ETD Collection

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Subject: search.filters.subject.Breakdown (Electricity)

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Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    Determining the switching impulse breakdown voltage over large air gaps with an application to tower-conductor window configurations
    (1998) Ehlers, Richard
    All available model used to determine the 50% breakdown voltage for rod-type ami conductor-type gaps subject to switching is impulse wave forms has been applied to a tower-conductor window gap configurution. The results for rod-plane, conductor-piane and tower-conductor window gaps have all been compared and correspond well with practical data. III order to app(v the model, a charge simulation technique has been adopted ill conjunction with the 'Coulomb 3D' charge simulation package. Additional tests have been performed where parameters of'the charge simulation method am! the electrode geometl:p hare been adjusted and consequent conclusions made. Recommendations for further application of tile model have been suggested.
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    Degradation analysis of metal oxide varistors under harmonic distortion conditions
    (2016-10-11) Bokoro, Pitshou Ntambu
    Modern electrical networks provide an opportunity for inevitable interaction between metal oxide arresters and power system harmonics. Therefore, these arrester devices are continuously exposed to the combined e ect of distorted system voltage and envi- ronmental thermal stresses. Recent studies supported by eld experiments have shown signi cant rise in the leakage current through these surge arrester devices when exposed to ac voltage with harmonics. However, the major shortcoming in the current knowledge and applications of varistor arresters resides on the reliability and the electrical stabil- ity of these overvoltage protection units, when subjected to long-term and continuous distorted ac voltage and thermal stresses from the environment. Commercially-sourced ZnO arresters of similar size and electrical properties are tested using standard ac accelerated degradation procedure or electro-thermal ageing test. The times to degradation, the coe cient of non-linearity, the reference voltages, as well as the clamping voltage measured are used to analyse the reliability and the electrical stability of the metal oxide-based arrester samples. The resistive component of the leakage current is extracted from the measured total leakage current. The three-parameter Weibull probability model is invoked in order to analyze the degradation phenomenon.
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    Investigating the effects of altitude (air density) on the HVDC breakdown voltage of small rod-plane air gaps
    (2016) Gora, Tatenda
    The validity of the atmospheric correction method presented in the IEC 60060-1 (2010) standard is analysed and evaluated by means of theoretical and laboratory work. In order to understand the problem, the evolution of the atmospheric correction methods, from as early as 1914, has been presented. A procedure (Calva prediction method) for predicting the direct current (DC) breakdown voltage for an air gap at any altitude was discovered and was also analysed along with the IEC 60060-1 (2010). A critique of some of the atmospheric correction methods commonly used standards was also done. Experiments were carried out at altitudes of 1 740 m (Wits University), 130 m (UKZN HVDC centre) and at less than 2 m above sea level (Scottburgh beach, Clansthal). More tests were conducted using a pressure vessel where high altitude relative air density was simulated. All tests were conducted on rod-plane air gaps using a 15 mm diameter at tip rod. Test results from Scottburgh beach were used as the standard breakdown voltages of the air gaps tested since the environmental conditions were the closest to the conventional standard conditions (stp). The test results obtained were compared with predictions using the Calva method in order to validate the method. The test results were also corrected according to IEC 60060-1 (2010) and compared to the standard breakdown voltages obtained at Scottburgh beach. It was shown that the IEC 60060-1 (2010) is quite suitable for atmospheric correction for data obtained at low altitudes (about 130 m). When applied to high altitude (1 740 m) data, the correction method is accurate and suitable for very small air gaps less than 0.1 m. As the air gap length increased, the corrected results began to deviate from the expected standard voltage. The same trend was shown with the corrected results from the pressure chamber tests. The prediction method by Calva was accurate when compared to the experimental data from the high altitude and low altitude test results. When compared to the data from the pressure chamber, the prediction method had a linear error factor which was di erent for each gap length. It was concluded that the IEC 60060-1 (2010) is not only unsuitable for atmospheric correction for data at relative air densities below 0.8, but also that the correction method is prone to an increase in error as the air gap length increases when the relative air density is higher than 0.8. The Calva prediction method was found to be suitable to use after additional factors are added when applied to high altitude conditions.
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    An investigation into methods of modelling positive inhomogeneous-field breakdown and discharge process in SF6 with emphasis on the corona stabilisation phenomenon
    (2016-07-20) Bhutt, Sanjeev
    Corona stabilisation is not a well understood phenomenon, consequently a rigorous theoretical description of how the merhanism operates does not exist. Furthermore, postulates on the prcJ'.tse physical processes that occur during corona stabilised breakdown are varied and conflicting. 1t was thus essential to develop a qualitative theory of how the mechanism operates around which a quantitative model could be constructed. To this aim, a detailed analysis of available modelling methods and empirical data from published works was carried out. This analysis together with additional finite elements modelling done as part of this work, leads to a proposed qualitative model which serves as a basis for a quantitative model developed to simulate corona stabilized breakdown from a fixed panicle defect. There is a favorable comparison between the predictions of the model and published measurements, thus imbuing optimism in the proposed method. The problem of measuring t: .;true charge deployed in a discharge is discussed and an experiment is designed to circumvent this problem.