High Voltage Dielectric Test Vessel With Meshing Convolutions
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Solution Overview
Problem
High voltage liquid dielectric test vessels face issues with inaccurate breakdown voltage measurements due to insufficient insulation between electrodes and air, leading to erroneous results from discharges through the atmosphere rather than across the oil sample.
Innovation Solution
A high voltage liquid dielectric test vessel assembly with side-adjustable electrodes featuring conductive shafts and adjusting wheels with meshing convolutions, which increase the air path and reduce the likelihood of discharge through air, allowing for precise gap adjustment and increased test voltage while maintaining protection against air breakdown.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the test vessel size is reduced, then portability and compactness are improved, but the air path insulation between electrodes and vessel periphery deteriorates, increasing likelihood of air discharge
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a third dimension by adding convolutions (helical ridges) to the adjusting wheel surface. This transforms a simple radial air gap into a multi-dimensional path that extends axially along the convolutions, significantly increasing the air path length without increasing the radial or axial dimensions of the vessel. The convolutions create a serpentine air path that provides superior insulation while maintaining compact vessel size.
Solution Approach 2:
The convolutions on the adjusting wheel create a curved, three-dimensional surface topology. This curved geometry extends the air path length by forcing discharge to follow the convoluted surface rather than taking a direct radial path. The spiral/helical nature of the convolutions maximizes the air path length within a compact volume, effectively increasing insulation without increasing overall vessel dimensions.
2Measurement precision
If the gap between electrodes is adjusted with high precision, then measurement accuracy is improved, but the risk of air discharge due to reduced insulation distance increases
Solution Approach 1:
The convolutions add an axial dimension to the air path, creating a multi-dimensional insulation barrier. Even when the radial gap between electrodes is reduced for precise measurement, the axial extension provided by the convoluted surface maintains sufficient air path length, preventing air discharge while enabling high-precision gap adjustment.
Solution Approach 2:
The adjusting wheel surface is segmented into multiple convoluted ridges that divide the air path into multiple segments. This segmentation forces any potential discharge to navigate through multiple insulated barriers rather than a single direct path, thereby reducing air discharge risk while maintaining the ability to precisely adjust the electrode gap.
3Ease of operation
If conductive shafts are used for electrode adjustment, then ease of adjustment is improved, but the likelihood of discharge through the shaft to vessel periphery increases
Solution Approach 1:
The convolutions act as an intermediary insulating barrier between the conductive shaft and the vessel periphery. The shaft remains conductive for ease of adjustment, but the convoluted surface of the adjusting wheel creates an extended air path that mediates and prevents discharge from reaching the vessel wall, thus maintaining both ease of operation and electrical safety.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enables accurate breakdown voltage measurements by minimizing air discharges and allowing for a smaller, lighter test vessel design while maintaining protection against air breakdown, facilitating higher test voltages and precise electrode gap adjustments.
Implementation Method 1
the air path from the conductive shaft to the periphery of the vessel is significantly increased, resulting in a much reduced likelihood of an inadvertent discharge through the air
Implementation Method 2
a first conductive shaft extending through the sidewall and having a distal end attached to the first electrode
Implementation Method 3
a first adjusting wheel interengaged with the first shaft such that rotation of the first wheel is translated into axial reciprocation of the first shaft
Data Source
AI summary
A test vessel assembly comprises a central test vessel defining a chamber in which a sample to be tested may be stored. A pair of side adjustable electrodes is received in the chamber and immersed in the sample under test to determine the breakdown voltage of the sample. A gap between the electrodes can be adjusted by respective electrode adjusting moved in and out of the test vessel by rotation of an associated adjusting wheel. To prevent the breakdown in air rather than in the sample, care is taken to ensure sufficiently large creepage and clearance distances between the connections to the electrodes and from the connections to the electrodes to a wall of the test chamber. To this end, the adjusting wheels include convolutions that mesh with corresponding convolutions in the test vessel.