Discharge modes evolution characteristics of metal particle on the spacer surface in AC gas insulated switchgear

Abstract Flashover faults on gas insulated switchgear (GIS) insulators induced by metal particles occur frequently. Previous studies have obtained the characteristics of partial discharges (PDs) induced by metal particles on spacer surfaces, but these characteristics cannot explain the detection failure of ultra-high frequency (UHF) online monitoring. To enable further study of the PD characteristics induced by surface metal particles, the space electric field and a very-high-sensitivity pulse current (PC) measurement system were established. The electric field and PC characteristics of a PD induced by metal particle on the spacer surface of a 126 kV GIS were obtained. Two PD modes were found to be induced by surface metal particles. In addition to the typical pulse discharge (TP), there is a micro-discharge group (MG) mode with low apparent charge and long duration. The average apparent charge of the MG mode is approximately one-tenth of that of the TP at 0.4 pC. Its duration may extend to the millisecond level, causing significant distortion of the spatial electric field while hardly producing UHF signals. Moreover, increasing the applied voltage will increase the proportion of the MG within the total discharge, where this proportion can reach more than 90% before flashover, and the proportion of the discharge pulses that generates UHF signals is as low as 1%. The MG generation mechanism is analysed, the ion group stranded on the spacer surface by the TP changes the local electric field at the tip of the metal particle, which reduces the development length and apparent charge of the MG. Low apparent charge is cleared easily by the background electric field and thus the discharge interval is very short. This paper can provide an important basis for revealing the mechanism of GIS spacer surface discharge induced by metal particles and solving the effectiveness of PD monitoring devices.