TITLE:
Theoretical Assessment of Breakdown Voltage in a Hybrid Insulation System Using Nitrogen/Oxygen Gas Mixture with 10% Oxygen
AUTHORS:
Nathanaël Victoire Mouélé Nguélé, Jean Paul Yembi, Elysée Obame Ndong, Adoum Traoré Ndama
KEYWORDS:
Breakdown Voltage, Dielectric Coatings, Eco-Friendly Electrical Insulation Gas, Hybrid Insulation Systems, Solid Dielectric Barrier
JOURNAL NAME:
Energy and Power Engineering,
Vol.18 No.10,
October
28,
2026
ABSTRACT: SF6 is widely used in the insulation of high-voltage systems such as circuit breakers and switching devices, due to its exceptional insulating properties. However, this gas is recognized as one of the main greenhouse gases. To limit the use of this gas, a hybrid solution consisting of the nitrogen/oxygen (N2/O2) gas mixture with 10% oxygen (O2) and solid dielectrics used as electrode coatings and a barrier between parts with a difference in electric potential is considered. The theoretical assessment of breakdown voltage in hybrid insulation system, based on streamer inception and propagation criteria, is carried out using COMSOL Multiphysics and MATLAB software. The results showed that the combination of solid dielectric coating and barrier leads to a substantial increase of the relative flashover voltage above 33% for all the gap distance evaluated.