Active high voltage insulation

This paper presents a new concept for an active high voltage insulation system with dynamic and adaptive features. The governing principle is based on surface charge accumulation on dielectrically covered electrodes in air under atmospheric pressure. This accumulation results in a charge-induced electric field component which steers the field distribution within the system advantageously. At equilibrium, the electric field component in the air gap normal to the dielectric surface will be zero, except for the field component needed to balance charge losses. Consequently, in the ideal case, the electrical breakdown strength of the electrode coatings determines the breakdown strength of the entire system. Nevertheless, in order to reach equilibrium, a dynamic phase with changing electric field distribution in the insulation system has to be passed. The dynamic system aspects of the concept are demonstrated in numerical simulations. r 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.