Determination of Pulse Tolerable Voltage in Gas-Insulated Systems

In this paper we expound on the procedure of determining the pulse tolerable voltage characteristic in the voltage-versus-time frame, by applying the time enlargement law to the breakdown time random variable, and using a single statistical sample for this variable, obtained through experiments with a predefined shape of the voltage load. The suggested algorithm has been experimentally tested for Ar, N(2), and SF(6) gases, in the pat product (pressure x interelectrode gap) range from 10(-4) to 300 bar mm. The testing was performed by comparing the pulse tolerable voltage characteristic of a two-electrode configuration obtained by applying a particular shape of the pulse voltage load with the values corresponding to other pulse voltage shapes, covering a wide range of frequencies. Satisfactory results have been obtained concerning the applicability of the procedure, with certain minor limitations, which are pointed out. [DOI: 10.1143/JJAP.47.8928]