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.

Rational surface charge engineering of haloalkane dehalogenase for boosting the enzymatic performance in organic solvent solutions

Biocatalysis in organic solvents(OSs)has numerous important applications,but native enzymes in OSs often exhibit limited catalytic performance.Herein,we proposed a computation-aided surface charge engineering strategy to improve the catalytic performance of haloalkane dehalogenase DhaA in OSs based on the energetic analysis of substrate binding to the DhaA surface.Several variants with enhanced OS resistance were obtained by replacing negative charged residues on the surface with positive charged residue(Arg).Particularly,a four-substitution variant E16R/E93R/E121R/E257R exhibited the best catalytic performance(five-fold improvement in OS resistance and seven-fold half-life increase in 40%(vol)dimethylsulfoxide).As a result,the overall catalytic performance of the variant could be at least 26 times higher than the wild-type DhaA.Fluorescence spectroscopy and molecular dynamics simulation studies revealed that the residue substitution mainly enhanced OS resistance from four aspects:(a)improved the overall structural stability,(b)increased the hydrophobicity of the local microenvironment around the catalytic triad,(c)enriched the hydrophobic substrate around the enzyme molecule,and(d)lowered the contact frequency between OS molecules and the catalytic triad.Our findings validate that computationaided surface charge engineering is an effective and ingenious rational strategy for tailoring enzyme performance in OSs.

Decay characters of charges on an insulator surface after different types of discharge

In an insulating system including solid and gas dielectrics, discharge type has a strong impact on charge accumulation at the interface between two dielectrics, and hence charge decay. In order to clarify the influence, a surface charge measurement system was constructed, and three types of discharge, i.e. surface discharge, and low intensity and high intensity coronas, were introduced to cause surface charge accumulation. The decay behavior of surface charges after different types of discharge was obtained at various temperatures. It was found that total surface charges monotonically decreased with time, and the decay rate became larger as temperature increased. However, after a surface discharge or a high intensity corona, surface charge density in the local area appeared to fluctuate during the decay process. Compared with this, the fluctuation of surface charge density was not observed after a low intensity corona. The mechanisms of surface charge accumulation and decay were analysed. Moreover, a microscopic physical model involving charge production, accumulation, and decay was proposed so that the experimental results could be explained.

Insulator Surface Charge Measurement Using an Improved Capacitive Probe

A surface charge measuring system using the capacitive probe method is analysed. The present study shows that the measuring system cannot have a steady-state output and that the error resulting from the finite leakage resistance of the measuring system will be accumulated during the measuring process. Based on the theoretical analysis a new type probe with a low charge leakage and high resolution is designed. The surface charge accumulated on the Teflon insulator under a DC voltage is measured using this new probe and some phenomena of the surface charging are reported.

Surface Charge Accumulation Characteristics on DC GIL Three-post Insulators Considering the Influence of Temperature Gradient

Surface charge accumulation is considered to be a critical factor in flashover failure of three-post insulators.However,surface charge accumulation characteristics on threepost insulators with complex structures and uneven electric fields are still unclear.Furthermore,the temperature gradient field makes charge accumulation more complicated.In this presentation,surface charge profiles of DC three-post insulators under electro-thermal coupling stress are studied by establishing a multi-degree-of-freedom movement measurement system.The abdominal area of the three-post insulator accumulaftes charges of identical polarity as the DC voltage,while the leg area accumulates heteropolar charges.Charge density from the bottom of the leg to the center of the abdomen presents a trimodal distribution pattern,including two homopolar charge peaks and one heteropolar charge peak.Asymmetrical surface conductance distribution arising from the temperature gradient leads to a significant increase in amplitude and distribution range of the homopolar charge peak at the legs of insulator.Increase of the temperature gradient will further magnify the homopolar charge peak at the legs.When DC voltage is 100 kV and conductive pole temperature is 70℃,surface charge density of the three-post insulator can reach 100μC/m^(2).Therefore,surface conductance regulation of the leg region is the key to charge regulation and insulation optimization design of DC three-post insulators.

All-organic modification coating prepared with large-scale atmospheric-pressure plasma for mitigating surface charge accumulation

The surface charge accumulation on polymers often leads to surface flashover.Current solutions are mainly based on the introduction of inorganic fillers.The high-cost process and low compatibility remain formidable challenges.Moreover,existing researches on all-organic insulation focus on capturing electrons,contrary to alleviating charge accumulation.Here,an all-organic modification coating was prepared on polystyrene(PS)with the large-scale atmospheric-pressure plasma,which exhibits outperformed function in mitigating surface charge accumulation.The surface charge dissipation rate and surface conductivity are promoted by about 1.37 and 9.45 times,respectively.Simulation and experimental results show that this all-organic modification coating has a smaller electron affinity potential compared with PS.The decrease of electron affinity potential may result in accelerated surface charge decay of PS,which has never been involved in previous works.Moreover,this coating also has good reliability in a repeated surface flashover.This facile and large-scale approach brings up a novel idea for surface charge regulation and the manufacture of advanced dielectric polymers.

