High-frequency voltage oscillation in transformer windings and electrical breakdown properties of interturn insulation immersed in oil at VFT voltage

Switching operations in gas insulated switchgear (GIS) can generate very fast transient overvoltages (VFTO) which propagate in the GIS with little attenuation. When a transformer is directly connected to the GIS through a gas/oil bushing, the VFTO can enter the transformer and excite the voltage oscillation in the windings. In the paper, we firstly show a resonance phenomenon due to the super-position of the traveling waves which was found in the experiments using the coil windings of a 500 kV transformer. The fundamental resonance frequency ranged at about 2 MHz and its voltage at the interturn (turn-to-turn) of the coil could reach 0.25 times of the applied voltage in the worst case. Secondly, the electrical breakdown properties of interturn insulation in oil were studied, applying the unipolar and bipolar voltages with 2 MHz oscillatory frequency. The breakdown voltages at the unipolar and bipolar VFT oscillatory stresses were about 1.25 and 1.40 times higher than that at the standard lighting impulse, respectively. We discuss the experimental breakdown stresses with the ones estimated from the analysis of VFTO in the transformer windings and also show the methods to cope with the VFTO. (C) 2000 Scripta Technica.