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Ester liquids including both natural ester and synthetic ester are being considered as potential alternatives to mineral oil, due to their better environmental performance and for some liquids their higher fire point. Although these liquids have been widely used in distribution and traction transformers, it is still a significant step to adopt ester liquids in high-voltage power transformers because the high cost and severe consequence of a factory test failure and the high level of safety and reliability required in service for these units, tend to lead to a cautious approach to any step change in technology. Lightning impulse strength as basic insulation level is of importance for insulation design of power transformers and lightning impulse test is commonly required in the factory routine tests for high-voltage power transformers, so this thesis is aimed to investigate the electrical performances including pre-breakdown and breakdown of natural ester and synthetic ester under impulse voltage. Two types of field geometry were considered in the study, one is sphere-sphere configuration which represents the quasi-uniform fields inside a transformer and another is strongly non-uniform point-plane configuration which represents the situation of a defect or a source of discharge. In quasi-uniform field study, standard breakdown tests were carried out under negative lightning and switching impulse voltages. Influence of various testing methods on the measured lightning breakdown voltage was studied and the 1% lightning withstand voltage was obtained based on Weibull distribution fitting on the cumulative probability plot built up using the approximately 1000 impulse shots. As for strongly non-uniform field study, streamer propagation and breakdown event in ester liquids either with or without pressboard interface were investigated at various gap distances under both positive and negative lightning impulse voltages. A relationship between the results under lightning impulse and previously published results under step voltage was built up to predict the lightning breakdown voltage of ester liquids at very large gaps. The results indicated that impulse strengths of ester liquids for both breakdown and withstand in a quasi-uniform field, are comparable to those of mineral oil. In a strongly non-uniform field, streamers in ester liquids propagate faster and further, than in mineral oil at the same voltage level. Thus breakdown voltages of ester liquids are generally lower than those of mineral oil, which could be as low as 40% at a large gap distance of approximately 1000 mm. Introduction of parallel pressboard interface has no influence on the streamer propagation and thus does not weaken the breakdown voltage, but it tends to reduce the acceleration voltage particularly for mineral oil under positive polarity. Last but not least, a unique phenomenon of secondary reverse streamer (SRS) was observed in ester liquids, which occurs subsequently and well after the extinction of the primary streamer (PS) propagation within a single shot of impulse voltage and has the reverse polarity to the PS. The formation mechanism of SRS is explained mainly due to the reverse electric field induced by the residual space charges left by the PS.

To mitigate high voltages in transmission systems with low demands, traditional solutions often consider the installation of reactive power compensators. The deployment and tuning of numbers of VAr compensators at various locations may not be cost-effective. This thesis presents an alternative method that utilises existing parallel transformers in distribution networks to provide reactive power supports for transmission systems under low demands. The operation of parallel transformers in small different tap positions, i.e. with staggered taps, can provide a means of absorbing reactive power. The aggregated reactive power absorption from many pairs of parallel transformers could be sufficient to provide voltage support to the upstream transmission network. Network capability studies have been carried out to investigate the reactive power absorption capability through the use of tap stagger. The studies are based on a real UK High Voltage distribution network, and the tap staggering technique has been applied to primary substation transformers. The results confirm that the tap staggering method has the potential to increase the reactive power demand drawn from the transmission grid. This thesis also presents an optimal control method for tap stagger to minimise the introduced network loss as well as the number of tap switching operations involved. A genetic algorithm (GA) based procedure has been developed to solve the optimisation problem. The GA method has been compared with two alternative solution approaches, i.e. the rule-based control scheme and the branch-and-bound algorithm. The results indicate that the GA method is superior to the other two approaches. The economic and technical impacts of the tap staggering technique on the transmission system has been studied. In the economic analysis, the associated costs of applying the tap staggering method have been investigated from the perspective of transmission system operator. The IEEE Reliability Test System has been used to carry out the studies, and the results have been compared with the installation of shunt reactors. In the technical studies, the dynamic impacts of tap staggering or reactor switching on transmission system voltages have been analysed. From the results, the tap staggering technique has more economic advantages than reactors and can reduce voltage damping as well as overshoots during the transient states.

