Breakdown strength is an essential parameter for evaluating the electrical performance and degradation behavior of cable insulation and IEC 60243 also emphasizes its importance for detecting changes in insulation characteristics due to aging. However, the current IEC standards are mainly limited to specifying electrode configurations and test voltage conditions for breakdown tests, while the influence of insulating oil, is not clearly addressed. In this study, the breakdown strength of a 66 kV wet-type submarine cable was experimentally evaluated using insulating oils with different kinematic viscosities of 10, 100, 500, and 1,000 cSt in order to achieve reliable and reproducible breakdown measurements. The experimental results show that the measured breakdown strength decreases by up to approximately 20% depending on the oil viscosity. This indicates that the viscosity of the insulating oil has a significant influence on the measured breakdown strength during breakdown test. Therefore, it is necessary to perform breakdown strength measurements under identical test conditions, including the physical properties of the insulating oil, to ensure reliable comparison and accurate assessment of insulation performance and degradation characteristics.
The increasing global demand for renewable energy has accelerated the deployment of offshore wind farms, thereby highlighting the need for advanced development and performance assessment techniques for dynamic submarine cables used in floating offshore wind systems. These cables are continuously subjected to combined thermal, electrical, and mechanical stresses, with mechanical loading playing a particularly dominant role. As a result, dynamic submarine cables exhibit degradation behaviors that differ significantly from those of conventional fixed submarine cables. This paper presents the design and implementation of a comprehensive evaluation system capable of applying combined thermal, electrical, and mechanical stresses to dynamic submarine cables. The system was validated using a 66 kV wet type submarine cable through commissioning tests and insulation performance measurements. Electrical stress of 72 kV, thermal stress exceeding 95°C, and mechanical stress corresponding to a bending radius of 20 times the cable diameter over 20 cycles were applied to verify system reliability. The subsequent insulation assessments quantitatively confirmed performance variations induced by the combined stresses. The results demonstrate that the proposed platform is the first system capable of simultaneously applying thermal, electrical, and mechanical stresses to dynamic submarine cables, and its operational performance has been successfully validated. This platform enables realistic reliability evaluation of dynamic cables used in floating offshore wind farms and is expected to improve the overall operational reliability of offshore wind power systems.
The rapid proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI) servers and high-performance computing systems has significantly elevated the technical and reliability requirements for multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs). In such systems, MLCCs are critical passive components that must deliver high capacitance, fast transient response, and robust insulation performance under high temperature, voltage, and current density. This review examines the material, structural, and process innovations that underpin MLCC performance in AI applications. Key topics include the development of ultrathin dielectric layers (<0.5 μm), rare-earth doped BaTiO₃-based dielectrics with enhanced DC bias stability, and core-shell microstructures designed for temperature and field resilience. The paper also explores insulation degradation mechanisms―such as vacancydriven conduction and demixing―and advanced reliability assessment methodologies, including HALT, TSDC, and the tipping point framework. Comparisons with automotive-grade MLCCs highlight the unique requirements of AI systems, such as ultraminiaturization, high volumetric efficiency, and ppm-level field failure rates. Finally, the review discusses emerging trends in MLCC technology, including particle engineering, interface stabilization, and advanced lamination techniques, and provides insight into the future direction of capacitor development tailored to AI data center environments.
Cellulose nanofiber (CNF) has attracted significant attention as a next-generation insulating material due to its ecofriendly nature and outstanding functionalities. However, conventional kraft insulation paper suffers from limited dielectric breakdown strength and long-term reliability under high-voltage conditions, highlighting the need for alternative materials. In this study, kraft pulp was combined with five types of CNFs (A, B, C: wood-based / D, E: non-wood-based) to fabricate composite insulation papers, and their electrical and mechanical properties were systematically evaluated. The results showed that CNF incorporation generally enhanced density and tensile strength, while certain types contributed to lowering dielectric constant and improving breakdown strength. Among the wood-based CNFs, type C exhibited the most balanced performance in terms of dielectric stability and mechanical reinforcement. Among the non-wood-based CNFs, type E demonstrated notable improvements in structural compactness and tensile strength, suggesting favorable reliability. Therefore, this study identifies CNF C among wood-based types and CNF E among non-wood-based types as the most promising candidates for insulation performance enhancement, suggesting their applicability as next-generation insulating materials for power equipment and ecofriendly electronic devices.
