Breakdown 

In  solid 

1. A solid dielectric specimen of dielectric constant of 4.0 , has an internal void of thickness 1 mm. The
specimen is 1 cm thick and is subjected to a voltage of 80 kV (rms). If the void is filled with air and if the
breakdown strength of air can be taken as 30 k V (peak)/cm, find the voltage at which an internal discharge
can occur.
2. A solid dielectric material has a relative dielectric constant of 3 and an internal void of 1.1 mm thickness.
The total thickness of the solid is 20 mm. if the gas inside the void has a dielectric strength of 4 Kv/mm,
till what value of applied sinusoidal voltage the dielectric will be PD free.

3. A certain dielectric can be considered to be

represented by the equivalent circuit shown in the
following figure . What is the maximum voltage that
can be applied across the dielectric if partial
discharges in air is to be avoided. State any
assumptions made
4. Explain briefly various theories of breakdown in liquid dielectrics.
5. Explain clearly suspended particle mechanism of liquid breakdown.
6. State various process which lead to formation of bubbles in liquid dielectrics and explain clearly cavity
breakdown mechanism in liquid dielectrics.
7. Describe briefly various mechanism of breakdown in solids.
8. What are ‘Treeing’ and ‘Tracking’? Explain clearly the two processes in solid dielectrics.
9. What do you mean by ‘Intrinsic strength’ of a solid dielectric? Explain electric breakdown of solid
dielectrics.
10. Explain Thermal breakdown in solid dielectrics. How this mechanism is more significant than the other
mechanisms?
11. Explain the application of oil in power apparatus and discuss clearly its function with reference to a circuit
breaker.
12. Describe the main requirements of solid insulating materials used for power apparatus