Structure characteristics of electrical treeing in XLPE insulation under high frequencies

Electrical tree structure is one of the most important influencing factors for electrical treeing characteristics in polymers. In this paper, we focused on the structure characteristics of electrical treeing in cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) insulation under high-frequency voltages. The tree structure characteristics include structure distribution characteristics and structure conversion characteristics. The influences of voltage, frequency, and pin-plane spacing on tree structure characteristics were analyzed based on the experimental results. It can be concluded that tree structures regularly change with the local electric field and frequency. The electric field in a very small zone near the needle tip is an important influencing factor for the formation of bush-like trees, and the lowest frequencies for the observed pure-vine-like trees increased with voltage. For double-structure trees, the local electric field at the transition location of the two structures remained almost unchanged with voltage and pin-plane spacing, but obviously increased with frequency. In order to investigate the relations of the growth rate and fractal dimension with tree structure characteristics, a new parameter, the energy threshold W_t, has been introduced and calculated for different tree structures.     

The impulse dielectric behavior of N2 gas in sphere-plane gap

The focus of this work has been on the pre-breakdown phenomena and the breakdown characteristics of N₂ gas in a sphere-plane gap under various impulse voltages. Both electrical and optical experimental investigation methods were used. Following parameters were considered: gas pressure range from 0.2 to 0.6 MPa, electric field utilization factor of the electrode configuration 71%, positive and negative impulse waveforms with the rise time of 500 ns, 1.2 μs and 180 μs. The observed discharge processes before the breakdown through the light emission images by the ICCD camera are in good agreement with the streamer mechanism. Under both polarity stresses, discharges are initially concentrated around the tip of the sphere and later pointing towards the earth electrode. However, negative streamers are thinner and more diffuse. As expected, the breakdown voltages for negative polarity are lower than those for positive polarity regardless of the gas pressure and shape of the applied impulse voltage. The breakdown voltage is increased with shortening the rise time of pulse waveforms. As a substitute for SF₆, N₂ gas under pressures above 0.3 MPa can reach the standard rated withstand voltage for 24 kV C-GIS.     

聚丙烯中电树枝生长机理研究

耐电树枝老化特性是表征聚合物绝缘材料介电性能的重要参数之一.聚丙烯(PP)是典型半结晶聚合物,其复杂的非均匀聚集态结构影响电树枝的生长.本文对PP及加入成核剂的PP试样进行了耐电树枝化性能实验,通过偏光显微镜(PLM)及差示扫描量热法(DSC)分析加入成核剂前后PP的结晶形态、结晶度以及结晶结构对电树枝生长特征的影响.以相界面自由能的热驱动作用以及放电雪崩理论为基础,对电树枝生长的热力学和动力学机理进行分析,阐明电场分布对电树枝生长的重要作用.根据半结晶材料的结晶相和非晶相的物理性能,建立材料内部电场分布计算模型,模拟针-板电极条件下聚合物材料内部的局域电场分布情况,分析了电树枝通道的动力学生长特征,探讨了成核剂改变PP的结晶结构抑制电树枝沿电场生长的作用.     

Actuation behavior of waterborne polyurethane/conductive filler nanocomposite electrode

This study dealt with the Maxwell stress effect of waterborne polyurethane (WPU)/conductive filler nanocomposite, which was a promising candidate for a material to be used in a dielectric elastomer actuator electrode. Conductive nanocomposites were produced by using three types of conductive filler: carbon black (CB), vapor grown carbon fiber (VGCF), and silver powder (Ag). Among them, conductive nanocomposite containing VGCF exhibited the lowest threshold concentration; and the mixture of CB and VGCF (CB/VGCF) filler had a synergistic effect to electrical conductivity. Actuation test revealed that CB/VGCF nanocomposite electrode had the largest displacement. Then it could be stated that the improvement of the displacement in CB/VGCF nanocomposite electrode originated from the increase in relative dielectric constant. In addition, a unique feature for the hysteresis of bending deformation was observed. This feature is that the prior application of an electric field significantly improves the bending speed in the successive application. Also, the effect of electrode thickness on the displacement and breakdown strength was examined.     

Electrical tree initiation in silicone rubber under DC and polarity reversal voltages

With the fast development of high voltage DC (HVDC) cable, cable insulation under DC conditions has got more attention. In this paper, tests were conducted to study the electrical tree initiation in silicone rubber (SIR) under DC and polarity reversal voltages. It is found that electrical tree initiation has significant polarity effects under both DC and polarity reversal voltages. There are only single-branch-like trees and branch-like trees under DC and polarity reversal voltages. As for pre-stressing effects under polarity reversal, the pre-stressing voltage has positive effects to electrical tree initiation, while the pre-stressing time has little influence. Space charge distribution of SIR under high electric field was studied with flat plate pulsed electro-acoustic (PEA) system, and their characteristics were discussed to explain this phenomenon. Moreover, different treeing breakdown phenomenon is found under polarity reversal voltage which differs from that under DC voltage. The existence of fast charges and slow charges gives reasonable explanation to it. Special attention should be paid to the transient situation like polarity reversal which would result in irreversible effects more easily, and affect true length of life for HVDC cables.     

