16th International Symposium on High Voltage Engineering, Cape Town, South Africa, 2009, paper No.

271

IMPULSE BREAKDOWN OF SHORT ROD-PLANE GAPS WITH A ROD

COVERED WITH DIFFERENT DIELECTRIC MATERIALS
P. N. Mavroidis*, P. N. Mikropoulos, C. A. Stassinopoulos and M. Zinonos
High Voltage Laboratory, School of Electrical & Computer Engineering,
Faculty of Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki,
Building D, Egnatia St. 54124, Greece
*Email: pmavr@auth.gr

Abstract: The breakdown mechanism of short rod-plane gaps with a dielectric covered rod under
positive standard lightning and switching impulse voltages is investigated. Two different dielectric
covers, made of PTFE and epoxy resin, were used and the simple air gaps with a bare rod were
regarded as reference. Breakdown probability distributions were obtained and the time and voltage
to breakdown were measured. Under lightning impulses the increase of the dielectric strength due
to the dielectric cover is little dependent upon the cover material and only slightly higher to that of
a simple air gap including the cover length. Under switching impulses this increase is greater; the
presence of a dielectric cover results in a reduced effect of the impulse waveshape on the dielectric
strength. Most of the times, the spark channel develops along the dielectric cover under lightning
impulses whereas, under switching impulses it develops either partly or solely in free air away
from the cover surface. The increase in the dielectric strength of the gaps due to the dielectric
cover is associated with the effects on the discharge development pattern of the coronas preceding
breakdown.

1. INTRODUCTION dielectric cover surface deposited by coronas preceding

In modern high voltage equipment, there are increased
economic and environmental requirements to be met, in
terms of improved efficiency, higher reliability and
lesser environmental impact. One of the modern trends
for improving the insulation performance of gas
insulated systems is the use of composite gas/polymer
insulation by employing either dielectric barriers or
covered electrodes [1]. Composite insulation can
improve the compaction of the design for equipment,
especially where high current rating at reduced
insulating distances is required. This is beneficial in
switchgear technology [2], and may also result in a
reduction of the use of SF6 [3, 4], which is considered a
gas contributing to global-warming.
Several studies have shown the improved dielectric
performance of air gaps employing dielectric covered
electrodes. In a covered plane-parallel electrode system
under dc or lightning impulses the increased dielectric
strength of the gap was attributed to charge formation at
the electrode surfaces as well as in the air gap [5]. An
improved dielectric behaviour due to dielectric covers
has also been observed in rod-plane configurations [6-
15], where the high electric field values in the vicinity
of the rod tip may approximate the enhanced localized
field values commonly found in insulation systems.
The dielectric behaviour of a covered rod/plane gap
depends on the electric field distribution in the gap as
modified by space and surface charges associated with
prebreakdown phenomena. Therefore, it would depend
on the combined effect of the electrode arrangement [6,
7, 9-15], cover material and geometry [6, 7, 9-11],
applied voltage waveshape [14] and polarity [6-10, 12],
and air pressure [9]. Charge accumulation on the
breakdown, may affect the discharge development
pattern at breakdown [6, 7, 12]. Actually, breakdown
occurs through both surface and air discharges [6, 8,
10], however, cases where breakdown occurred in air
alone through a spark channel developing away from
the dielectric cover [13-15], or after puncture of the
dielectric cover at the limiting boundaries of the upward
development of surface discharges along the rod [6]
have also been observed.
This study investigates breakdown in short dielectric
covered rod/plane air gaps by considering as influencing
parameters the gap length, waveshape of the applied
positive impulse voltage and the cover material. An
increase in the dielectric strength has been observed due
to the dielectric cover; this is discussed based on the
discharge development pattern at breakdown as
influenced by the preceding coronas.
2. EXPERIMENTAL ARRANGEMENT
2.1. General settings
The electrode configuration consisted of a cylindrical
brass rod, 1.2 cm in diameter, with a square-cut tip
hanging over an earthed aluminum plane 100 x 200 cm
placed 80 cm above the floor of the laboratory. The gap
spacing varied between 2.5 and 15 cm. A two-stage
Marx generator 280 kV/ 0.5 kJ was used to produce
standard lightning and switching impulse voltages,
stressing the rod. The latter was used in the experiments
either bare or with a dielectric cover, made either of
PTFE or epoxy resin with dielectric constants 2.1 and
3.9 respectively; their thickness was 0.4 cm and their
length 12.7 cm (Figure 1). The dielectric covered
rod/plane gaps are hereafter called composite; the
simple air gaps were regarded as reference.

