Analysis of Discharge Image and Particle Characteristics of Needle Plate in Transformer Oil Under AC Voltage
Analysis of Discharge Image and Particle Characteristics of Needle Plate in Transformer Oil Under AC Voltage
Analysis of Discharge Image and Particle Characteristics of Needle Plate in Transformer Oil Under AC Voltage
Abstract — For the development of converter transformer stable operation of the converter transformer be guaranteed.
applications, research on the discharge characteristics in Partial discharge (PD) is one of the most important factors
transformer oil is required. This article presents an analysis causing insulation deterioration in UHV systems. Among
of the streamer discharge characteristics caused by a
needle-plate electrode in oil-pressboard insulation under many PD defects in oil-pressboard insulation, needle-plate
ac voltage and discharge images on the time scale of electrode structures with oil gaps have been widely studied
microseconds. Based on the discharge image, a Gaussian because needle-plate structures can simulate the influence of
filter, image segmentation of the Otsu algorithm, and burrs on oil-pressboard insulation in the operation of converter
Canny edge detection are used to detect the edge of the transformer well. Due to the importance of oil-pressboard
discharge image. By extracting the discharge profile image,
the discharge characteristics are effectively identified. The insulation of converter transformers, it is necessary to study
size and quantity of particles in transformer oil during the the influence of needle-plate discharge on oil-pressboard
discharge are analyzed. Research on the characteristics insulation.
of streamer discharge propagation is not only helpful Matsumoto et al. [5] demonstrated that the discharge
for understanding the process of discharge but also has process in liquid is called streamer discharge. The formation
important significance for converter transformer design
from the perspective of inhibiting streamer discharge. and propagation of streamer discharge in a UHV system is
an important physical phenomenon in the process of liquid
Index Terms — Converter transformer, discharge images, discharge. Meng et al. [6], [7] studied the physical mechanism
edge detection, streamer discharge.
of the discharge process, which can deepen the theoretical
understanding of liquid discharge. Shen et al. [8] found that
I. I NTRODUCTION
compared with the discharge in air, the discharge phenomenon
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Fig. 1. Experimental model. (a) Experimental circuit diagram. Fig. 2. Variation in ac breakdown field strength versus oil gap.
(b) Schematic of the needle-plate electrode.
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YANG et al.: ANALYSIS OF DISCHARGE IMAGE AND PARTICLE CHARACTERISTICS OF NEEDLE PLATE IN TRANSFORMER OIL 1145
be affected by various aspects. Therefore, the discharge image Fig. 5. Discharge conditions of sample 1 in different periods. (a) Original
should be processed to extract useful information so that the image. (b) Processed image.
process of discharge can be better analyzed. The process of
discharge image processing is shown in Fig. 4. Gaussian filters
and Canny edge detectors are used for filtering and edge discharge by ordinary image recognition algorithms, whereas
detection. the discharge can be clearly identified by our proposed
The original Canny algorithm [26] consists of the following algorithm.
steps.
Step 1: Before detecting the edge of the image, denoise the B. Streamer Discharge Under Different Working
image by a Gaussian filter to reduce noise according to the Conditions
following equation:
There are many typical characteristics of streamer discharge,
1 − x 2 +y2 2 such as a high ionization degree, fast propagation speed, and
G(x, y) = e 2σ . (1)
2πσ 2 tree bifurcation. Streamer discharge is a general name for
Step 2: Calculate the gradient amplitude and direction; all kinds of discharge initiation and propagation phenomena
usually, the gradient direction takes four angles–0◦, 45◦ , 90◦ , before dielectric breakdown. Streamers are high-conductivity
and 135◦ , according to the following equations: channels before the dielectric breakdown of liquid, and their
formation and development processes are called prebreakdown
G = G 2x + G 2y (2) phenomena. Streamer formation and propagation are important
physical phenomena in the propagation of liquid dielectric
Gy
θ = arctan (3) discharge. The analysis of the physical mechanism for
Gx streamer discharge can deepen the theoretical understanding
where G x and G y are a pair of convolution array. of liquid discharge [27], [28].
