Characteristics of partial discharges in artificial simulated tree channels during tree propagation

In order to clarify partial discharge (PD) mechanism in an electrical tree, we investigated PD pulse sequence and light emission from a single PD in an artificially-simulated tree channel during the tree propagation in low-density polyethylene (LDPE). For positive PD, the light emission was observed near the needle-tip and there was a positive correlation between the PD magnitude and the length of luminous region. The pulse-sequence analysis showed that PD took place at constant voltage increments. These results suggest that PD starts at the needle-tip and the PD magnitude is determined by the PD length. On the other hand, for negative PD, there was no correlation between the PD magnitude and the length of luminous region. The PD pulse sequence can be explained by a simple PD model, since the voltage increment is related to the magnitude of preceding PD. These results suggest that there is a difference between positive and negative PD characteristics and their mechanisms in an artificial channel during tree propagation.