Pool-Frenkel effect and high frequency dielectric constant determination of semiconducting P2O5-Li2MoO4-Li2O and P2O5-Na2MoO4-Na2O bulk glasses

The ternary 70P₂O₅-10Li₂MoO₄-20Li₂O and 70P₂O₅-10Na₂MoO₄-20Na₂O glasses, prepared by the press-melt quenching technique, were studied at temperatures between 298 and 418 K for their high dc electric field properties. For the above purpose, the effect of a strong electric field on the dc conduction of these amorphous bulk samples was investigated using the gap-type electrode configuration. At low electric fields, the current-voltage (I — V) characteristics have a linear shape, while at high electric fields (> 10³ V/cm), bulk samples show nonlinear effects (nonohmic conduction). Current-voltage curves show increasing departure from Ohm’s law with increasing current density, leading to critical phenomena at a maximum voltage (threshold voltage), known as switching (switch from a low-conduction state to a higher-conduction state at threshold voltage). The Pool-Frenkel high-field effect was observed at electrical fields of about 10³–10⁴ V/cm; then the lowering factor of the potential barrier, the high frequency dielectric constant, and the refractive index of these glasses were determined.      

Analysis of electrical tree propagation in XLPE power cable insulation

Electrical treeing is one of the major breakdown mechanisms for solid dielectrics subjected to high electrical stress. In this paper, the characteristics of electrical tree growth in XLPE samples have been investigated. XLPE samples are obtained from a commercial XLPE power cable, in which electrical trees have been grown from pin to plane in the frequency range of 4000-10,000 Hz, voltage range of 4-10 kV, and the distances between electrodes of 1 and 2 mm. Images of trees and their growing processes were taken by a CCD camera. The fractal dimensions of electric trees were obtained by using a simple box-counting technique. The results show that the tree growth rate and fractal dimension was bigger when the frequency or voltage was higher, or the distance between electrodes was smaller. Contrary to our expectation, it has been found that when the distance between electrodes changed from 1 to 2 mm, the required voltage of the similar electrical trees decreased only 1or 2 kV. In order to evaluate the difficulties of electrical tree propagation in different conditions, a simple energy threshold analysis method has been proposed. The threshold energy, which presents the minimum energy that a charge carrier in the well at the top of the tree should have to make the tree grow, has been computed considering the length of electrical tree, the fractal dimension, and the growth time. The computed results indicate that when one of the three parameters of voltage, frequency, and local electric field increase, the trends of energy threshold can be split into 3 regions.     

A One‐Dimensional Particle‐in‐Cell Model of Plasma Build‐Up in Vacuum Arcs

Understanding the mechanism of plasma build‐up in vacuum arcs is essential in many fields of physics. A one‐dimensional particle‐in‐cell computer simulation model is presented, which models the plasma developing from a field emitter tip under electrical breakdown conditions, taking into account the relevant physical phenomena. As a starting point, only an external electric field and an initial enhancement factor of the tip are assumed. General requirements for plasma formation have been identified and formulated in terms of the initial local field and a critical neutral density. The dependence of plasma build‐up on tip melting current, the evaporation rate of neutrals and external circuit time constant has been investigated for copper and simulations imply that arcing involves melting currents around 0.5–1 A/μm², evaporation of neutrals to electron field emission ratios in the regime 0.01 – 0.05, plasma build‐up timescales in the order of ～ 1 – 10 ns and two different regimes depending on initial conditions, one producing an arc plasma, the other one not. Also the influence of the initial field enhancement factor and the external electric field required for ignition has been explored, and results are consistent with the experimentally measured local field value of ～ 10 GV/m for copper (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Electrical breakdown of dysprosium oxide films

The principal laws governing the electrical breakdown of dysprosium oxide films in silicon metal — insulator — semiconductor structures are investigated. The dependence of the breakdown field E_br on the rise rate of the voltage on the structure K_v, the temperature, the material and area of the electrode, and the humidity of the environment is studied. The dependence of the time delay of breakdown on the amplitude of a rectangular voltage pulse is investigated. It is established that the breakdown field increases linearly with log K_v for all insulator thicknesses, and the saturation of E_br is observed at K_v>10⁵ V/sec. It is found that E_br does not depend on the electrode material and decreases as the area of the electrode or the temperature is increased. The maximum breakdown field is determined: E _br ^max =14 MV/cm. The mechanism of the precursory stage of breakdown, i.e., the period of transient buildup of critical charge in the insulator, is discussed.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 8, pp. 95–101, August, 1995.     

