On Electric Stresses at Wedge-shaped Oil Gaps in Power Transformers with Application to Surface Discharge and Breakdown

H.-Z. Ding (1), Z. D. Wang (1) and P. Jarman (2) (1) University of Manchester, School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering P. O. Box 88, Sackville Street, Manchester M60 1QD, UK (2) National Grid, NG House, Warwick Technology Park, Warwick CV34 6DA, UK
Abstract- The problem of a high-voltage applied to a wedgeshaped oil gap in power transformers is considered as far as induced distortions and tangential electric stresses are concerned. Near-tip distortions and electric stress concentration occur due to the essentially difference in the relative permittivity between the insulating oil and the pressboard. When the magnitude of tangential electric stress intensity reaches a critical threshold value, surface discharge and breakdown occurs at the oil/pressboard interface. In this work, a simplified computation model is developed for the quantitative analysis of the distribution of electric stress and the breakdown electric field strength in the wedge-shaped oil gap in power transformers. The detailed computation results on the effects of pressboard permittivity and thickness on the surface discharge inception voltage are presented. It shows that the surface discharge inception voltage is a function of pressboard permittivity and thickness; and the value of surface discharge inception voltage decreases with increasing dielectric permittivity.

I. INTRODUCTION Surface discharge and breakdown is a phenomenon that commonly occurs in the composite oil-pressboard insulation system in oil-filled power transformers [1-6], and likely one of the most dangerous failure modes that typically results in a catastrophic failure of power transformer at normal operating conditions [7,8]. The problem comes from the design of the high voltage insulation structure of oil-filled power transformers, where the withstand and the breakdown strengths of the coil section of oil-filled transformers are dominated by the partial discharge inception voltage of the wedge-shaped oil gaps that, as shown in Fig. 1, are usually made of the paper insulated conductors, mineral insulating oil and the pressboard barriers. Due to the essentially difference in the relative permittivity between the oil and the pressboard which causes the electric field stress concentration on the insulating oil gap, the wedge-shaped oil gaps are in fact the insulating weak parts in transformers [1,3,5]. When the partial discharges are caused by various factors within the wedgeshaped oil gap, these discharges will develop onto the oil/pressboard interface to initiate surface discharge under AC voltage condition. Such a phenomenon in some cases occurs continuously and causes deterioration of pressboard surface, which ultimately results in failure of transformer insulation

system. In practical insulation system, however, this is a progressive phenomenon which may not be noticed during the early stages of its occurrence due to its low magnitude. In order to explore the quantitative description for surface discharge occurrence and development on the pressboard surface in oil, one needs to know something of the distribution of electric stress and the breakdown electric field strength in the wedge-shaped oil gap. Very little has been published with regard to the surface discharge characteristics of pressboard in transformer mineral oil. This may be because this topic almost exclusively involves very inhomogeneous stresses, and a rigorous analysis of the electric stress distribution in the wedge-shaped oil gap and particularly the tangential electric stress induced at the oil/pressboard interfaces should be based on nonlinear field theories. However, it is insightful to proceed with simpler calculations based on a quasi-uniform field in a narrow oil gap. This paper will attempt to show that a simplified computation analysis of the electric stress distribution at wedge-shaped oil gap can lead to a quantitative prediction of the relationship between the surface discharge inception voltage and the dielectric permittivity of the surrounding medium. The evidence for the validity of this relationship is discussed briefly. II. THE MODELS A. Determining the wedge-shaped oil gap length Without loss of generality, a partially sphere to partially sphere brass electrode system is selected for illustrating the electric stress analysis and wedge-shaped oil gap length calculation. A cross-section of the tested electrode geometry and pressboard arrangement that is used in this study is shown in Fig. 2. The oil gap length in the wedge-shaped oil gap can be considered as the length ROW in the radical direction from the surface of the high-voltage electrode, and a simple mathematical computation gives

1 1 R OW = R cos

(1)

Where R = 25 mm is the radius of spherically-capped electrodes, and is the polar angle on the spherically-capped electrode counted from the symmetry axis.

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Coil Wedge-shaped oil gap

between the electrode and the pressboard, the electric field stress can be expressed approximately as [10]
E oil , pb

s ( s + 1)
2
pb

E oil =

s ( s + 1)V 2 (d + 2 R (1 cos ) )

(3)

where s =
Pressboard Insulating paper

oil is the relative permittivity.

