AC ripple on DC voltage: Experimental and theoretical investigation of the impact on accelerated ageing in electrical insulation

With the increasing penetration of DC systems into the high voltage and medium voltage power industry, DC voltage is becoming common for distribution/transmission and to supply different typologies of loads. The allowable extent of AC ripple superimposed to DC, and its effect on insulation ageing, is a long-term discussed topic. The most harmful phenomenon causing extrinsic ageing acceleration and insulation system premature failure is partial discharges (PD); thus, the risk of incepting PD due to AC ripple could become a primary issue for electrical asset equipment reliability. In this work, the impact of AC sinusoidal ripple on insulation system life and reliability is dealt with, considering both intrinsic and extrinsic ageing but focusing on the latter, that is, the PD aspect. Experiments are performed to assess how the jump voltage (due to AC ripple) and the DC component impact on PD activity in terms of amplitude and repetition rate. For the first time, the correlation between the magnitude of jump voltage associated with ripple and PD inception is established, shedding a light on the allowable ripple extent which does not impact significantly on ageing and premature insulation failure. This approach can provide straightforward tools for design specification and ageing inference of insulation systems.