Electrical breakdown of microwave plasma in water

The electrical breakdown of microwave plasma in water was investigated between 1 and 30 kPa. The dependency of the ignition power for generating plasma on the size of coaxial electrode was measured. The ignition power decreases with a decrease of the diameter of the inner electrode. The behavior of microwave plasma in water was observed using a high-speed camera. The plasma ignites in a bubble generated by microwave heating. The model for calculating the electric field was created on the basis of the captured images of the bubble just before plasma ignition. The method presented can be used to visualize the electrical field distribution in the bubble. The electric field breakdown was calculated using the measured ignition power. The electric field breakdown of plasma in water is of the same order as gas phase plasma.     

Pre-stressing effect on DC breakdown in low-density polyethylene

Polyethylene is widely used in electrical wires and power cables. The pre-stressing effect, which restricts the applications of polyethylene, has not yet been investigated in depth. We studied the breakdown of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) films pre-stressed by direct current (DC) electric field. The results showed some conformity, as reported in many other papers, that the DC breakdown strength E_B+ with the same polarity to that of the pre-stressing field was higher than the DC breakdown strength E_B of thin LDPE films without pre-stressing, while the DC breakdown strength E_B? with the opposite polarity was lower than E_B. Such phenomena could be explained by the hetero effects of accumulating space charges, which enhanced the electrical field when the polarity was reversed. However, as a further increase in pre-stressing electrical field, both E_B+ and E_B? were found higher than E_B. We investigated the space charge behavior in LDPE films and found that when applied with a higher electrical field, space charge packet initialized and traveled through the specimen. The results suggest that the space charge packet behavior may contribute to the pre-stressing effects on electrical breakdown in LDPE films.     

阶梯AlGaN外延新型Al_(0.25)Ga_(0.75)N/GaNHEMTs击穿特性分析

为了优化AlGaN/GaN HEMTs器件表面电场,提高击穿电压,本文首次提出了一种新型阶梯AlGaN/GaN HEMTs结构.新结构利用AlGaN/GaN异质结形成的2DEG浓度随外延AlGaN层厚度降低而减小的规律,通过减薄靠近栅边缘外延的AlGaN层,使沟道2DEG浓度分区,形成栅边缘低浓度2DEG区,低的2DEG使阶梯AlGaN交界出现新的电场峰,新电场峰的出现有效降低了栅边缘的高峰电场,优化了AlGaN/GaN HEMTs器件的表面电场分布,使器件击穿电压从传统结构的446 V,提高到新结构的640 V.为了获得与实际测试结果一致的击穿曲线,本文在GaN缓冲层中设定了一定浓度的受主型缺陷,通过仿真分析验证了国际上外延GaN缓冲层时掺入受主型离子的原因,并通过仿真分析获得了与实际测试结果一致的击穿曲线.     

Morphology of electrical trees in silicon rubber

The main cause of degradation and breakdown in silicon rubber (SIR) is electrical treeing. Based on a series of experiments, this paper discusses the morphology of the electrical trees. The types of morphology of electrical trees in SIR are concluded. The effective factors of the tree initial type are explored. And the propagation characteristics are also studied through long-term electrical tree ageing experiments. These results are also compared with the electrical trees occurred in on-site cable accessories and those in PE which are more familiar to researchers. Based on those experiment results, an explanatory mechanism is proposed.     

阶梯AlGaN外延新型Al0.25Ga0.75N/GaNHEMTs器件实验研究

本文报道了作者提出的阶梯AlGaN外延层新型AlGaN/GaN HEMTs结构的实验结果. 实验利用感应耦合等离子体刻蚀(ICP)刻蚀栅边缘的AlGaN外延层, 形成阶梯的AlGaN 外延层结构, 获得浓度分区的沟道2DEG, 使得阶梯AlGaN外延层边缘出现新的电场峰, 有效降低栅边缘的高峰电场, 从而优化了AlGaN/GaN HEMTs器件的表面电场分布. 实验获得了阈值电压-1.5 V的新型AlGaN/GaN HEMTs器件. 经过测试, 同样面积的器件击穿电压从传统结构的67 V提高到新结构的106 V, 提高了58%左右; 脉冲测试下电流崩塌量也比传统结构减少了30%左右, 电流崩塌效应得到了一定的缓解.     

Influence of wire mesh electrodes on the volume and surface characteristics of dielectric barrier discharge of atmospheric pressure helium

The dielectric barrier discharge of helium in a 6 mm gap at atmospheric pressure was studied. In this paper, the influence of electric field distribution on the uniformity of DBD is analyzed theoretically and verified by experiments. The experimental results show that the mesh electrode produces a local enhancement effect by affecting the electric field and then produces corona discharge, which provides seed electrons for the subsequent discharge process. The effects of mesh diameter and size on discharge uniformity and stability are analyzed, the electrode structure parameters are optimized, the method of a segmented electrode is proposed, and the discharge process and charge distribution are studied. The electrical diagnosis results of plasma technology show that the segmented mesh electrode reduces the breakdown voltage of DBD and increases the charge deposition.     

