Correlation characteristics between gas pressure and SF6 decomposition under negative DC partial discharge

Aimed to clarify the correlation characteristics between the internal partial discharge (PD) in the negative direct current (DC) gas-insulated system (GIS) and gas pressure, and to establish an insulation fault diagnosis method based on decomposition component analysis, this study on PD decomposition of sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) was conducted under different pressures on the basis of constructing a SF6 decomposition experimental platform under DC PD. A stainless steel needle-plate electrode was used to simulate the insulation defects of metal protrusions in GIS. SOF2, SO2F2, CO2, SO2, and CF4 data generated from SF6 decomposition were obtained under different pressures. The variation law of component concentration and effective characteristic ratio with pressure were analysed in detail. In addition, a mathematical formula for pressure and decomposition components was deduced according to gas micro-ionisation theory. The effective content and formation rate were defined to validate the relationship. Results show that the concentration of SF6 decomposition components decreased gradually with increasing pressure with a strong regularity. Furthermore, the relationship between pressure and component concentration derived from the theory can explain the relationship between the effective content of SF6 decomposition components and the effective formation rate and pressure variations.