The Impact of Cavity Size on Electric Field Distribution and PD Inception Voltage in Epoxy-resin Insulation

Cavities in insulation systems of active high voltage (HV) equipment affect their performance, reliability and useful life periods. Cavities serve as flash points for enhanced field activity leading to ageing from partial discharge (PD) events and subsequent breakdown of the insulation material. In this paper, the impact of cavity diameter on the electric field distribution as well as on PD inception voltage are investigated in an Epoxy-resin insulation sample. A 3D adequate model of the sample with a spherical cavity was created and simulated in COMSOL for different cavity sizes and applied voltage stresses respectively. The simulation results indicate that both field distribution and the PD inception voltages are strongly influenced by cavity size as well as the applied voltage magnitude. The electric field intensity was observed to be higher in cavities with smaller diameter relative to the insulation bulk, while the inception voltage decreases with increase in the cavity diameter and vice-versa.

I. Introduction

Insulation is a critical components of any high voltage (HV) equipment. Its quality goes a long way in determining the efficiency and reliability of the apparatus in service. Insulation breakdown may lead to local disturbance such as as equipment malfunction, and subsequent failure. Thus, insulation condition monitoring is extremely important for healthy operation of the HV plants [1][2].