Novel Spiral-Gap Shielding Shell for a Rogowski Current Sensor

Abstract

Rogowski current sensors play an important role in detecting the condition of electrical power substation equipment. An electromagnetic field shielding shell is necessary for some of these sensors to operate correctly, especially those with large diameters and small heights. These are used for frequency-response analysis in power transformers. In this study, the magnetic-shielding effectiveness of a normal C-type metal shell was tested and simulated. The distribution and direction of the magnetic field were analyzed using finite-element simulation calculations to reveal the reasons for its poor shielding effectiveness. It was found that the magnetic field induced by an interference current crosses the shell and enters its cavity through the gap in its inner wall. Shells with larger inner-diameter-to-height ratios have worse magnetic-shielding effectiveness. Therefore, a novel shell structure with a spiral gap is proposed here. The magnetic-shielding effectiveness of this new type of shell was analyzed by further simulations and verified in experimental tests. The results showed that a shell with a spiral gap has better shielding effectiveness when it has a long gap. In addition, the spiral gap was found not to inhibit the current-measurement function of the sensor. This provides a new approach to the design of electromagnetic shielding shells for Rogowski sensors.