kV - 2 kV. The emitted plasma electron density is high enough to trigger switch reliably down to switch voltage of 440 V.

A LS-SVM （Least Squares Support Vector Machines） Approach for Predicting Critical Flashover Voltage of Polluted Insulators

LS-SVM （least squares support vector machines） are a class of kemel machines emphasizing on primal-dual aspects in a constrained optimization framework. LS-SVMs aim at extending methodologies typical of classical support vector machines for problems beyond classification and regression. This paper describes a methodology that was developed for the prediction of the critical flashover voltage of polluted insulators by using a LS-SVM. The methodology uses as input variables characteristics of the insulator such as diameter, height, creepage distance, form factor and equivalent salt deposit density. The estimation offlashover performance of polluted insulators is based on field experience and laboratory tests are invaluable as they significantly reduce the time and labour involved in insulators design and selection. The majority of the variables to be predicted are dependent upon several independent variables. The results from this work are useful to predict the contamination severity, critical flashover voltage as a function of contamination severity, arc length, and especially to predict the flashover voltage. The validity of the approach was examined by testing several insulators with different geometries. Moreover, the performance of the proposed approach with other intelligence method based on ANN （artificial neural networks） is compared. It can be concluded that the LS-SVM approach has better generalization ability that assist the measurement and monitoring of contamination severity, flashover voltage and leakage current.

Analysis of Flashover Characteristics under Nanosecond Pulsed Coaxial Electric Field

Under nanosecond pulsed coaxial electric field, surface flashover voltage over the interfaces between nylon 1010 and transformer oil increases almost linearly with gap length, and the steeper rising edge of applied pulse, the higher flash-over voltage. Surface flashover properties are closely related to the electric field at the triple junctions of solid-liquid-electrode and the field gradient along the interfaces. Although the increased difference between inner and outer electrode radii will enhance electric field strength at the triple junctions and nonuniformity degree of potential distribution along interfaces, it reduces simultaneously terribly the surface field strength of coaxial inner electrode, so that flashover voltage doesn’t descend, but ascends almost linearly with gap length. The average flashover strength in coaxial electric field can be estimated by that in uniform electric field for large enough difference between inner and outer electrode radii, which is useful to practical engineering design for coaxial pulsed power apparatuses.