Figure 1: Schematic diagram of the electrode
arrangement; numerical values are given in mm, L
designates gap length.
A Meek and Collins probe [16], positioned at the centre
of the earthed plane, and a 400 MHz digital oscilloscope
enabled the monitoring of the electric field strength at
the earthed plane. The probe, with a circular area of
1.2cm in diameter, was covered by a perspex dome to
prevent corona streamers from terminating on its
surface. All the voltages were corrected to standard air
density according to IEC [17]. Absolute and relative
humidity varied between 11 ÷ 18 g/m3 and 60 ÷ 90%,
respectively.
2.2. Measurement procedures
Breakdown probability distributions were obtained by
using the “multiple level tests” method [17]. Each
voltage level, differing less than 3% from the previous
one, consisted of 20 impulses applied at time intervals
of around 60 s. Typical breakdown probability
distributions are shown in Figure 2. The probability
distributions were found to be well approximated by the
normal distribution; thus, from each distribution the
mean value and the corresponding standard deviation
were computed. Only a few cases deviating from the
normal distribution were observed; most of them
referred to composite gaps.
Typical oscillograms of the electric field strength at the
earthed plane obtained at applied voltages causing
approximately 50 % breakdown are presented in Figure
3. Corona occurrence is indicated by the sharp rise in
the probe voltage, due to the associated positive charge
injected in the gap. Part of this charge may be
neutralised at the earthed plane as corona streamers
reach the plane; indicative of the latter are the sharp
drops in the probe voltage. Breakdown is clearly
indicated in the field oscillograms by the collapse of the
electric field, designated as tb in Figure 3.
At each impulse voltage application, from the
oscillograms of the electric field at the plane, the time to
breakdown was measured and the instantaneous
breakdown voltage was calculated after cross
referencing the times with the impulse waveform. For
these characteristic discharge parameters the mean value
and the corresponding standard deviation per applied
1.0
LI, Bare
SI, Bare
LI, PTFE
0.8
SI, PTFE
LI, Epoxy
probability (p.u.)
SI, epoxy
0.6
0.4
0.2
0.0
0 50 100 150 200
Applied voltage (kV)
Figure 2: Typical breakdown probability distributions;
7.5 cm gap length, fitting curves are drawn according to
normal distribution.
Figure 3: Electric field strength at the earthed plane;
10 cm gap length, 50% breakdown probability, tb
designates time to breakdown (300 kV/m/div).
(a) Simple gap, lightning impulse, 93 kV (1μs/div)
(b) Epoxy resin cover, lightning impulse, 163 kV (1μs/div)
(c) Simple gap, switching impulse, 78 kV (50μs/div)
(d) Epoxy resin cover, switching impulse 174 kV (50μs/div)
voltage level were calculated. Salient characteristics of
coronas have also been measured; relevant results will
be presented elsewhere.
3. EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS
3.1. Breakdown characteristics
Figure 4 shows the variation of the 50% breakdown
voltage, U50, with the gap length for all cases studied;
the corresponding standard deviation, σ, is listed in
Table 1. There is a significant increase in U50 due to the
dielectric cover, becoming greater with decreasing gap
length and under switching than lightning impulses. The
highest U50 values among all configurations were
obtained for the case of epoxy resin cover under
switching impulses. These results are better
demonstrated in Figure 5a where the per unit increase in
U50 is plotted as a function of gap length. Under
lightning impulses this increase can be expressed by a
factor in the range of 3 down to 1.5 decreasing with gap
length. These factor values compared well with the
values of 1.45÷1.65 and 2÷2.5 found in [7] and [11]
respectively, and with the values of 1.7÷2.0 and 1.4÷1.9
derived from [9] and [10], respectively, which refer to
similar to the present electrode configurations under
positive lightning impulses. Under switching impulses
the relative increase of the dielectric strength of the gap
due to the dielectric cover is greater, between ~3.5 down
to ~1.9. Also, from Figure 5b, showing the variation of
the ratio of the U50 obtained under lighting impulses to
the U50 obtained under switching impulses with gap
length, it is obvious that there is a reduced effect of the
impulse waveshape on U50 in composite gaps as the
ratio of U50 is smaller for composite than simple gaps,
specifically around unity and 0.9 for the PTFE and
epoxy resin covers, respectively, for all gap lengths.
voltages causing approximately 50% and 100%
breakdown. Under lightning impulses and with the
exception of the shortest gap the insertion of a dielectric
cover results to longer breakdown times (Figure 6)
despite the fact that breakdown occurs at significantly
higher voltages (Figures 7); this is more pronounced for
the case of the PTFE cover. It is noteworthy that the
spread in the values of the time to breakdown is
generally higher for composite gaps, especially under
switching impulses. Concerning the instantaneous
breakdown voltages, similar results to those obtained for
U50 as regards to the gap length and impulse waveshape
can be observed from Figure 7.

