Partial discharge recognition through an analysis of SF6 decomposition products part 1: decomposition characteristics of SF6 under four different partial discharges

Partial discharge (PD) is usually aroused before the failure of gas insulated switchgear (GIS) caused by defects, which results in the decomposition of the SF
₆
used as insulating gas. Analyzing SF
₆
decomposition products can aid in PD detection. Before recognizing PD types by analyzing SF6 decomposition products, the decomposition characteristics of SF
₆
under different types of PD should be investigated first. In this paper, a gas chamber and four typical types of artificial defects were designed to simulate the SF
₆
decomposition phenomenon under PD in GIS. A gas chromatography system was established to detect SF
₆
decomposition products. By selecting the chromatographic column, SF
₆
decomposition products were successfully separated and their concentrations were measured. Numerous SF
₆
decomposition experiments under four kinds of PD generated by four kinds of artificial defects were carried out and the SF6 decomposition products produced by each experiment were detected. The decomposition characteristics of SF
₆
under the four defects were different in terms of decomposition amount, generation rate, and concentration ratio, among others. It is feasible to recognize the type of PD by analyzing SF
₆
decomposition products.