i. A cylindrical configuration of a proposed system to be used as high voltage equipment is as shown in figure 1.

The inner terminal consists of three cylindrical electrodes with each radius of 5 cm and arranged in a form of equilateral triangle with side length of 15 cm from each three centres of the inner cylindrical electrodes. The centre point of the outer terminal has a radius of 25 cm which also the centroid of the triangle. Each of the terminal are operates at 50kV while the outer terminal is connected to ground. However, to decide the best insulation material it is crucial to determine electric field distribution within the insulation region and compare with dielectric breakdown strength (DBS) of insulation medium. Therefore, a computational software tool such as FEMM Software can be use to gain the electric field distribution plot.

Figure 1 Finite Element Method Magnetics (FEMM) software is a suite of programs for solving low frequency electromagnetic problems on two-dimensional planar and axisymmetric domains. The program addresses linear or nonlinear magnetostatic problems, linear or nonlinear time harmonic magnetic problems, linear electrostatic problems, and steady-state heat flow problems [1]. The procedures to obtain electric field distribution within the insulation region are as follow: 1. Open FEMM software. 2. Click to create a new work project. Then, a window box appears as in figure 2. Choose electrostatic problem and press ok.

Figure 2

3. Click Problem at the menu bar and a window box of Problem Definition appears as in figure 3. Change the length units to be in centimetres as stated in question.

Figure 3 4. Click Grid at the menu bar and choose Set Grid. Window box of Grid Properties appears as in figure 4 and change Grid size to 1.

Figure 4 5. Click to set a point on the grid to start drawing the centre of inner electrode. Right click on the point until the point change its colour to red. 6. Click Edit on the menu bar and choose Copy

Figure 5

7. Window box of Copy appears as in figure 6. Since the radius of the electrodes at the inner terminal is 5 cm, change the Vertical Shift to 5 and repeat step 5 to 7 to change the Vertical Shift to -5.

Figure 6 8. To draw the cylindrical, click and click on the two points where the cylindrical path will pass through. A window box of Arc segment properties appears as in figure 7. Change the arc angle to 180. Then arc of 180 was drawing on the grid as in figure 8(a). Repeat step 8 for another half 180 arc to make cylindrical shape as in figure 8(b).

Figure 7

Figure 8(a)

Figure 8(b)

9. Next, draw the second electrodes on the right by referring from the centre point of the earlier electrode drawn. Repeat step 5 to 7 but change the Horizontal Shift to 15 to create the second electrode centre point.

Figure 9

10. Complete the cylindrical shape of the second electrode by repeating step 5 to 8.

15 cm

Figure 10

11. Third electrode is draw based on some calculation on theorem pithegoras as in figure 11. Repeat step 5 to 8 but change the Horizontal Shift to 7.5 and Vertical shift to 13.

15 cm 13 cm 7.5 cm

Figure 11 12. To determined the centroid of the triangle that is also the centre point of the outer terminal, mathematical equation needed. Since it is the equilateral triangle, the angle for each is 120.

120

120

120

Figure 12 Tan = ; = 60

Y 15 cm

120

60

x 7.5 cm

Right click on the centre point of the top electrode among the three electrodes. Repeat step 6 to 7 and set the Vertical Shift to -10.67 cm. The centre point of the outer terminal is as in figure 13.

Right click

Centre point of outer terminal produced

Figure 13

13. Next, the outer electrodes can be draw by right click at the centre point of outer terminal and repeat step 6 to 8 but the parameter of Vertical Shift need to be set at .

25 cm

Figure 14 14. To complete the outer electrode as in figure 1, assumption for the outer sheath is to be from the centre point of outer terminal. Step 5 to 8 were repeated by changing the Vertical Shift to .

27 cm

Figure 15

15. Next, the materials of each electrode determined by click Properties at the menu bar and choose Materials. Then a window box as in figure 17 appears, click at the Add Property and change the parameter as in figure 18.

Figure 16

Figure 17

Figure 18

16. Materials for insulation can be choosing from the material library. Click Properties followed by Materials Library. Window box will appear as in figure 20(a) where at the Model Materials written Copper. For insulation choose Polyethylene LDPE/HDPE, drag under the Model Materials column, and press OK

Figure 19

Figure 20 (a)

Figure 20 (b)

17. In the question stated that inner terminal operates at 50kV and the outer terminal is ground. This is a boundary to be set for the simulation. Once again, click Properties at the menu bar followed by Boundary as in figure 21. A window box will appear, click Add Property. Create the name of Boundary Property to Voltage and Ground and change the fixed voltage to 50000 and 0 respectively as in figure 22(a) and 22(b).