C. Determining the breakdown electric field strength distribution within the wedge-shaped oil gap

The relationship between the oil gap distance d (mm) and the breakdown electric stress E B (kV/mm) in the oil gap can be experimentally determined as follows [11]

Fig.1. Schematic description of the cross section of disc type high voltage windings and its insulating structure

E B = 34 . 784 d 0 .237

(4)

R=25mm

Assuming that (4) is still valid for the relationship between the breakdown field strength and the gap length in the wedgeshaped oil gap. Substituting (1) into (4) derives
1 1 E B ,OW = 16 . 221 cos
Row 1 = R 1 cos
0 .237

HV A Pressboard Mineral oil Earth electrode

Fig. 2. Electric stress analysis and oil gap length computation model

(5)

This is the breakdown electric field strength equation in the wedge-shaped oil gap. III. THE RESULTS A. Electric stress and strength distributions within the wedgeshaped oil gap Figs. 3-5 show the electric stress distribution curves and the strength curve of the wedge-shaped oil gap as a function of the polar angle on the spherically-capped electrode counted from the symmetry axis (equivalently the oil gap width), for three different pressboard thicknesses of 3.0, 1.8 and 1.5 mm, respectively. Partial breakdown of the wedge-shaped oil gap can be considered as occurring when the electric stress is higher than the strength of the oil. As a result, for example in Fig. 3, for applied AC voltages less than 54 kV, the strength of the oil is higher than the stress, and so dielectric breakdown of the wedge-shaped oil gap does not occur. When the applied AC voltage is increased to 54 kV, both the stress and the strength curves intersect for the first time at = 11 .2 and E = 41.16 kV/mm, i.e. at this contact point the electric field stress is equal to the strength of the oil, so that the first partial breakdown of the oil gap occurs here. The applied AC voltage value of 54 kV can therefore be viewed as the estimated inception voltage for the occurrence of surface discharges at the oil and the pressboard interface for pressboard thickness of 3.0 mm. Further, if the magnitude of tangential component of electric field stress that results in surface discharge occurrence (due to the wedge-shaped oil gap breakdown) could be assumed as a criterion of dielectric surface strength of pressboard, then the magnitude of tangential component of

pb
2

B. Electric stress distribution within the wedge-shaped oil gap Consider first the electric stress distribution in an oil gap only between two conductive spheres of the same radius. For a quasi-uniform field in a narrow oil gap between two spherical electrodes, the electric stress distribution on the electrode surface near the symmetry axis can be calculated approximately by [9] E oil V d + 2 R (1 cos ) (2)

Where V is the applied AC voltage, d is the oil gap length along an axis between electrodes, R and are the same as previously noted. Then, with pressboard inserted between two spherical electrodes, the electric stress in the wedge-shaped oil gap will be redistributed. Numerical computations on electric field behavior at a triple junction in composite dielectric arrangements have shown that near and at the point of contact

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electric stress could be estimated in terms of the polar angle = 11 .2 and E = 41.16 kV/mm as E t = 8 .11 kV/mm. In the same way, the estimated inception voltage for the occurrence of surface discharges for both 1.8 and 1.5 mm thicknesses of pressboard can be found 36.5 kV and 31.8 kV; and the corresponding tangential electric stress is 7.16 and 6.82 kV/mm, respectively. The calculated results of electric stresses for occurrence of surface discharges are summarized in Table 1. It is interesting to note that these calculated tangential electric stresses are in good agreement with the reported data by Sokolov who claimed that surface discharge could occur subjected to an electric stress of 6.5-12.5 kV/mm on condition if for virgin dry and clean insulation, and ratio of average and maximum field intensity in oil gap is 0.4-0.5 or less [7, 8].

TABLE 1 CALCULATED ELECTRIC STRESSES FOR THE OCCURRENCE OF SURFACE DISCHARGE AT THE PRESSBOARD SURFACE Pressboard thickness (mm) Oil gap breakdown voltage (kV) Polar angle (, degree) E (kV/mm) Et = E * tan() (kV/mm) 3.0 54 11.2 41.16 8.11 1.8 36.5 8.8 46.25 7.16 1.5 31.8 8.1 47.92 6.82

80

40 kV 35 kV

Electric breakdown strength in the oil gap

Electric stress (kV/mm)

60

31.8 kV 30 kV 25 kV

(8.1 , 47.92 kV/mm)

80
70 kV

40

20 kV

Electric breakdown strength in the oil gap

Electric stress (kV/mm)

60

60 kV 54 kV 50 kV

(11.2 , 41.16 kV/mm)

20

40

40 kV 30 kV

10 Angle (degree)

15

20

20

20 kV

Fig.5. Electric stress and strength in the wedge-shaped oil gap for mineral oil with 1.5 mm thick virgin pressboard (oil = 2.2, pb = 4.4)

10 Angle (degree)

15

20

Surface discharge inception voltage (kV)

100 80 60 40 20 0 3.0

Pressboard thickness 3.0 mm 1.8 mm 1.5 mm

Fig.3. Electric stress and strength in the wedge-shaped oil gap for mineral oil with 3 mm thick virgin pressboard (oil = 2.2, pb = 4.4)

80
40 kV

Electric breakdown strength in the oil gap

Electric stress (kV/mm)

60

(8.8 , 46.25 kV/mm)

36.5 kV 30 kV

3.5

4.0

4.5

5.0

5.5

6.0

Relative permittivity of pressboard, pb

40

25 kV 20 kV

Fig.6. Calculated values for the surface discharge inception voltage as a function of pressboard permittivity and thickness (oil = 2.2)