The Effect of Sphere Size on Bipolar Pulsed Discharges in Glass-Sphere/Water/Air Columns

Bipolar pulsed discharges were investigated in columns containing glass spheres and water, and with air bubbling through, using a coaxial electrode configuration. The effect of sphere size on the discharge characteristics was studied, and results showed that the diameter of the glass spheres had a significant effect on the electrical discharges in the three-phase mixture. As the sphere size increased from 2 to 12 mm, no significant changes occurred in the peak voltage and rise time of the load voltage, but a clear maximum in the tail voltage, and a minimum in the injected power per pulse, occurred in the sphere diameter range from 5 to 8 mm. The greatest electric field in the interstices between the spheres, and the rate at which a dye could be removed from the water, both exhibited a maximum in the sphere diameter range from 5 to 8 mm.      

Ps four-wave mixing measurements of electric field in a ns pulse discharge in a hydrogen diffusion flame

Time-resolved electric field in ns pulse discharge plasmas generated in room air and in an atmospheric pressure hydrogen diffusion flame has been measured by ps four-wave mixing, for plane-to-plane electrode geometry. Electric field is put on the absolute scale using the Laplacian field measured before breakdown. The results show that peak electric field during breakdown in the flame, approximately 40?kV/cm, is significantly lower compared to that in room air, 75?kV/cm, due to higher temperature of combustion products. In both cases, peak electric field is higher compared to DC breakdown field. Both in air and in the flame, the electric field follows the applied voltage before breakdown and decreases rapidly after breakdown, due to charge separation and plasma self-shielding. The electric field in air is compared with the predictions of an analytic model of ns pulse breakdown, showing good agreement between the predicted and the measured breakdown field. The model also predicts earlier breakdown as well as breakdown voltage reduction as the temperature is increased, in qualitative agreement with the experimental data. The use of the present ps four-wave mixing diagnostics for measurements of electric fields below ～20?kV/cm in atmospheric pressure flames is challenging, due to low signal-to-noise. The sensitivity of the present diagnostics is controlled by the high temperature and low N₂ fraction in the combustion product mixture, as well as by the limited bandwidth of the Stokes beam generated by the stimulated Raman cell, which provides access only to several rotational levels of nitrogen molecules. The present diagnostics will have much better sensitivity in high-pressure flames, since the four-wave mixing signal scales as the squared number density of nitrogen.     

Characteristics of SrBi2Ta2O9 ferroelectric films in an in situ applied low electric field prepared by metalorganic decomposition

SrBi₂Ta₂O₉ (SBT) films were prepared on Pt/TiO₂/SiO₂/Si substrates at 750 °C in oxygen by metalorganic decomposition method. A low electric field was in situ applied during the film crystallization. It was first found that a low electric field and its direction have significant influence on the microstructures and ferroelectric properties of SBT films. Under a positive electric field (assuming that the bottom electrode is electrically grounded), the films show stronger c-axis-preferred orientation than without electric field and under a negative electric field. As a possible origin is proposed that the interface-induced nucleation growth between SBT and Pt coated substrate with application of low electric field plays a key role. Above all, an in situ applied low electric field during the film crystallization is a promising technique controlling film orientation for film preparation by wet chemical method.     

Franz–Keldysh oscillations at the miniband edge in a GaAs/AlxGa1 −xAs superlattice

We have systematically measured the electroreflectance spectra of a GaAs (7.0 nm)/Al_0.1Ga_0.9As (3.5 nm) superlattice at various electric fields to investigate Franz–Keldysh (FK) oscillations. In the low-field regime, we clearly observe the FK oscillations toward the low-energy side of theM₁critical point (mini-Brillouin-zone edge). As the electric field is increased, the direction of the FK oscillations is reversed, then the oscillations disappear. The change of the oscillation direction correlates with the transformation of the electronic structures from the miniband to the Stark-ladder states in the Wannier-Stark localization. We discuss these experimental results on the basis of a theory of the FK oscillations and envelope-function forms calculated by a transfer matrix method with Airy functions.     

Ferroelectric domain breakdown

We observe a stringlike domain penetration from a ferroelectric surface deep into the crystal bulk induced by a high voltage atomic force microscope tip. The domains, which resemble channels of an electrical breakdown, nucleate under an electric field of around 10(7) V/cm at the ferroelectric surface, and grow throughout the crystal bulk where the external electric field is practically zero. A theory explaining the shape of the formed domains is presented. It shows that the driving force for the domain breakdown is the decrease of the total free energy of the system with increasing domain length.