To ensure high-voltage stability and thermal resistance of insulation paper used in transformers, this study evaluated the structural and electrical properties of four types of insulation paper samples fabricated using unbleached kraft pulp (UKP). The samples were prepared under controlled conditions with different freeness levels (300-700 ml). Tensile strength, dielectric constant, breakdown strength (dry and oil), volume resistivity, water absorption, and oil absorption were quantitatively measured. The sample with a beating degree of 300 exhibited the highest breakdown strength (53.85 kV/mm) and volume resistivity (1.49×1016 Ω·cm), whereas the samples with higher beating intensity showed improved fiber bonding and densification. These findings demonstrate the practical applicability of UKP-based insulation paper as a high-performance, eco-friendly insulating material for transformer systems, providing a scientific foundation for process optimization in insulation paper design.
This study developed a dielectric composition for high-capacitance MLCCs with C0G and U2J temperature compensation characteristics (Class I) under reducing conditions. The potential application of this composition in highpermittivity class I MLCCs was examined. Using (Ba₀.₂₄Ca₀.₁₆Sr₀.₆)(TiₓZr₁₋ₓ)O₃. XRD analysis showed that secondary phases like Sr₂TiO₄ and TiO₂ formed at higher Ti content, affecting the stoichiometric balance. Adjusting the Ti/Zr molar ratio resulted in a dielectric constant of 41.2 ~ 105, a dielectric loss of 0.082 ~ 0.174%, and insulation resistance above 1.6 × 1013 ohms at 25℃. The TCC shifted from C0G to U2J as the Ti/Zr ratio increased, but the composition enabled the design of high-capacitance and high-voltage MLCCs with favorable dielectric and electrical properties.
In this study, the electrical properties of a C0G (class 1 ceramic) dielectric composition with internal reducibility, specifically (Ba0.27CaSr)(Zr0.95Ti0.05)O₃, were investigated by fixing Ba at the A site and varying the Ca/Sr molar ratio. The potential application of this composition in high-permittivity C0G MLCCs was examined. The powder was calcined at 1,150℃ for 2 hours, as determined by TG-DTA analysis, and the resulting powder was ground to achieve a particle size (D50) of 0.35 to 0.4 μm and a specific surface area (BET) of 4.5 to 5.0 g/m². With a Ca/Sr molar ratio of 0.3, the composition (Ba0.27Ca0.17Sr0.56) (Zr0.95Ti0.05)O₃ exhibited electrical properties with a permittivity of 41.9, a loss of less than 0.008%, and an insulation resistance exceeding 2.2×10¹³ Ω. The feasibility of using this composition for high-capacitance C0G MLCCs was confirmed.
In this paper, the electrical properties of liquid insulating oil were analyzed by changing the ambient temperature change at 10℃ in-tervals from 0℃ to 30℃ through an insulation breakdown experiment in order to analyze the insulation performance of liquid in-sulating oil that varies according to temperature changes. As a result, it was confirmed through experiments that the lower the am-bient temperature, the higher the insulation breakdown voltage, depending on both the electrode shape and the electrode interval, and it was determined that the lower the ambient temperature, the higher the insulation performance of the liquid insulating oil.
In this paper, in order to analyze high electrical insulation and cooling performance using mineral oil, the liquid insulating oil was changed in electrode shape and distance between electrodes to compare and analyze electrical characteristics according to equal electric field, quasi-equivalent electric field, and unequal electric field. As a result, the breakdown voltages were 36,875 V and 36,875 V in the form of sphere-sphere and plate-plate electrodes with equal electric fields. The breakdown voltage was 31,475 V in the sphere-plate electrode type, which is a quasi-equilibrium field, and the breakdown voltage was 28,592 V, 27,050 V, and 22,750 V in the needle-needle, sphere-needle, and needle-plate electrode types, which are unequal fields. Through this, it is possible to know the difference in breakdown voltage according to the type of electric field. The more equal the field, the higher the breakdown voltage, and the more unequal field, the lower the breakdown voltage. The difference in insulation breakdown voltage could be seen depending on the type of electric field, the insulation breakdown voltage was higher for the more equal electric field, and the insulation breakdown voltage was lower for the more unequal electric field. Also, it was confirmed that the closer the distance between the electrodes, the higher the insulation breakdown voltage, the higher the insulation breakdown current, and the insulation breakdown voltage and the insulation breakdown current were proportional.