THEORETICAL ANALYSIS OF CHARGE ACCUMULATION ON INSULATOR SURFACE UNDER IMPULSE VOLTAGE IN A GAS INSULATED SWITCHGEAR

Objective To investigate the process and mechanism of insulator surface charge accumulation under impulse voltage, a dynamic equation was established for describing the relationship between surface charge density and applied voltage. Results The established equation is more generalized in comparison with that given by other previous investigators. Constants A, B for typical electrodes used in the present equation are specified. The process and mechanism of surface charge accumulation under impulse voltage are studied and the factors that influence surface charge accumulation discussed. Conclusion The present theoretical studies help to explain why surface charging can be accomplished instantly under impulse voltage, and determine the factors influencing surface charge accumulation. The findings confirmed some surface charging phenomena observed in GIS by some previous investigators.

Surface charge accumulation of post insulator: Dominant charge transition under different conditions

An insulator surface charge may be responsible for flashover along the insulator surface.In this study,experimental investigations of post insulator surface charge are performed using a variety of voltage,gas type,and gas pressure conditions.Combining the model of surface charge transport,the dominant charge transition is revealed considering gas partial discharge.The results show that hetero‐polar charge accumulates near the high voltage electrodes on the insulator at one atmospheric pressure with an applied DC voltage ranging from-10 to-60 kV.The area ratio of the hetero‐polar charge increases from 23%to 53%.It also generates a reversed polarity of surface charges.Under-20 kV,the surface charge near the grounded electrode gradually becomes homo‐polar charges with the decrease of SF6 in 0.5 MPa SF6/N2 gas mixtures.In this case,the most dominant pathway for charge accumulation is through the insulation gas rather than the insulator.For the 20%SF6/80%N2 gas mixtures,homo‐polar charge speckles appear near the grounded plate electrode when the pressure of SF6/N2 gas mixtures decreases to 0.1 MPa.This means that the partial discharge occurs in gas side under a lower gas pressure.Refer to the presenting findings,the dominant charge transition on post in-sulators is provided as an important reference.

Ferromagnetic-insulators-modulated transport properties on the surface of a topological insulator

Transport properties on the surface of a topological insulator （TI） under the modulation of a two-dimensional （2D） ferromagnet/ferromagnet junction are investigated by the method of wave function matching. The single ferromagnetic barrier modulated transmission probability is expected to be a periodic function of the polarization angle and the planar rotation angle, that decreases with the strength of the magnetic proximity exchange increasing. However, the transmission probability for the double ferromagnetic insulators modulated n-n junction and n-p junction is not a periodic function of polarization angle nor planar rotation angle, owing to the combined effects of the double ferromagnetic insulators and the barrier potential. Since the energy gap between the conduction band and the valence band is narrowed and widened respectively in ranges of 0 ≤ 0 〈π/2 and r/2 〈 0 ≤ π, the transmission probability of the n-n junction first increases rapidly and then decreases slowly with the increase of the magnetic proximity exchange strength. While the transmission probability for the n-p junction demonstrates an opposite trend on the strength of the magnetic proximity exchange because the band gaps contrarily vary. The obtained results may lead to the possible realization of a magnetic/electric switch based on TIs and be useful in further understanding the surface states of TIs.

Speciation and fractionation of heavy metals in soil experimentally contaminated with Pb, Cd, Cu and Zn together and effects on soil negative surface charge

Speciation and fractionation of heavy metals in soil subsamples experimentally loaded with Pb, Cd, Cu and Zn in orthogonal design was investigated by sequential extraction, and operationally defined as water soluble and exchangeable(SE), weakly specific adsorbed(WSA), Fe and Mn oxides bound(OX) and organic bound(ORG). The results showed that fractions of heavy metals in the soil subsamples depended on their speciation. About 90% of Cd and 75% of Zn existed in soil subsamples in the SE fraction. Lead and Cu existed in soil subsamples as SE, WSA and OX fractions simultaneously, although SE was still the major fraction. Organic bound heavy metals were not clearly apparent in all the soil subsamples. The concentration of some heavy metal fractions in soil subsamples showed the good correlation with ionic impulsion of soil, especially for the SE fraction. Continuous saturation of soil subsamples with 0.20 mol/L NH 4Cl, which is the first step for determination of the negative surface charge of soil by the ion retention method, resulted in desorption of certain heavy metals from the soil. It was found that the percentage desorption of heavy metals from soil subsamples depended greatly on pH, the composition and original heavy metal content of the soil subsamples. However, most of the heavy metals in the soil subsamples were still be retained after multiple saturation. Compared with the parent soil, the negative surface charge of soil subsamples loaded with heavy metals did not show difference significantly from that of the parent one by statistical analysis. Heavy metals existed in the soil subsamples mainly as exchangeable and precipitated simultaneously.

