Electric Field Analysis Based on FEM and Corona Test of 330 kV Dampers

At high altitudes, 330 kV dampers usually have corona discharges on their weights, which affects the lives of the surrounding residents. To suppress the corona, optimizing the structures of the dampers is a recommended measure to reduce the electric field intensities on their weights. In this paper, three-dimensional computational models of 330 kV FDN dampers were constructed to calculate the electric field distributions on their weights, based on finite element method (FEM). The structure of the small end was optimized to reduce the electric field strength on its surface. When the radius was increased from 25 to 35 mm, the maximum electric field intensity could be decreased from 2987 V/mm to 2390V/mm. According to the results, new dampers were manufactured to test their corona characteristics. The test results show that the new dampers can prevent corona discharge at altitudes below 3500 m.