The health of the transmission power transformers in the power system networks is critical to the reliability of electricity supply. Knowing the precise life expectancy of the transmission power transformer is of vital importance as it permits an optimised asset replacement. The traditionally regarded transmission power transformer’s life expectancy of 40 years is considered dated for the transformers in the UK according to the transformer life data in 2010. In this thesis, it is aimed to investigate the life expectancy of the transmission power transformer in the UK from three aspects: statistical analysis on historic transformer life data, thermal modelling of in-service transformers, and through the in-service transformers’ furan measurements.A detailed statistical analysis shows that deriving the transformer’s reliability at a certain age by calculating the hazard rate is inadequate, as the hazard rate at each age has a statistical range in which the confidence band width is related to the amount of the reliability data. The transformer life data in all ages are grouped together to derive a general hazard rate of 0.27%. It is concluded that the transformer life expectancy could not be derived via statistical approaches due to the limited data available at the older transformer ages.As an alternative approach, regarding the life of insulating paper as the ultimate life of a transformer, the thermal model published by the IEC transformer loading guide 60076-7 is reviewed and extended to estimate a transformer’s thermal lifetime. The model is improved in two aspects, such that Arrhenius equation is adopted to consider the paper’s practical ageing mechanism of oxidation and hydrolysis when calculating the paper’s ageing rate; and the model takes consideration of the paper’s moisture accumulation effect.The developed thermal model is used to reversely derive the generally unknown model input – hot-spot factor, by the means of regarding the scrapped transformer’s degree of polymerisation (DP) predicted thermal lives as a benchmark. Assigning the derived hot-spot factor to the field units with regard to the design family, the thermal lives of 106 in-service transformers have been estimated. To enlarge the life sample, the modelling lives are combined with the 79 scrapped transformers’ DP predicted thermal lives. The thermal life expectancy, defined as the median life of the sample set, is derived as 88 years. A series of sensitivity studies are performed to examine the derived life expectancy’s responses on the variations of load, winding-to-oil gradient, top-oil temperature rise, and the setting of winding temperature indicator.As a non-intrusive approach in transformer’s insulating paper assessment, the correlations between the 2-furaldehyde (2FAL) concentration dissolved in transformer oil and paper’s DP derived by different laboratories are reviewed which are found to differ significantly. As a first-time attempt to derive the 2FAL-DP correlation relationship for the field transformers, the paper’s DP is estimated at the age when oil was sampled using the thermal model, and is plotted with the 2FAL measurement. De Pablo’s equation is found to fit the plot of the DP estimates against the 2FAL measurements better than other function formats. The 2FAL concentrations corresponding to the paper’s critical DP levels are given using the developed 2FAL-DP correlation relationship.

Les travaux de thèse portent sur la conception et la réalisation d'un circuit intégré de commande rapprochée générique pour les transistors à grille isolée comme les MOSFETs et les IGBTs dans les structures de conversion d'énergie de l'électronique de puissance. L'objectif principal est de concevoir un système de commande simple à mettre en oeuvre, compact et configurable pouvant servir un panel varié d'applications dites multi-transistors. Le mémoire de thèse se structure en quatre chapitres : état de l'art de la commande rapprochée des transistors à grille isolée, présentation et validation d'une nouvelle topologie de commande rapprochée à base de transformateur d'impulsion, présentation et validation d'une version améliorée pour travailler à large spectre de fréquence et de rapport cyclique, conception et validation du driver intégré générique. Les champs d'application de ce concept du driver sont multiples, celui-ci favorise la simplicité de la conception et de la mise en oeuvre des système de commande pour l'électronique de puissance. / The thesis work focuses on the design and the implementation of a generic integrated gate driver circuit for power transistors such as MOSFETs and IGBTs in power conversion structure. The main objective is to design a control system which is simple to implement, compact and can be configurable to serve several multi-transistors applications. The thesis is structured into four chapters: state of the art of the gate driver for power transistor, presentation and validation of a new gate driver topology based on pulse transformer, presentation and validation of an upgraded version enable to work with wider range of frequency and duty cycle, design and validation of a generic integrated driver. The fields of application of this driver concept are multiples; it promotes the simplicity of the design and implementation of control system for power electronics.