As a process to improve the insulation performance of VIs (Vacuum Interrupters), AC voltage conditioning is generally adopted by many manufacturers. Although the insulation performance is enhanced easily with AC Voltage conditioning, it has limitations when high recovery voltage is required due to high voltage rate or capacitive current switching. In particular, impurities such as oxides segregated on the electrode surface can be removed not by the energy level of the voltage conditioning but by the higher energy level achieved by the current conditioning process In this article, the current conditioning was carried out in various conditions and its validity was examined. The current conditioning was processed by changing the amplitude of applied current, arc time, the number of tests, and frequency. The insulation performance and the status of contact surface were checked as well. We concluded that as the applied charge quantity and the conditioning coverage area increase, the conditioning effect is much higher.
A variable vacuum capacitor (VVC), which is a variable element, is used to match impedance in plasma that changes with various impedance values, and its use is expanding with the rapid growth of the semiconductor business. Since VVCs have to secure insulation performance and vary capacitance within a compact size, electrode design and manufacturing are very important; thus, various technologies such as part design and manufacturing technology and vacuum brazing technology are required. In this study, based on the model of an advanced foreign company that is widely used for impedance matching in the manufacture of semiconductors and displays, a VVC that can realize the same performance was developed. The electrode part was designed, the consistency was confirmed through analysis, and the precision of capacitance was improved by designing a cup-type electrode to secure the concentricity of the electrode. As a result of the evaluation, all requirements was satisfied. We believe that self-development will be possible if satisfactory responses are received through evaluation by VVC consumers in the future.
Heating cables, widely used in office buildings, factories, streets and railways, deteriorate in electrical insulation during operation. The insulation deterioration of heating cables leads to electric discharges that can cause electrical fires. With this background, this paper dealt with a condition monitoring technique for heating cables by the analysis of discharge signals to prevent electrical fires. Insulation deterioration was simulated using an arc generator specified in UL1699 under AC operation, and the characteristic and propagation of discharge signals were analyzed on a 100 meter-long heating cable. Discharge signals produced by insulation deterioration were detected as a voltage pulse because they are as small as a few mV and they are attenuated through propagation path.The frequency spectrum of discharge signals mainly existed in the range from 70 kHz to 110 kHz, and the maximum attenuation of the signal was 84.8% at 100 meters away from the discharge point. Based on the experimental results, a monitoring device, which is composed of a high pass filter with the cut-off frequency of 70 kHz, a comparator, a wave shaper and a microprocessor, was designed and fabricated. Also, an algorithm was designed to discriminate the discharge signal in the presence of noise, compared with the pulse repetition period and the number of pulse counts per 100ms. In the experiment, the result showed that the prototype monitoring device could detect and discriminate the discharge signals produced at every discharge point on a heating cable.
Transient earth voltage (TEV) signals propagate on metal surfaces when partial discharge (PD) occurs due to the deterioration of insulation performance in the operation of gas-insulated switchgears (GIS). A TEV sensor has advantages of high sensitivity and convenient installation for detecting PD defects. However, the TEV sensor depends on imports in domestic and detailed studies have not been conducted. In this study, a sensor was designed and fabricated by the TEV principle and its response characteristics were evaluated for detecting PD defects, which were simulated as protrusion on conductor (POC), protrusion on enclosure (POE), and free moving particle (FMP) defects. Finally, the PD-induced TEV signals were measured and phase-resolved partial discharge (PRPD) patterns were analyzed to identify the type of defect.