20

10 Angle (degree)

15

20

Fig.4. Electric stress and strength in the wedge-shaped oil gap for mineral oil with 1.8 mm thick virgin pressboard (oil = 2.2, pb = 4.4)

B. Effect of pressboard permittivity and thickness on the surface discharge inception voltage Fig. 6 summarizes the calculated values for the surface discharge inception voltage as a function of pressboard permittivity and thickness, for dry and clean mineral oil with relative permittivity of oil = 2.2. It is evident that the surface discharge inception voltage decreases with increasing dielectric permittivity of the pressboard. This finally leads to the possibility of comparing a theoretically determined surface

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discharge inception voltage with the individual experimentally measurable values and their mean values. IV. VERIFICATION OF MAXIMUM ELECTRIC STRESS SITE BY SIMULATION The distribution of the electric field stress between the tested partially sphere electrodes has been simulated using the FEM simulation package-OPERA-3D. Figs. 7 and 8 show simulated equi-potential lines and electric stress distribution between electrodes, respectively. It has been found that the maximum electric stress occurs at the site of the polar angle = 7 . 63 for 1.8 mm thick pressboard, and = 11 . 15 for 3.0 mm thick pressboard. The good agreement between the 3-D FEM simulated results and the theoretically calculated values (see Table 1) on the maximum electric stress site provides evidence for the validity of the proposed simpler modeling approach.

V. CONCLUSIONS This study has focused on electric stresses at wedge-shaped oil gaps in power transformers with application to surface discharge and breakdown. The findings are summarized as follows: (1) The breakdown electric field strength equation in the wedge-shaped oil gap can be expressed as 1 1 E B ,OW = 16 . 221 . cos (2) The surface discharge inception voltage in the wedgeshaped oil gap in power transformers depends on both the dielectric permittivity and thickness. For dry and clean oil and pressboard (oil = 2.2, pb = 4.4), it has been found that surface discharge will occur once the tangential electric stress being larger than 6.82 kV/mm for 1.5 mm pressboard; 7.16 kV/mm for 1.8 mm pressboard; and 8.11 kV/mm for 3.0 mm pressboard. ACKNOWLEDGMENT We would like to thank the National Grid for the financial support of this research work. Also thanks to Imadullah Khan for his help with the FEM simulation. REFERENCES
H. P. Moser and V. Dahinden, Transformerboard II. H. Weidmann AG, CH-8640 Rapperswil, 1987. [2] R. M. Del Vecchio, B. Poulin, P. T. Feghali, D. M. Shah and R. Ahuja, Transformer Design Principles, New York: Gordon and Breach, 2001. [3] R. J. Taylor, Effect of permittivity matching on the flashover of solid/liquid interfaces, Proc. IEE, vol. 124, pp. 899-904, 1977. [4] P. N. Nikolopoulos, G. C. Sakkas and D.N.Diamantopoulos, The practical aspects of the behaviour of the pressboard oil insulation of large electric equipment under impulse and alternating voltages, Cigr, paper 15-03, 1982. [5] J. K. Nelson, An assessment of the physical basis for the application of design criteria for dielectric structures, IEEE Trans. Electr. Insul,, vol. 24, pp. 835-847, 1989. [6] G. Han and D. Y. Zhu, Surface discharge characteristics of impregnated pressboard under AC voltages, in Proc. 3rd Inter. Conf. on Properties and Applications of Dielectric Materials (ICPADM 1991), vol. 1, pp. 313-316, 1991. [7] A. K. Lokhanin, G. Y. Shneider, V. Sokolov and V. M. Chornogotsky, Internal insulation failure mechanisms of HV equipment under service conditions, Cigr, paper 15-201, 2002. [8] V. Sokolov, Understanding failure modes of transformers, in Proceedings of the Euro TechCon, pp. 43-65, 2005. [9] A. L. Kupershtokh1, E. I. Palchikov1, D. I. Karpov1, I. Vitellas, D. P. Agoris and V. P. Charalambakos, Stochastic model of breakdown initiation in dielectric liquids, J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys., vol. 35, pp. 31063121, 2002. [10] T. Takuma, Field behavior at a triple junction in composite dielectric arrangements, IEEE Trans. Electr. Insul,, vol. 26, pp. 500-509, 1991. [11] H.-Z. Ding, Z. D. Wang and P. Jarman, Dielectric strength of aged transformer oils: experimental studies and statistical analysis of breakdown voltage, in Proc. the XIVth Inter. Symposium on High Voltage Engineering, paper C-10, August 2005. [1]
0 .237

Fig.7. Simulated equi-potential lines between partially sphere electrodes having a pressboard. High potential = 40kV (pink conductor), low potential = 0 (blue conductor), and pressboard thickness = 1.8mm

Stressed wedge-shaped oil gap Fig.8. Simulated electric stress distribution showing the electrically stressed wedge-shaped oil gaps between the electrode and the pressboard surface

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