As a ZnO varistor is subjected to electrical and environmental stresses, it degrades gradually, which may result in power interruption by short circuit. This study investigates changes in the electrical characteristics of ZnO varistors due to deterioration owing to energy absorption, and determines the optimal parameters for on-line diagnosis of the varistor. Two types of varistors were used for an accelerated aging experiment involving the application of the 8/20 μs standard lightning impulse current. The electrical characteristics in terms of the reference voltage, total leakage current, resistive leakage current, and third-harmonic component of the total leakage current were measured, and their change rates were analyzed. The results revealed that the total leakage current increased slightly with an increase in the varistor absorbed energy, while the resistive leakage current and the third-harmonic component increased apparently. Therefore, the third-harmonic component of the total leakage current was proposed as the optimal parameter for on-line monitoring of ZnO varistor conditions.
