Brazilian Archives of Biology and Technology (Jan 2024)

Development of a Low-Energy Mobile Current Waveform Impulse Generator for Application in Low Voltage Surge Arresters

  • Tiago Goncalves Zacarias,
  • Rafael Martins,
  • Carlos Eduardo Xavier,
  • Júlio Cezar Oliveira Castioni,
  • Germano Lambert-Torres,
  • Frederico de Oliveira Assunção,
  • Levy Ely de Lacerda de Oliveira,
  • Carlos Eduardo Teixeira,
  • Luiz Eduardo Borges da Silva,
  • Erik Leandro Bonaldi

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1590/1678-4324-2024230669
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 67

Abstract

Read online Read online

Abstract Surge arresters are at the forefront of protection against voltage surges. The loss of the protective effect of surge arresters imposes accidents and unplanned shutdowns on the power system. It directly affects the interruption of power supplies and imposes fines on service providers. Monitoring and diagnostics in the lightning rod field require studies and work that present the degradation behaviour of surge arresters to help develop and improve existing techniques. This paper presents the development of a laboratory with a low-energy, mobile current waveform impulse generator. It allows for conducting aging tests by applying discharges to low-voltage zinc oxide surge arresters used in the energy distribution sector. Samples of surge arresters were subjected to the discharges produced by the developed generator, and they exhibited degradation, thus showing asymmetry between the positive and negative half-cycles of leakage current.

Keywords