Effect of space charge on the accumulative characteristics of oil paper insulation under repeated lightning impulses

Repeated impulses have long been considered to affect the insulation properties of electrical equipment. This interesting but rarely studied phenomenon may pose great risks to the reliable operation of power equipment. Therefore, in this work, we focus on the accumulative effect of repeated lightning impulses on the oil-impregnated paper (OIP) used in power transformers. Specifically, we study the effect of space charge on the accumulative characteristics of OIP. A repetitive impulse accumulating test platform was set up, and the tests were conducted to obtain the accumulative characteristics of OIP under repeated lightning impulses. The accumulative characteristics of OIP with various interval time were experimentally identified to study the influence of interval time on the accumulative effect. Then, space charge in OIP samples were investigated using the pulsed electro-acoustic technique. Charge behavior in OIP was analyzed under different conditions, i.e., changing the applied times, amplitude and interval time of the applied lightning impulses. Charge injection and transport occurred during lightning impulse accumulation. The increased application of lightning impulses, high applied voltage, and short interval time contributed to the accumulation and transport of space charges. At last, the possible mechanisms of the accumulative effect are discussed in this article based on the experimental results.