In April 2016 Manchester eScholar was replaced by the University of Manchester’s new Research Information Management System, Pure. In the autumn the University’s research outputs will be available to search and browse via a new Research Portal. Until then the University’s full publication record can be accessed via a temporary portal and the old eScholar content is available to search and browse via this archive.

Imaging and Analysis Techniques for Electrical Trees using X-ray computed tomography

Rowland, Simon M; Schurch, Roger; Bradley, Robert S; Withers, Phil J

I E E E Transactions on Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation. 2014;21(1):53-63.

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Abstract

Electrical treeing is one of the main mechanisms of degradation in polymeric high voltage insulation, a precursor of power equipment failure. Electrical trees have been previously imaged mostly using two-dimensional imaging techniques; thereby loosing valuable information. Here we review the techniques that have been previously used and present the novel application of X-ray computed tomography (XCT) for electrical tree imaging. This non-destructive technique is able to reveal electrical trees, providing a three-dimensional (3-D) view and therefore, a more complete representation of the phenomenon can be achieved. Moreover, taking virtual slices through the replica so created brings the possibility of internal exploration of the electrical tree, without the destruction of the specimen. Here, laboratory created electrical trees have been scanned using XCT with phase contrast enhancement, and 3-D virtual replicas created through which the trees are analyzed. Serial Block-Face scanning electron microscopy (SBFSEM) is shown to be a successful complementary technique. Computed tomography enables quantification of electrical tree characteristics that previously were not available. Characteristics such as the diameter and tortuosity of tree channels, as well as the overall tree volume can be calculated. Through the cross-section analysis, the progression of the number of tree channels and the area covered by them can be investigated. Using this approach it is expected that a better understanding of electrical treeing phenomenon will be developed.

Bibliographic metadata

Type of resource:
Content type:
Publication status:
Published
Publication type:
Publication form:
Published date:
Language:
eng
ISSN:
Publishers website:
http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/Xplore/
Volume:
21
Issue:
1
Start page:
53
End page:
63
Total:
10
Pagination:
53-63
Digital Object Identifier:
10.1109/TDEI.2014.6740725
Funder(s) acknowledged in this article?:
No
Is APC paid?:
Yes
Attached files embargo period:
Immediate release
Attached files release date:
7th March, 2014
Access state:
Active

Institutional metadata

University researcher(s):

Record metadata

Manchester eScholar ID:
uk-ac-man-scw:220822
Created by:
Rowland, Simon
Created:
7th March, 2014, 16:34:37
Last modified by:
Rowland, Simon
Last modified:
2nd November, 2015, 13:58:27

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