Insulation Condition Assessment of Power System Components in the Future Smart Electricity Grid

可再生能源分布式发电已被确定为未来智能电网的关键特征，它将使电力系统网络更加高效、可靠和可持续。为此，电力电子设备越来越多地被添加到现有电网中。这些设备由于其运行模式，向电网注入大量的谐波，导致电压和电流波形失真，进而导致变压器、机器、电缆和电缆附件中的电压应力增加，并导致电气绝缘更快退化，缩短设备的使用寿命。 “安装风力涡轮机的热潮已经超过了通常的发展学习曲线，在这种学习曲线中，新技术通过试错而成熟，并定义了非常适合手头工作的设备。在这场从风能中获利的21世纪土地热潮中，开发商往往以较低的初始成本换取更高的总拥有成本，最终由风电场所有者和运营商承担。这一点在风力涡轮机发电机(WTG)升压变压器上表现得尤为明显。”这一说法发表在2010年6月9日的《风电新闻》上，事实上，报告的与风电场和太阳能发电场相连的变压器和电缆终端的故障率令人震惊，这是拟议研究的基石，这一说法得到了证实。这项研究将首先检查电力系统设备中基于谐波的应力，这将导致缓解技术和/或绝缘设计或材料的改进，以及开发早期发现潜在问题的诊断方法。 这项研究的知识和技术成果对加拿大智能电网的发展具有重要意义，应用研究将加强工程师的教学和培训，这将有助于加拿大电力系统设备制造商和加拿大咨询行业成为技术领先者。

Renewable energy distributed generation has been identified as the key feature of the future smart grid which will make the power system network more efficient, reliable and sustainable. To this end, power electronic devices are being increasingly added to the existing grid. These devices, due to their mode of operation, inject substantial harmonics into the grid giving rise to distortions in the voltage and current waveforms, which, in turn, leads to increased voltage stresses in transformers, machines, cables and cable accessories, and causes faster degradation of the electrical insulation, shortening the life of the equipment. "A rush to install wind turbines has outstripped the usual developmental learning curve, one in which new technologies mature by trial and error, and define equipment that is well suited for the job at hand. In this 21st century land rush to cash-in on wind energy, developers are often trading low initial costs for higher total costs of ownership which eventually is shouldered by wind farm owners and operators. Nowhere is this more evident than with wind-turbine generator (WTG) step-up transformers". This statement, appeared in Wind Power News - June 9, 2010, is, in fact, substantiated by the alarming rate of failures reported of transformers and cable terminations connected to wind and solar farms, which is the cornerstone of the proposed research. The research will begin by examining the harmonic based stresses in power system equipment, which will lead to mitigation techniques and/or improvements to insulation design or materials, as well as to the development of diagnostic methods for the early detection of potential problems. The knowledge and technology outcomes of this research are of significant importance to the development of the Canadian smart grid, and the applied research will enhance the teaching and training of engineers that will contribute to Canadian manufacturers of power system equipment and Canadian consulting industries as technology leaders.