In this study, we prepared 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, and 70 wt% content composites filled in epoxy matrix for two micro silica and three micro alumina types for use as a GIS heavy electric machine. As a filler type of epoxy composite, micro silica composites showed excellent AC breakdown strength properties compared to micro alumina composites in the case of electrical properties of micro silica and alumina. The electrical breakdown properties of micro silica composites increased with increasing filler content, whereas those of micro alumina decreased with increasing filler content. In the case of mechanical properties, the micro silica composite showed improved tensile strength and flexural strength compared with the micro alumina composite. In addition, mechanical properties such as tensile strength and flexural strength of micro silica and alumina composites decreased with increasing filler content. This is probably because O-H groups are present on the surface of silica in the case of micro silica but are not present on the surface of alumina in the case of micro alumina.
In recent years, increasing electricity use has led to considerable interest in green energy. In order to effectively supply, cut off, and operate an electric power system, many electric power facilities such as gas insulation switch (GIS), cable, and large substation facilities with higher densities are being developed to meet demand. However, because of the increased use of aging electric power facilities, safety problems are emerging. Electromagnetic wave and leakage current detection are mainly used as sensing methods to detect live-line partial discharges. Although electromagnetic sensors are excellent at providing an initial diagnosis and very reliable, it is difficult to precisely determine the fault point, while leakage current sensors require a connection to the ground line and are very vulnerable to line noise. The partial discharge characteristic in particular is accompanied by statistical irregularity, and it has been reported that proper statistical processing of data is very important. Therefore, in this paper, we present the results of analyzing Φ-q-n cluster distributions of partial discharge characteristics by using K-means clustering to develop an expert partial discharge diagnosis system generated in a GIS facility.
When the clamp meter approaches the electric path where current is flowing, leakage current can be measured at a distance from the electric current because the induced current increases as the magnitude of the current increases and approaches nearer to the electric path. Therefore, measurements were carried out from a distance to avoid this effect. In addition, the measured values differ depending on the location of the power line that penetrates the ZCT of the clamp meter, thus measurements were performed at a location where this effect was minimized. The fraction of compliant branch circuits, whose leakage current was lower than 1.00 mA, was found to be 69.0% out of the total of 439 branch circuits, while the percentage of compliant branch circuits having an insulation resistance higher than 0.20 MΩ was found to be 93.2%. The reason why the percentage of compliant branch circuits with low leakage current was low might be due to the inclusion of capacitive leakage current in the total measured leakage current.
We have proposed a hydrogen detection sensor based on a Pd (palladium)-coated, single-mode, optical fiber. The experimental results demonstrated that the sensor could detect hydrogen in air as well as in insulation oil. The influence of Pd film thickness and environmental temperature on response time and sensitivity was analyzed. The reflected optical power at the optical-fiber/Pd interface decreased as the concentration of hydrogen increased, in both air and the insulation oil. The sensor showed 0.75 dB of optical power variation when the concentration of dissolved hydrogen was saturated in the insulation oil.
In this study, an epoxy insulation barrier for high voltage GIS was developed using epoxy and a filler with a Young`s modulus of 11 GPa. The material was investigated using a simulation of the principal stress, displacement, and safety factors while optimizing the profile shape. The simulation showed that thelarger Young`s modulus of the Al2O3 filler compared to the SiO2 in the epoxy insulation can contribute to an increase in resistance to mechanical fracturing for theoptimized profile barrier in high voltage GIS. In addition, the safety factor was improved by 10%. It can be concluded that the mechanical fracturing properties of the insulation barrier can be enhanced by increasing the content of the elastic filler, Al2O3, for high voltage GIS applications.
The effects of TiO2 addition on the electrical insulation of AlN ceramics with 1 wt% Y2O3 as a sintering aid have been investigated. Some of TiO2 has reacted with AlN powders and transformed to fine TiN particles during sintering, which was uniformly dispersed along grain boundaries of AlN. At a high electrical field (500 V/mm), the resistivity of AlN ceramics with TiO2 addition of 0.2 wt% increased about 1000 times from 3x1010 Ω cm to 3.1×1013 Ωcm. Based on the impedance spectroscopy measurement, it was found that TiO2 addition increased dramatically electrical resistivity of AlN grains much more than that of grain boundaries. Thus, TiO2 was believed to dissolve inside AlN grains to suppress ionic conduction of Al vacancies. This suppressed ionic conduction by Ti incorporation into AlN grains seems to contribute to more electrically insulating AlN ceramics.
