Space Charge Behavior in Oil Gap and Impregnated Pressboard Combined System under HVDC Stresses

The reliability of oil-pressboard insulation system used in high voltage direct current (HVDC) convertor transformers can be affected by the presence of space charge. In this paper, the space charge behaviors in a 0.5 mm thick oil film combined with a 1mm thick impregnated pressboard have been investigated by the pulsed electroacoustic (PEA) technique under 12 kV/mm and 20 kV/mm at room temperature for both short term and long time tests. Two types of oil with different aging status were used for comparison. The results show that a charge peak is quickly formed at the interface between oil and pressboard with the same polarity as the electrode at the oil film side. However, the dynamics of the interfacial charges are very different for fresh oil and aged oil samples. The maximum electric field occurs in the middle of the pressboard, which is significantly enhanced in the aged oil samples. Compared with the Maxwell-Wagner (MW) polarization, more space charges are formed in the insulation system. It needs much longer time to reach steady state, depending on the status of the oil. The interfacial and bulk effects result in a significant electric field enhancement in the middle of pressboard, especially in aged oil samples.