Step 3: Nonmaximum suppression, which eliminates Different working conditions (including different discharge
nonedge pixels, leaves only a few fine lines. gap distances r and different thicknesses of insulation
Step 4: Select the hysteresis threshold, and the hysteresis pressboard d) are selected to observe the streamer discharge.
threshold needs two thresholds that retain or exclude pixels to The first discharge is regarded as the zero moment. The
select the edge. streamer discharge images of sample 1 (r = 0.5 mm, d =
If the amplitude of the pixel position is higher than the 0.5 mm), sample 2 (r = 0.5 mm, d = 1.0 mm), sample 3
high threshold, the pixel is reserved as an edge pixel. If the (r = 0.5 mm, d = 1.5 mm), sample 4 (r = 1.0 mm,
amplitude of the pixel position is less than the high threshold, d = 0.5 mm), and sample 5 (r = 1.0 mm, d = 1.0 mm)
the pixel is excluded. If the amplitude of the pixel position is are shown in Figs. 5–9, respectively.
between the two thresholds, the pixel is reserved only when Since the axial expansion speed of the discharge is faster
connected to a pixel higher than the high threshold. than the transverse expansion speed in the streamers of
The image can be soothed by the Gaussian filter and the sample 1, Fig. 5 shows that streamers are with irregular
Gaussian noise can be effectively removed by the Gaussian shape that is like ellipse. Comparing the figures of the
filter. Also, the interference of noise to the algorithm is streamer propagation process in different periods, the streamer
suppressed by the Gaussian filter. More actual edges can propagation length rapidly increases during the propagation
be identified by the Canny operator in the image, and the process. Due to the distribution of the discharge, the energy
identified edges are very close to the actual edges. Due to the exchange at the gas–liquid interface is more dispersed, which
influence of bubbles during discharge, the edge of discharge is makes it more difficult for the streamer to expand during
fuzzy. Therefore, the bubbles are easily regarded as a part of discharge.
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YANG et al.: ANALYSIS OF DISCHARGE IMAGE AND PARTICLE CHARACTERISTICS OF NEEDLE PLATE IN TRANSFORMER OIL 1147
Fig. 11. Comparison of the discharge perimeter to the discharge gap of IV. A NALYSIS OF PARTICLE C HARACTERISTICS
different samples.
U NDER AC VOLTAGE
In the process of discharge, due to the impact of discharge,
are calculated to analyze the characteristics of discharge transformer oil has certain fluidity. Particles (including bubbles
due to the difference in the discharge gap. The definitions and paper fibers) suspended in the transformer oil will move
of length and diameter for streamer discharge are shown continuously under the combined action of buoyancy and
in Fig. 10. oil flow. If the experimental sample is relatively new, the
As shown in Fig. 11, the ratio of the discharge perimeter impurities in transformer oil are mainly bubbles. However,
to the discharge gap of sample 2 is greater than that of the the ablation effect of discharge will damage the insulation
other samples, and the change rate of the sample perimeter pressboard and then lead to the gradual emergence of
at 0–0.8 ms is much greater than that at other times, impurities from the insulation pressboard in the transformer
which is because multistreamer discharge has wider and oil. Particles may be close to the needle electrode during
more discharge channels, and its ionization intensity is much discharge and thus affect the propagation of discharge.
stronger. Therefore, it is necessary to study the motion law of various
Fig. 12 shows that the ratio of discharge length to discharge impurities.
gap of sample 2 is the largest and that of samples 1 and 4 is There are three main reasons for generating bubbles in
the smallest. With the occurrence of discharge, the electron transformer oil: 1) gases in the liquid; 2) current emitted
moves faster, so the ratio of discharge length to discharge gap from the electrode, which heats and gasifies the nearby liquid;
is larger. and 3) high-energy electrons in liquid collide with liquid
Fig. 13 implies that the ratios of discharge diameters to molecules. Thus, the gases are ionized and produced. When
discharge gaps of samples 3 and 5 are similar because the discharge occurs, due to the tunneling effect, when electrons
discharge patterns of samples 3 and 5 are similar. After are emitted from the needle into the transformer oil, the
0.8 ms, the change trend of the ratio of discharge diameters liquid near the needle will be quickly heated, resulting in a
to discharge gap is slow, and the discharge diameter remains large number of bubbles near the needle. To deeply study
unchanged. the influence mechanism of different factors on particles
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YANG et al.: ANALYSIS OF DISCHARGE IMAGE AND PARTICLE CHARACTERISTICS OF NEEDLE PLATE IN TRANSFORMER OIL 1149
Fig. 17. Typical particles and trajectory in sample 4. (a) Typical bubbles
in sample 4. (b) Trajectory of typical particles in sample 4.
Fig. 18. Typical particles and trajectory in sample 5. (a) Typical particles
in sample 5. (b) Trajectory of a typical bubble in sample 5.
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YANG et al.: ANALYSIS OF DISCHARGE IMAGE AND PARTICLE CHARACTERISTICS OF NEEDLE PLATE IN TRANSFORMER OIL 1151
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