Active high voltage insulation

In this paper a radically new concept of an active high voltage insulation system with dynamic and adaptive features is presented. The principle is based on beneficial surface charge accumulation on dielectrically covered electrodes in air under atmospheric pressure. In equilibrium, the electric field component in the air-gap normal to the dielectric surface will be zero, except for the field component needed to balance charge losses due to surface and bulk conductivity. Consequently, in the ideal case it is the electrical breakdown strength of the electrode coatings which determines the breakdown strength of the entire system. Nevertheless, in order to reach equilibrium, a dynamic phase with changing electric field distribution in the insulation system has to be passed. The dynamic system-aspects of the concept are demonstrated through numerical simulations.