Calibration Algorithm of Surface Charge Density on Insulating Materials Measured by Pockels Technique

Surface charges greatly affect the discharge/flashover development process across an insulator. The relationship between surface charge distribution on insulating materials and measurement data based on Pockels technique is discussed, and an improved algorithm is built to calculate the real surface charge density from original data. In this algorithm, two-dimensional Fourier transform technique and Wiener filter are employed to reduce the amount of numerical calculation and improve the stability of computation, Moreover, this algorithm considers not only the influence of sample＇s thickness and permittivity, but also the impact of charges at different positions. The achievement of this calibration algorithm is demonstrated in details. Compared with traditional algorithms, the improved one supplies a better solution in the calibration of surface charge distribution on different samples with different thickness.

Measurement of surface charges on the dielectric film based on field mills under the HVDC corona wire

The ion flow field on the ground is one of the significant parameters used to evaluate the electromagnetic environment of high voltage direct current（HVDC） power lines.HVDC lines may cross the greenhouses due to the restricted transmission corridors.Under the condition of ion flow field,the dielectric films on the greenhouses will be charged,and the electric fields in the greenhouses may exceed the limit value.Field mills are widely used to measure the groundlevel direct current electric fields under the HVDC power lines.In this paper,the charge inversion method is applied to calculate the surface charges on the dielectric film according to the measured ground-level electric fields.The advantages of hiding the field mill probes in the ground are studied.The charge inversion algorithm is optimized in order to decrease the impact of measurement errors.Based on the experimental results,the surface charge distribution on a piece of quadrate dielectric film under a HVDC corona wire is studied.The enhanced effect of dielectric film on ground-level electric field is obviously weakened with the increase of film height.Compared with the total electric field strengths,the normal components of film-free electric fields at the corresponding film-placed positions have a higher effect on surface charge accumulation.

Study of Leakage Current Behaviour on Artificially Polluted Surface of Ceramic Insulator

This paper presents the results of the study concerning to the leakagecurrent behaviour on artificially polluted ceramic insulator surface. From the present study it wasobserved that there is a reasonably well-defined inception of current i.e. scintillations at afinite voltage, The corresponding voltages for extinction of the current are in the range of 0.8 kVto 2.1 kV. Obviously, the dry band formed in the immediate vicinity of the pin prevents smoothcurrent flow as the voltage rises from zero. Only when the voltage is adequate it causes a flashoverof the dry band and current starts flowing. As is common in similar current extinction phenomena,here also, the extinction voltages are significantly lower than the inception voltages. Further, thevoltage-current curves invariably show hysteresis - the leakage currents are lower in the reducingportion of the voltage. This is obviously due to drying of the wet pollutant layer therebyincreasing its resistance. It is believed that this is the first time that such a directquantitative evidence of drying in individual half cycles is experimentally visualized.

Effects of Size and Surface Charge of Polymeric Nanoparticles on in Vitro and in Vivo Applications

Biodegradable polymeric materials are the most common carriers for use in drug delivery systems. With this trend, newer drug delivery systems using targeted and controlled release polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) are being developed to manipulate their navigation in complex in vivo environment. However, a clear understanding of the interactions between biological systems and these nanoparticulates is still unexplored. Different studies have been performed to correlate the physicochemical properties of polymeric NPs with the biological responses. Size and surface charge are the two fundamental physicochemical properties that provide a key direction to design an effective NP formulation. In this critical review, our goal is to provide a brief overview on the influences of size and surface charge of different polymeric NPs in vitro and to highlight the challenges involved with in vivo trials.

Correlation between surface charge and hydration on mineral surfaces in aqueous solutions: A critical review

Surface charges and hydration are predominant properties of colloidal particles that govern colloidal stability in aqueous suspensions.These properties usually coexist and interact with each other.The correlation between the surface charge and hydration of minerals is summarized on the basis of innovative experimental,theoretical,and molecular dynamics simulation studies.The factors affecting the adsorption behavior of ions and water molecules,such as ion concentration,ion hydration radius and valence,and surface properties,are discussed.For example,the hydration and adsorption states completely differ between monovalent and divalent ions.For ions of the same valence,the effect of surface charge on the hydration force follows the Hofmeister adsorption series.Electrolyte concentration exerts a significant effect on the hydration force at high ion concentrations.Meanwhile,the ion correlations in high-concentration electrolyte systems become long range.The interfacial water structure largely depends on surface chemistry.The hydration layer between different surfaces shows large qualitative differences.