Sendo as interrupções, os afundamentos de tensão e as sobretensões distúrbios de Qualidade de Energia Elétrica (QEE) com potencial de grande impacto econômico, estudos que procuram alternativas de mitigação de seus efeitos ou prevenção de sua ocorrência têm sido amplamente realizados nas últimas décadas. Uma das metodologias de avaliação de sua ocorrência é realizada pela predição, que geralmente se concentra em simulações de faltas em parcelas de sistemas elétricos de potência. Nos Procedimentos de Distribuição de Energia Elétrica no Sistema Elétrico Nacional (PRODIST), encontra-se a denominação geral de Variações de Tensão de Curta Duração (VTCD) para estes três tipos de distúrbios, os quais podem ser classificados tanto por sua magnitude quanto por sua duração. Nesse contexto, este trabalho avalia pela predição a influência exercida pela conexão e o aterramento do neutro de transformadores trifásicos nas quantidades de VTCD, especialmente de afundamentos de tensão, e no valor do índice Fator de Impacto (FI) do PRODIST, que são observados em um nó com conexão a um consumidor industrial Realizam-se estudos de caso sobre um sistema de potência simulado no software Alternative Transients Program (ATP), o qual possui dois transformadores em sua rede: um transformador da subestação e outro na entrada do nó do consumidor industrial. Consideram-se duas conexões possíveis para o transformador de entrada, e aplica-se uma resistência de aterramento para o neutro de ambos os transformadores em cada caso, alteram-se o seu valor. Verificam-se as tensões no nó do consumidor industrial de duas formas diferentes: tensões fase-terra e tensões fase-fase. Observa-se, assim, que há diferenças para estas quantidades e para o valor do FI devidas à forma de conexão do transformador de entrada, valor da resistência de aterramento de neutro de ambos os transformadores e formas de verificação das tensões. / Since interruptions, voltage sags and overvoltages are Power Quality (PQ) disturbances with great economic impact potential, studies that seek alternatives to mitigate its effects or to prevent its occurrence have been done widely in the last decades. One of the methodologies to assess its occurrence is performed by prediction, which usually focuses on power systems fault simulations. In the Brazilian norm of PQ, there is the general designation short duration voltage variation (VTCD) for these three types of disturbances, which are classified both in terms of magnitude and duration. In this context, this work assess by the prediction the influence of three-phase transformers winding connection and neutral grounding in the quantities of VTCD, especially voltage sags, and in the index value Impact Factor (FI) of the Brazilian regulation standard, which are observed in a node with connection to an industrial consumer. The case studies are performed on a simulated power system in the Alternative Transients Program (ATP), which has two transformers in its network: one substation transformer and another at entrance of the industrial consumer node. Two possible winding connections are considered for the entrance transformer, and a ground resistance is applied to the neutral of both transformers in each case, being changed their value. Voltages in the industrial consumer node are verified by two different ways: phase-to-ground voltages and phase-to-phase voltages. It is observed that there are differences for these quantities and for the value of the FI due to the winding connection of the entrance transformer, the value of the neutral ground resistance of both transformers and the ways of voltage verification.