Coil specimens were prepared by continuous coating on a copper wire with flexible PAI (polyamideimide) and PAI/nanosilica (5 wt%) varnish and thermally aged at 150, 200 and 250℃ for 5, 10 and 15 days, respectively. AC insulation breakdown voltage was investigated under inverter surge condition at 60 Hz and 1,000 Hz and insulation breakdown voltage decreased with increasing aging temperature and aging time at each 60 and 1,000 Hz.
Coil specimen was prepared by coating a copper wire with two varnish thin layers: the first was polyamideimide (PAI)/nanosilica (5 wt%) varnish and the second was anti-corona PAI/nanosilica (15 wt%) varnish. Insulation breakdown voltage was investigated under inverter surge condition at 20℃, 70℃, 100℃, 150℃, 200℃, 250℃, respectively. The insulation lifetime of the two layered coil was tens of times longer than that of original PAI coil. And the insulation lifetime decreased with increasing ambient temperature because there was weak binding strength between copper and varnish layer.
The activation energy of a material is an important factor that significantly affects the lifetime and can be used to develop a degradation model. In this study, a thermal analysis was carried out to evaluate and collect quantitative data on the degradation of insulation materials like EPR and CSP used for nuclear power plant cables. The activation energy was determined from the relationship between log β and 1/T based on the Flynn-Wall-Ozawa method, by a TGA test. The activation energy was also derived from the relationship between ln(t) and 1/T based on isothermal analysis, by an OIT test. The activation energy of EPR derived from thermal analysis was used to calculate the accelerated aging time corresponding to the number of years of use, employing the Arrhenius equation, and determine the elongation corresponding to the accelerated aging time.
A vacuum Interrupter (VI), a core part that composes the breaking part of medium-voltage vacuum circuit breaker (VCB), has the excellent insulation performance and arc-extinguishing capability. SF6 gas had been used for the external insulation of VIs since the dielectric strength of SF6 gas is superior to that of other insulation gases. However, because of environmental problems related with global warming, a solid-insulated technology was recently researched. The functionally graded material (FGM), as changing spatially the distribution of the relative permittivity inside an insulator, can reduce the electric field stress at the specific region. Especially, the external insulation performance of the VI with the molded FGM insulator is greatly improved as compared with that of the existing VI or the VI with a new external shield. In this paper, the effectiveness of this FGM insulator is verified by the numerical simulation.
Molded insulation materials are widely used from large electric power transformer apparatus to small electrical machinery and apparatus. In this study, by adding MgO with the average particle of several tens nm and the excellent thermal conductivity into molding material, we improved the problem of insulation breakdown strength decrease according to rising temperature in overload or in bad environmental condition. We confirmed the life evaluation by using the insulation breakdown and inverse involution to investigate the electrical characteristics of nano-composites materials. By using a scanning electron microscope, it is confirmed that MgO power with the average particle size of several tens nm is distributed and the filler particles is uniformly distributed in the cross section of specimens. And it is confirmed that the insulation breakdown strength of Virgin specimens is rapidly decreased at the high temperature area. But it is confirmed that the insulation breakdown strength of specimens added MgO slow decreased by thermal properties in the high temperature area improved by the contribution of the heat radiation of MgO and the suppression of tree. The results of life prediction using inverse involution, it is confirmed that the life of nano-composites is improved by contribution of MgO according to the predicted insulation breakdown strength after 10 years of specimens added 5.0 wt% of MgO is increased about 2.9 times at RT, and 4.9 times at 100 than Virgin specimen, respectively.
Electrode systems: a protrusion on conductor (POC), a protrusion on enclosure (POE), a crack in epoxy plate and a free particle (FP) were fabricated to simulate insulation defects in a gas insulated switchgear (GIS). SF6 gas was filled in the electrode systems by 3 bar and/or 5 bar, respectively. Partial discharge (PD) pulses were detected through a 50 Ω non-inductive resistor. A calibration test was carried out according to IEC 60270, and the sensitivity was 0.25 pC/mV. PD pulses were distributed in the phase of 50˚∼135˚ and over 95% of them existed in the phase of 55˚∼120˚ for the POC. PD pulses were distributed in the phase of 230˚~310˚ and over 90% of them existed in phase of 220˚∼300˚ for the POE. PD pulses occurred in the phase of 40˚∼60˚ and 220˚∼300˚ for the crack, and pulse counts were 25%higher in negative polarity than in positive polarity. PD pulses were distributed in every phase unlike to other three electrode systems and the peak magnitude was measured at 118˚ and 260˚ for the FP. As described above, PD pulses were observed in positive polarity for the POC, in negative one for the POE, in both one for the crack and the FP. In conclusion, it is expected that the identification rate of defect type can be improved by considering the polarity ratio of PD pulses on the PRPDA method.