Pretreatment of Chrysotile With Rare Earth Compounds Lowered Its Cytotoxicity by Lessening Surface Charges

Pathological effects of asbestos are probably dependent on the special surface properties of the fibers, such as surface charge, surface metal ions. The present study was designed to determine whether the pretreatment of chrysotile asbestos fibers (CAF) with rare earth compounds (REC) solution can reduce their pathogenicity. The results showed that REC-pretreated CAF induced less nitrogen oxide (NO) production by alveolar macrophages (AM). In addition, the pretreatment lowered the capacity of hemolysis and the methylene blue (MB) adsorption of the native CAF. These findings suggested that the pretreatment of CAF with REC solution reduced the in vitro toxicity of CAF by lessening its surface charges. Nevertheless, the pathogenicity and the carcinogenicity of REC-pretreated CAF in vivo remain to be investigated.

Elastic scattering of surface states on three-dimensional topological insulators

Topological insulators as a new type of quantum matter materials are characterized by a full insulating gap in the bulk and gapless edge/surface states protected by the time-reversal symmetry. We propose that the interference patterns caused by the elastic scattering of defects or impurities are dominated by the surface states at the extremal points on the constant energy contour. Within such a formalism, we summarize our recent theoretical investigations on the elastic scattering of topological surface states by various imperfections, including non-magnetic impurities, magnetic impurities, step edges, and various other defects, in comparison with the recent related experiments in typical topological materials such as BiSb alloys, Bi2Te3, and Bi2Se3 crystals.

Electrical modeling of dielectric barrier discharge considering surface charge on the plasma modified material

We present the variations of electrical parameters of dielectric barrier discharge(DBD)when the DBD generator is used for the material modification,whereas the relevant physical mechanism is also elaborated.An equivalent circuit model is applied for a DBD generator working in a filament discharging mode,considering the addition of epoxy resin(EP)as the plasma modified material.The electrical parameters are calculated through the circuit model.The surface conductivity,surface potential decay,trap distributions and surface charge distributions on the EP surface before and after plasma treatments were measured and calculated.It is found that the coverage area of micro-discharge channels on the EP surface is increased with the discharging time under the same applied AC voltage.The results indicate that the plasma modified material could influence the ignition of new filaments in return during the modification process.Moreover,the surface conductivity and density of shallow traps with low trap energy of the EP samples increase after the plasma treatment.The surface charge distributions indicate that the improved surface properties accelerate the movement and redistribution of charge carriers on the EP surface.The variable electrical parameters of discharge are attributed to the redistribution of deposited surface charge on the plasma modified EP sample surface.

Simulation of Electric Field Distribution along Insulator Surface in Polluted Environments

In recent years,more than 50%of the cities in the inland area of our country have suffered from moderate pollution.It can affect the distribution of electric field along the surface of insulator and the pollution characteristics of its surface area,even endanger the safe operation of transmission lines.This paper takes the XSP-160 porcelain three umbrella insulator under the action of 0–±30 kV DC voltage as the research object,and establishes the physical model of the insulator;uses COMSOL software to simulate the electric field of the insulator.The comparison with the results of the wind tunnel test of North China Electric Power University verifies the rationality of the simulation method.In view of the medium pollution environment which often occurs in the inland area,the force of the polluted particles deposited on the insulator under 110 kV DC voltage was analyzed.The distribution characteristics of the electric field along the surface in the clean and three kinds of pollution environment(light,medium and heavy)were simulated and compared.The results showed that:1)In the moderate pollution environment,the influence of fluid drag force on the movement of polluted particles is greater at the initial stage(0.28–0.33 s);at the late stage(after 0.33 s),the influence of the electric field force begins to increase,and gradually plays a major role in the process of fouling.2)In the three different polluted environments,the potential along the surface of each umbrella skirt of the insulator increases non-linearly with the increasing of the pollution concentration,and there are apparent potential inflection points near b and l.3)The pollution particle concentration has the most obvious influence on the electric field along the low-voltage umbrella skirt,whose potential distortion rate can be up to 220 times in the heavy polluted environment.

Thermoelectric Transport by Surface States in Bi2Se3-Based Topological Insulator Thin Films

We develop a tractable theoretical model to investigate the thermoelectric （TE） transport properties of surface states in topological insulator thin films （TITFs） of Bi2Sea at room temperature. The hybridization between top and bottom surface states in the TITF plays a significant role. With the increasing hybridization-induced surface gap, the electrical conductivity and electron thermal conductivity decrease while the Seebeck coefficient increases. This is due to the metal-semiconductor transition induced by the surface-state hybridization. Based on these TE transport coefficients, the TE figure-of-merit ZT is evaluated. It is shown that ZT can be greatly improved by the surface-state hybridization. Our theoretical results are pertinent to the exploration of the TE transport properties of surface states in TITFs and to the potential application of Bi2Sea-based TITFs as high-performance TE materials and devices.