The ability to withstand a short circuit is the most essential feature of a power transformer. The most important reason to design short-circuits proof transformers is to ensure the reliability of the power grid (avoiding black outs etc.) and safety (fire and explosion in case of failure). During short circuit, the most effected winding is the LV winding due to the flow high currents even during the normal working condition. So during a short circuit large forces are generated which act on the winding and these forces can reach hundreds of tons in fraction of a second, so the transformer must be properly designed in order to withstand these forces or the transformer can fail in different ways. One of the possible failure modes called “Spiraling” is discussed and analyzed in this thesis. Spiraling Occurs when the LV winding twists tangentially in the opposite direction at the ends due to radial short circuit forces. From literature study the transient forces acting on the winding during a 3-phase short circuit was determined and these transient forces were used to perform simulations on the model. The axial and radial forces applied on the model were such that it has a uniform magnitude per each turn. Various analysis was performed on the model which includes the Static, Modal and Transient Structural analysis in Ansys Workbench and each analysis involved parametric analysis where the deformations and the torsional mode shapes were determined

Les prévisions alarmistes en ressources naturelles encouragent la recherche de solutions alternatives au niveau mondial. Le recyclage devient alors un défi majeur pour la société, en particulier pour les produits dérivés du pétrole comme les huiles de transformateur. Cette étude est basée sur la recherche de nouvelles voies de revalorisation de ces huiles, par l’analyse critique du contexte concurrentiel, des segments de marché potentiels, ainsi que des propriétés physico-chimiques de ces huiles. Nous nous sommes attachés à déterminer l’adéquation des performances et caractéristiques des huiles de transformateur régénérées aux exigences propres au marché de l’usinage et de la mise en forme des métaux. L’usure des matériaux dans le cadre de la lubrification limite et au-delà, est un domaine d’étude complexe combinant la mécanique, la physique du solide, la chimie ainsi que la thermodynamique des phénomènes irréversibles. Dans le cadre de cette étude les performances d’hydrocarbures neufs, usagés (pollué par les Polychlorobiphényls) et régénérés, ayant des propriétés physico-chimiques et rhéologiques proches, sont comparés dans le cadre d’essais sclérométriques et tribométriques sur une fonte à graphite sphéroïdal, matériau de frottement largement employé dans l’industrie du transport. Une séquence de techniques d’analyse de surface est développée afin de caractériser les morphologies des surfaces et quantifier les déformations de matières résultantes du frottement. La complémentarité des essais sclérométriques et tribométriques, qui permettent d’étudier les performances des hydrocarbures dans différents états de contraintes, respectivement de compression et de cisaillement, révèlent les bonnes performances des huiles de transformateurs régénérées. En quantifiant spécifiquement les performances des huiles revalorisée à travers la détermination de paramètres tribologiques classiques, comme les taux de déformations, les coefficients de frottements ou encore les temps d’initiation au grippage. La composition finale de l’huile régénérée, à savoir la longueur des chaines hydrocarbonées, les teneurs en eau et en PCB, conditionne son comportement tribologique. Suite à ce bilan positif portant sur les performances des huiles de transformateur régénérées en usure abrasive et catastrophique, la mise en forme des métaux peut être identifiée comme une nouvelle voie de valorisation matière de ces huiles. / The alarming forecasts of natural resources encourage worldwide the search for alternative solutions. Hence recycling becomes a major challenge for society, especially for petroleum products such as transformer oils. This study is based on finding new ways of valorizing these oils, which is a complex problem that must meet the economic, political, regulatory, environmental and scientific constraints and challenges. A critical analysis of the competitive environment, of the potential market segments, as well as physic-chemical properties of these oils is the basis to determine new ways of revalorization. In this study, we attempted to determine the suitability and performance characteristics of transformer oil regenerated to the specific requirements of the machining and shaping of metals. The wear of materials under boundary lubrication and beyond this regime, is a complex area of study combining mechanics, solid state physics, chemistry and thermodynamics of irreversible processes. In this study the performance of new, used ( polluted by polychlorinated biphenyls ) and regenerated oils with close physic-chemical and rheological properties are compared in scratch test and tribometric with a ductile cast iron, which is friction material widely used in the transportation industry. A sequence of surface analysis techniques is developed to characterize the morphologies of the surfaces and quantify the resulting deformation of the friction material. The complementarity of scratch an tribometric tests for the study of the performance of hydrocarbons in different stress states, respectively compression and shear, reveals the good performances of regenerated transformer oils. This study has allowed discriminating the behavior of various origins oils under conditions of extreme friction, and specifically quantifying the performance of the regenerated oils through the determination of classical tribological parameters such as rate of deformation, friction coefficients or time to seizure. The final composition of the regenerated oils, ie the length and nature of the hydrocarbon chains, the water and PCBs content and the presence of polar molecules, determines its tribological behavior. Thus, the study showed that the performance of regenerated oils increases with the water and PCB content. Following this positive assessment on the regenerated oil performances in case of abrasive and catastrophic wear, machining and shaping of metals can be identified as a new way for regenerated transformers oils.