Figure 4: 50% breakdown voltage as a function of gap

length; vertical bars represent σ. Figure 6: Time to breakdown as a function of gap
length; vertical bars represent σ
Table 1: Standard deviation σ% of the breakdown
probability distributions.
Gap length (cm)
2.5 5 7.5 10 12.5 15
Bare 4.3 6 6.1 4.8 6.8 4.4
LI PTFE 8.3 2.5 4.6 2.6 3.6 3.3
Epoxy 0.7 1.2 1.4 1.0 0.9 1.3
Figure 7: Instantaneous breakdown voltage as a
Bare 5.2 4.3 4.2 5.5 3.2 1.5
function of gap length; vertical bars represent σ
SI PTFE 16.2 15.2 4.8 5.3 4.3 3.6
Epoxy 3.6 3.57 4.78 4.57 5.23 6.8 3.2. Electric field calculations
Electric field calculations have been performed via the
Comsol multiphysics software package. Table 2 shows
the maximum geometric electric field values in the gap
and Figure 8 is a typical plot of the geometric field
strength along the axis of symmetry of the gap; the latter
is not the maximum field line within the gap, however,
it is indicative of the effect of the dielectric cover on the
electric field distribution. The geometric electric field
Figure 5: The effect of the insulating cover on the
strength attains always its maximum values along the
dielectric strength of the gap with the impulse
circumference of the rod tip or the dielectric cover for
waveshape and cover material as parameters
the simple and composite gaps, respectively. The
dielectric cover reduces the maximum field in the gap
Concerning σ, from Table 1 it can be deduced that
by a factor of ~ 7.3 and ~3.8 for the case of the PTFE
composite gaps display in general smaller values under
and epoxy resin covers, respectively (Table2). However,
lightning impulses, especially in the case of the epoxy
after a short distance from the rod tip, the geometric
resin cover; an opposite trend is apparent under
field strength, reducing significantly with distance from
switching impulses.
the rod tip, becomes slightly higher for composite gaps
(Figure 8). Also, the maximum geometric field strength
Figures 6 and 7 show the time to breakdown and the
in the vicinity of the cover upper end was found roughly
associated instantaneous breakdown voltage,
equal for all gap lengths ~48 and ~90(V/m)/V for the
respectively, as a function of gap length, at applied
Table 2: Calculated maximum geometric electric field 4 and also shown in [13-15]. Under switching impulses,
strength (kV/m/V) the initial coronas emerging at the vicinity of the cover
Gap length (cm) tip during the rising front of the impulse voltage being
of lesser growth as they initiate at lower voltages result
2.5 5 7.5 10 12.5 15 in lesser extent of development of the upward
Bare 883 766 720 695 679 667 discharges; this is obvious when comparing Figures 9b
PTFE 126 105 98 94 91 90 and 9c, which show still photographs of coronas at
Epoxy 246 202 187 179 174 171 withstand cases both at applied voltages sufficient to
cause 50% breakdown. Consequently, higher voltages
must be applied for secondary corona to initiate, thus
also for breakdown to occur. Under switching impulses
most of the times at breakdown the discharge develops
either partly or solely in free air away from the cover
surface. Typical photographs showing the various spark
trajectories observed in this investigation are shown in
Figure 10.