Figure 21

Figure 22(a)

Figure 22(b)

18. To set the material of each electrode to copper, first click and click at the electrode region. Next, right click at <None> and press space a window box of Properties for selected block appears. Choose Copper for the block type and press OK. Repeat this step for another two remaining inner electrode and outer electrode. For insulation, choose Polyethylene LDPE/HDPE.

Figure 23(a)

Figure 22(b)

19. To set the boundary, click at and right click at the arc and press space bar until a window box of Arc Segment Properties appears. Select the boundary condition either to be voltage or ground as in figure 23(a) for inner electrodes that conducts at 50kV while figure 23(b) is for the outer electrode that needs to be ground. Repeat the step until all electrodes have their own boundary.

Figure 23(a)

Figure 23 (b)

20. After assigning material and boundary for the configuration, now the configuration is ready to run by click at icon respectively from left to right. Figure 24 shows plot of voltages across the configuration.

Figure 24 21. The question requested the electric field distribution plot within the insulation. Hence, click icon to change the plotted to be in Field Intensity |E| as in figure 25. The electric field distribution for this configuration will produce as in figure 26.

Figure 25

Figure 26

Figure 27 Based on the electric field distribution within the insulation plotted, electric field strength inversely proportional with length. Electric field within the insulation is higher at the surrounding nearest the electrode and begins to decrease as it gets far from the electrode. The highest value captured of electric field in distribution plot is 768112 V/m equivalents to 7.68112 kV/cm.

ii. Investigation of insulation property and breaking capacity can be performed with aided computational software provided higher precision. Presently, CSM (Charge Simulation Method), FEM (Finite Element Method), FDM (Finite Different Method) and BEM (Boundary Element Method) are widely used for analyzing the electric field of high voltage insulation system [2]. FEM and FDM are suitable for multi dielectric cases but it requires truncation of calculation domain for unbounded problems whereas CSM is suitable for unbounded problems but practically complicated for multi-dielectric cases [3]. BEM is suitable for computation of electric field strength that is closed to the conductor surface but it is inadequate for computing a large number of linear conductors in open space because it required more space in computer memory and computation time [4]. The idea used in BEM is to discrete the integral equation by using boundary elements where a set of elements were divided from boundary surfaces. BEM uses area charge elements to replace the real charges and it does not require the system components posses axial symmetry [5]. The real charge is discrete using three or four node boundary elements where linear shape function is use to approximate the internal charge distribution. The evaluation of resulting potential function of the boundary elements require numerical integration for the outer surfaces of cylinder and sphere elements [5]. Alternative, CSM provide calculation of electric field strength in the open space efficiently. CSM belongs to the integral methods for the calculation of electromagnetic fields where there are two methods; CSM with discrete charges and CSM with area charges [5]. In CSM, the actual electric field is simulated with field formed by a number of discrete charges that are placed outside of the region where field solution is desired. Therefore, values of discrete charges are determined by satisfying the boundary conditions at selected number of contour points [6]. FEM is a numerical computational method for the solution of partial differential equation (PDE) and integral equations. This method is applied for field of static and dynamic evaluation in mechanical components, heat flow, electric and magnetic fields. For electric field cases, a number of individual elements represent the field where each element is connected to its neighbour by its corner nodes. Hence, they will form a network of N-nodes. The advantage of FEM programs is it offers a wide application base in electric field simulation, analysis of mechanical, thermal and magnetic system as well as optimization task.

However, in general practices, FEM technique can only be used with bounded fields while BEM and CSM can deal with unbounded fields such as sphere in space [5]. Since our question involves boundary and a two-dimensional configuration, FEM technique is suitable in solving the problem. FEMM is a suite of programs for solving low frequency electromagnetic problems on two-dimensional planar and axisymmetric domains [1].

REFERENCES [1] David Meeker, Finite Element Method Magnetics Users Manual, version 4.2, October 16, 2010 [2] Xiaoming Liu, Yundong Cao, Erzhi Wang, Transactions on Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation, IEEE vol.9, No.2, Apr 2002, 169-172 [3] Xiaoming Liu, Yundong Cao, Erzhi Wang, Investigation on Electric Field Computation of Vacuum Interrupter Using Hybrid Finite Element Method and Charge Simulation Method, IEEE XXth International Symposium on Discharges and Electrical Insulation in Vacuum Tours-2002 [4] Aleksandar Rankovic, Milan S. Savic, Generalized Charge Simulation Method for the Calculation of the Electric Field In High Voltage Substations, DOI 10.1007/s00202-0100161-7 [5] H. Steinbigler, D. Haller, Comparative Analysis of Methods for Computing 2-D and 3D Electric Fields, IEEE Transactions on Electrical Insulation Vol. 26 No. 3 , June 1991 [6] Nazar H. Malik, A Review of The Charge Simulation Method and its Applications, IEEE Transactions on Electrical Insulation Vol. 24 No. 1 February 1989