Characterisation of Interfacial Tracking in Solid Insulation Interfaces Using Partial Discharge Measurements

Modern high-voltage solid insulation is a system of multiple dielectric layers of different properties brought together to provide the best stress relief. Thus, understanding the insulation degradation in interfaces is essential for assessing the health status of high-voltage equipment. This paper focuses on the interfacial degradation of SiR-SiR under AC stress using Partial Discharge (PD) measurement to assess the mechanism. The needle-to-plane geometry was used in this study to analyse the degradation of solid dielectric interfaces and when the electric field is tangential to the interface. SiR sheets were pressed together using transparent acrylic plates and nylon bolts to control the pressure of the samples indirectly. It was observed that the PD amplitudes decreased when the contact pressure of the samples increased.