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The effect of DC bias on electrical tree growth and partial discharge (PD) characteristics in epoxy resin (Araldite LY ® 5052/Aradur® HY 5052 supplied by Huntsman) is investigated using three waveforms: AC, AC with positive DC bias, and AC with negative DC bias. Needle-plane samples are used. Tree growth is shown to be accelerated by the combined effect of DC and 50 Hz AC, beyond the AC growth rate. Positive and negative DC biased tests result in 62% and 54% reductions in average time to breakdown, respectively. Different tree structures and stages of development are associated with different partial discharge characteristics, with thick dark tree branches associated with high PD magnitudes, whereas fine tree channel growth is linked with PD magnitudes below 1 pC. AC tests showed five distinct stages of tree growth compared to four stages seen in DC biased tests. In particular, trees growing in the 'reverse direction' from the planar to the point electrode, which is observed in the latter stages of AC tests, is not seen in the DC biased tests. It is concluded that for composite voltages, the AC component is the essential driver of tree growth but the DC component can accelerate propagation. AC noise may therefore compromise the reliability of insulation in HVDC networks.

Electrical trees are one of the main mechanisms of degradation in solid polymeric insulation leading to the failure of high voltage equipment. They are interconnected networks of hollow tubules typically characterized from two-dimensional (2D) projections of their physical manifestation. It is shown that complete characterization requires a three-dimensional (3D) imaging technique such as X-ray computed tomography (XCT). We present a comprehensive set of parameters, quantitatively characterizing two types of tree topology, conventionally known as bush-and branchtype. Fractal dimensions are determined from 3D models and from 2D projections, and a simple quantitative relationship is established between the two for all but dense bush trees. Parameters such as number of nodes, segment length, tortuosity and branch angle are determined from tree skeletons. The parameters most strongly indicative of the differences in the structure are the number of branches, individual channel size, channel tortuosity, nodes per unit length and fractal dimension. Studying two stages of a bush tree's development showed that channels grew in width, while macroscopic parameters such as the fractal dimension and tortuosity were unchanged. These parameters provide a basis for tree growth models, and can shed light on growth mechanisms. Index Terms-electrical trees, three-dimensional trees, 3D imaging, fractal analysis, XCT the tree (a slice) is captured in the projected image. Key to the nature of an electrical tree (and its name) is its shape. Quantifying tree-type structures can be traced to Leonardo da Vinci, who introduced the notion of a fixed total thickness for a botanical tree as bifurcation points are passed, and who