Numerical analysis and application of electric field grading device for metal‑enclosed switchgear
Serdal Arslan1 · Yunus Bicen2 · Ömür Binarbasi3
Received: 7 September 2020 / Accepted: 21 January 2021
1 Introduction
In power systems, electric field grading devices used
both to extend the life of the designed equipment and
to reduce the number of failures have great importance.
These devices minimize the probability of failure caused
by abnormal situations such as dielectric breakdown, arcing,
electrical discharge, etc. [1–4]. Metal-enclosed switchgear
is a typical electrical system exposed to this type of
failure in the electric power system [5] and in order to protect
the insulator–metal junctions, electric field grading
devices can be used [6, 7]. Manufacturers are required to
produce quality products within the framework of standards
or at the request of the customer. Also, manufacturers
should consider the costs of production, while fulfilling
this request. For this purpose, designers reduce the weight
and size of the electrical equipment using optimization
techniques in order to meet the requirements of the
system [8]. Electric field computation procedures are an
important stage of these actions. Various numerical techniques
can be used for computing the electric fields [4, 9].
Finite element method (FEM) is the best known numerical
technique which enables the designer to solve the difficult
problem such as non-uniform surface and to make a practical
electrical design optimization [8–11].
In the literature, there are few studies regarding both
theory and practice in electric field grading. Some of these
studies were conducted to make optimization of the high
voltage system in outdoor substations and this type
studies focus on the environmental conditions (such as
dry–wet condition, moisture, pollution, etc.) to determine
electric field stress and to optimize the electric field grading
devices [10, 12–15]. Some studies were conducted to
make optimization of the indoor high and medium voltage