Investigations on potential distribution and dielectric strength of a high voltage vacuum interrupter

This paper provides the internal electric field distribution and dielectric strength of a high voltage vacuum interrupter. The results of calculation and analysis showed that, by optimizing the insulating structure of the interrupter, especially the shape and the location of the shield, the insulating strength can be significantly improved. A series of standard lightning impulses were applied to a model vacuum interrupter to check these results. The calculated results agree with the test results