The cable degradation process is largely divided into three steps; Step 1 : Thermal degradation, Step 2 : Weibull degradation, Step 3 : Partial discharge. it is progress in step order. This article aims to explain the process of cable degradation using the method of insulation resistance and accordingly to compose and manufacture a system of measuring the life of electrical cable. Before measuring the insulation resistance, a system of measuring the temperature and current of cables was made, and the established system was installed for test on the site of a power plant to collect the measured data. The current sensor was used TFC30P80A-CL420, and temperature sensor was used theDK-1270 PT100 sensor as RTD sensor. When measured the temperature and the load current at the same position, was confirmed that in case of the load current value was high, also temperature valuehigh. Therefore, the correlation between load currents and temperature was verified, and the analysis of diagnostic data was evaluated, which could be utilized in identifying the fault condition of cable systems.
This paper dealt with the radiated electromagnetic wave detection of partial discharge (PD) in oil for insulation diagnostics of oil-immersed transformers. Three types of electrode system were fabricated to simulate the insulation defects that could occur in oil-immersed transformers. Frequency components of radiated electromagnetic wave in oil was measured by broadband bi-conical antennas of 300 MHz∼2 GHz and a spectrum analyzer of 9 kHz∼3 GHz. Frequency component of electromagnetic waves from PD in oil were highly distributed at 500 MHz. From the result, a narrow-band monopole antenna with the center frequency of 500 MHz was fabricated. We could detect PD signal in insulation oil without an influence of external noise by a measurement system which consists of the prototype monopole antenna, a LNA (Low Noise Amplifier), an oscilloscope and a spectrum analyzer.
In order to develop electrical insulation materials, epoxy-nanosilica-microsilica mixture composites (ENMC) was synthesized, and mechanical properties such as their tensile and flexural strength, and AC insulation breakdown strength were investigated. Properties of mechanical strength and AC insulation breakdown strength are analyzed as scale and shape parameter with respect to weibull plot. Their tensile and flexural strength, AC insulation breakdown strength were compared original epoxy or EMC to ENMC. The 4 phr nano-silica addition and the 65 wt% micron-silica mixture composite (ENMC) was found to have the highest tensile and flexural strength. In the tensile strength was improved 29%, and flexural strength was improved 60.9% higher than those of the original epoxy. In the insulation breakdown strength, ENMC_4 phr was improved 17% and ENMC_5 phr was improved 15.8% higher than those of the EMC.
The epoxy/micro-and nano-mixed silica composites (EMNC) systems were prepared and the AC insulation breakdown strength was evaluated. Glass transition temperature (Tg) and crosslink density were also measured by dynamic mechanical analyzer (DMA) in order to correlate them with the electrical and mechanical properties, and the effect of silane coupling agent on the electrical properties was also studied. Electrical properties and crosslink density of epoxy/micro-silica composite were noticeably improved by addition of nano-silica and silane coupling agent, and the highest breakdown strength was obtained by addition of 0.5~5phr of nano-silica and 2.5phr of silane coupling agent, and the highest tensile and flexural strength were obtained by addition of 2.5phr of nano-silica.
A variety of diagnostic tests are widely applied in the field in industry to evaluate the condition of high voltage (HV) motor stator insulation. In this paper, the influence of temperature on the stator insulation diagnostic tests such as the insulation resistance, AC current, dissipation factor, and partial discharge measurements are studied and reported. The tests are performed with the HV motor stator winding temperature set between 40℃ to 80℃ in 10℃ intervals. It is shown that the AC current, dissipation factor, and partial discharge magnitude steadily increase with temperature, which suggests that temperature must be taken into account in the interpretation of the test results.