Internal electric field modification method based on region segmentation for vacuum interrupters

Abstract

Enhancement of insulation performance has been a long-lasting problem for vacuum interrupter (VI) design. Traditional design focuses on reducing the maximal electric field strength (EFS); however, the distribution pattern of electric field also plays an important role in insulating efficiency. A method based on region segmentation is proposed to modify the electric field distribution. By dividing the electric field area, the regression function derived from orthogonal experimental design is established for each unit to reveal the relationship between the structure parameters of VI and EFS. Then the target EFS distribution is designed, and the optimal solution set is obtained by practical swarm optimisation. Fuzzy cluster selection is introduced to choose the design scheme from the solution set. Comparison of the simulation and experimental results shows the effectiveness of the proposed method.