Experimental and Numerical Investigation of Surface Flashover Characteristics in Insulated High Voltage Electrode Systems

Nordiana Azlin Othman; Mohd Fairouz Mohd Yousof; Md Aris Nor Asyidi Md Nadzir; Aidi Basar; Muhammad Syazani Abid Mohamed Sani; Chiam Kok Thiam

doi:10.56532/mjsat.v6iS2.811

Authors

Nordiana Azlin Othman Department of Electrical Power Engineering, Faculty of Electrical & Electronic Engineering, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, 86400 Batu Pahat, Malaysia
Mohd Fairouz Mohd Yousof Department of Electrical Power Engineering, Faculty of Electrical & Electronic Engineering, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, 86400 Batu Pahat, Malaysia https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1794-3406
Md Aris Nor Asyidi Md Nadzir APD Global Sdn Bhd, Level 23, Ilham Tower, No.8, Jalan Binjai, 50450 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Aidi Basar Department of Electrical Power Engineering, Faculty of Electrical & Electronic Engineering, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, 86400 Batu Pahat, Malaysia
Muhammad Syazani Abid Mohamed Sani Department of Electrical Power Engineering, Faculty of Electrical & Electronic Engineering, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, 86400 Batu Pahat, Malaysia https://orcid.org/0009-0007-5044-3781
Chiam Kok Thiam Aimflex Systems Sdn. Bhd, 12-2, Jalan Persiaran Teknologi, Taman Teknologi Johor, 81400 Senai, Johor, Malaysia https://orcid.org/0009-0008-9124-2684

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.56532/mjsat.v6iS2.811

Keywords:

Surface flashover, High-voltage insulation, Finite element method, Electric field distribution, Dielectric materials

Abstract

This study investigates the effectiveness of insulation materials in enhancing the breakdown voltage performance of high-voltage (HV) electrode systems. Bare electrodes and electrodes coated with Teflon and polyolefin were used to conduct the experimental analysis under controlled conditions (DC). Measurement of the breakdown voltage was done through repeated trials, and statistical analyses, including mean and standard deviation, were carried out to determine the consistency of performance. Furthermore, the distribution of electric fields was modeled through a numerical simulation to describe the breakdown behavior. Results indicate that insulated electrodes significantly improve breakdown voltage compared to bare configurations, with polyolefin demonstrating the highest performance. Despite lower variability demonstrated by Teflon, polyolefin attains a high level of dielectric strength with reasonable variability. AC testing further reveals differences in leakage behavior, indicating the influence of alternating stress on surface conduction. These results confirm that the insulation coating can minimize the concentration of the electric fields, thus increasing the reliability of the system. This work provides a viable and efficient methodology toward enhancing HV electrode workability in industrial process applications like EV contactor testing.

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