Surface Discharge Characteristics Study on the Laminated Solid Insulator in Quasi-Uniform Electric Field with Dry Air

Dry air is an excellent alternative to SF6 gas and is used as an insulation gas in Eco- friendly Gas Insulated Switchgears (EGISs), which has gained popularity in industry. Solid insulators in EGIS play an important role in electrical insulation. On the other hand, surface discharge can occur easily when solid insulators are used. This paper explored the surface discharge characteristics on the structure of three-layered laminated solid insulators to elevate the flashover voltage. A laminated solid insulator was inserted after the quasi-uniform electric field was formed in the test chamber. Dry air was then injected to set the internal pressure to 1 ~ 6 atm, and the AC voltage was applied. When identical solid insulators were stacked, the surface discharge characteristics were similar to those of a single solid insulator. On the other hand, the flashover voltage rose when the middle part was thicker and had lower permittivity than the top and bottom parts in the laminated solid insulator. Based on experimental results, when stacking a solid insulator in three layers, the middle part of the solid insulator should be at least four times as thick as the top and bottom parts and have lower permittivity than the others. In addition, the flashover voltage increased with increasing gas pressure on the surface of the laminated solid insulator due to the gas effect. This study may allow insulation design engineers to have useful information when using dry air for the insulation gas where the surface discharge can occur.