Repetitively pulsed vacuum insulator flashover

Conference · Thu Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1987

OSTI ID:6422030

Ginn, J W; Buttram, M T

Experiments were performed to determine the flashover strength of various vacuum insulators under conditions of repetitive pulsing. The pulse duration was 30 ns, and the thickness of a typical insulator sample was 1.8 cm. Data were taken for 45 insulators from five different materials. An insulator was subjected to an extended series of pulses at a given repetition rate and field. If flashover was not detected, the field level was increased and the sequence repeated. At rates up to 50 pulses per second, there was no apparent dependence of flashover field on rate. In addition, some ''single shot'' data were taken, including various modifications of the geometries and surface textures of the insulators. Only two to the modifications increased the flashover strength significantly over that of a 45 sample: (1) annealing some plastics (roughly a 35% increase), and (2) extending the insulator to cover the surfaces of both electrodes (an increase of nearly a factor of two).

• Research Organization: Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC04-76DP00789
• OSTI ID: 6422030
• Report Number(s): SAND-86-2924C; CONF-870656-8; ON: DE87011196
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

42 ENGINEERING
420500* -- Engineering-- Materials Testing
ALLOYS
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBONATES
CHROMIUM ALLOYS
CORROSION RESISTANT ALLOYS
CURRENTS
DATA
ELECTRIC CURRENTS
ELECTRIC DISCHARGES
ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT
ELECTRICAL INSULATORS
EQUIPMENT
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FLASHOVER
FLUORINATED ALIPHATIC HYDROCARBONS
HALOGENATED ALIPHATIC HYDROCARBONS
INFORMATION
IRON ALLOYS
IRON BASE ALLOYS
MATERIALS
NUMERICAL DATA
NYLON
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC FLUORINE COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC POLYMERS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PETROCHEMICALS
PETROLEUM PRODUCTS
PLASTICS
POLYAMIDES
POLYCARBONATES
POLYETHYLENES
POLYMERS
POLYOLEFINS
POLYTETRAFLUOROETHYLENE
PULSES
STAINLESS STEELS
STEELS
SURFACE PROPERTIES
SYNTHETIC MATERIALS
TEFLON
VACUUM SYSTEMS