Figure 8: Geometric field strength along the axis of

symmetry

PTFE and epoxy resin covers, respectively. Figure 9: Still photographs of corona discharges at
withstand cases; epoxy resin cover, 10 cm gap length.
4. DISCUSSION

In composite gaps the electric field controlling the

discharge development at breakdown is determined,
besides the geometry of the electrode arrangement, by
space and surface charges associated with corona
discharges. Actually, as was also discussed in [13-15], a
first corona emerging in air at the vicinity of the cover
tip is followed by coronas emerging along the cover
surface, developing partly along the dielectric cover and
in air alone (Figure 9). These subsequent coronas,
termed hereafter upward discharges, increasing the
electric field at the cover upper end, determine the
inception conditions of a secondary corona. The latter
emerging at the upper end of the cover may eventually Figure 10: Typical spark trajectories of composite gaps.
result in breakdown, through a spark bridging the gap
that includes the dielectric cover length. Charge accumulation on the surface of a dielectric cover
[6, 7], [12] and on cylindrical insulating surfaces
The extent of development of the upward discharges bridging a rod-plane gap [18-23] associated with
along the cover surface would depend upon the electric coronas preceding breakdown has been argued to exist.
field at the cover surface, thus upon the applied voltage In the present experimental configuration, accumulated
(Figure 9a and 9b), and upon the surface charge induced positive charge at the upper cover end may explain
by the first and upward discharges. This charge is likely cases where the spark channel develops away from the
to be negative as both first and upward discharges are dielectric cover in free air. Apparently, there is a need
positive, as has also been shown in similar to the present for further investigations, by employing also a surface
electrode arrangement under positive lightning impulse charge measuring technique, to better understand the
[12]. At breakdown, under lightning impulses the first breakdown mechanism of the dielectric covered
corona is of ample growth allowing upward discharges rod/plane gaps.
to develop along the full cover length; this results in
breakdown to occur through a spark bridging the gap 5. CONCLUSIONS
most of the times along the surface. This is supported by
the fact that under lightning impulses the dielectric The dielectric strength of composite rod-plane gaps with
strength of a covered rod/plane gap is only slightly dielectric covered rod increases significantly with
higher to that corresponding to a simple air gap which respect to simple air gaps. This has been demonstrated
includes the cover length, as can be derived from Figure for lightning and switching impulses and for two
dielectric cover materials, specifically PTFE and epoxy
resin. This increase in the dielectric strength is
associated with the effects on the discharge
development pattern of the coronas preceding
breakdown.
Under lightning impulses the increase of the dielectric
strength is little dependent upon cover material, and
only slightly higher to that corresponding to a simple air
gap which includes the cover length. Under switching
impulses this increase is greater; the presence of a
dielectric cover results in a reduced effect of the
impulse waveshape on the dielectric strength.
The spark trajectory is affected by space and surface
charges associated with corona discharges preceding
breakdown. Most of the times at breakdown the
discharge develops along the dielectric cover under
lightning impulses whereas either partly or solely in free
air away from the cover surface under switching
impulses.
6. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Mr. P. N. Mavroidis wishes to thank the Greek State
Scholarship’s Foundation for the support afforded by a
merit Scholarship.
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