Solid dielectric material considerations in the design of repetitive pulsed power transmission line systems

Although solid insulation is generally considered to be non-recoverable in the event of dielectric breakdown, there are pulsed power applications where its use is warranted. This can result in increased system capacitance with the possibility of operating at increased energy levels or reduced system volumes. However solid insulation failure under pulsed power conditions is not fully understood. This paper reports on the results of a recent test programme, the object of which was to investigate the material limits of solid dielectric insulation at potentials in excess of 100 kV. This was a comparative study of various materials and was not an attempt to optimise the material breakdown voltage but to make a direct sample comparison under identical, representative pulsed power conditions