Les transformateurs piézoélectriques présentent de nombreux intérêts en électronique de puissance par rapport aux transformateurs magnétiques : gains en tension élevé, forte densité de puissance, compacité, rendements élevés, forte isolation galvanique et faibles rayonnement électromagnétiques. Toutefois, les structures classiques sont basées sur la génération d’une onde stationnaire qui limite le nombre d’électrodes et de tensions disponibles en sortie. Dans cette thèse, nous proposons une nouvelle topologie de transformateur piézoélectrique qui utilise une onde progressive au lieu d’une onde stationnaire. Avec cette solution, il est possible d’obtenir un système polyphasé de tensions en sortie du transformateur ce qui rend possible plusieurs types de conversion (DC-DC, DC-AC à fréquence variable).Dans un premier temps, nous avons développé un nouveau modèle analytique permettant de décrire le comportement du transformateur à partir de ses dimensions et des propriétés du matériau. Différents prototypes ont été développés pour valider le concept du transformateur et des séries de mesures ont permis de valider le modèle. Concernant les performances, un transformateur cylindrique basé sur une onde de volume a pu fournir un système quadriphasé avec une puissance maximale de 6 W et des rendements de 90%.Une autre approche visait à décrire le comportement d’un transformateur déjà réalisé par l’extraction de ses paramètres Y. A partir de cela, une représentation compatible avec les logiciels de simulation de type Spice a permis une simulation précise du transformateur et du convertisseur de puissance associé.Enfin, deux convertisseurs de puissances ont été conçus basés sur ce transformateur à onde progressive. Le premier est un convertisseur DC-DC basé sur un redresseur polyphasé pour l’alimentation de drivers isolés. Les différentes tensions disponibles à la sortie permettent l’alimentation de plusieurs drivers avec un seul transformateur. Le second convertisseur est un convertisseur DC-AC basé sur le principe d’un cycloconvertisseur. La recombinaison des phases à la sortie permet d’obtenir un signal AC. / Piezoelectric transformers propose several advantages over magnetic ones for power conversion : high voltage gain, compactness, high power density, high efficiency due to their high quality factor, strong galvanic isolation and low electro-magnetic emissions. However, in general, they are based on the generation of a standing wave that limits the number of electrodes at the surface of the transformer. In this PhD, we propose the use of a traveling wave instead of a standing wave. With this solution, it is possible to obtain a multi-phase system of voltages at the output which makes it suitable for different types of conversion (DC-DC, DC-AC with variable frequency).During this work, we developed a new analytical modelling of the transformer that describes its electrical behavior based on geometry and material properties. Different prototypes of TWPT were conceived to validate the concept and on which we perform measurements to validate the analytical modelling. Among them, cylinder-type TWTP based on longitudinal waves outputs a four-phase system with an output power of 6 W and efficiencies as high as 90%.A second approach developed consisted in the modelling of an already made transformer based on the experimental extraction of admittance parameters and its representation for simulation in Spice-type software. This approach allows for precise simulation of the transformer and the associated power converters.Finally, we designed two power converters based on this traveling wave piezoelectric transformers. The first one is a DC-DC converter that is based on a polyphase rectifier for isolated gate-drive power supply. The several phases available at the output allows for the generation of the supply for numerous drivers. The second one is a DC-AC converter similar to a matrix converter. The combination of the phases at the output of the TWPT allows for generation an AC signal at any frequency.