1) The experimental complex "THUNDERSTORM". The unique
experimental complex "THUNDERSTORM" was created at the Department of
High Voltage Engineering and Electrophysics of the NRU "MPEI" and is
designed to study and solve fundamental and practical problems of atmospheric
electricity, physics of lightning and lightning protection of aircraft and
ground objects, for physical modeling of processes of lightning damage to
energy and other objects and to study the effectiveness of various means of
their lightning protection using artificial storm clouds. Allows you to create
separate storm cells of positive or negative polarity or systems of storm cells
of the same or different polarity. The maximum potential of the cloud is up to
3.0-3.5 MV. The electric field intensity generated by artificial thunderclouds
can reach 6-10 kV/cm near the earth's surface and 17-20 kV/cm near the cloud
boundaries. Artificial thunderclouds allow you to create all forms of
discharges that can be in thunderclouds, between the cloud and the ground and
above the clouds: from relatively weak diffuse and streamer discharges to
powerful leader discharges and the main discharge.
The measuring part
of the experimental complex " THUNDERSTORM " includes: high-speed
multichannel digital storage multichannel oscilloscopes Tektronix DPO 7254,
Tektronix TDS 3054; programmable multi-frame electron-optical recorder K-011
for space-time registration in the nanosecond and microsecond ranges; GAMMA-1C
scintillation gamma spectrometer; high-speed video camera for recording Photron
discharge processes FASTCAM SA-5 (shooting speed up to 775000 fps); Panasonic
Lumix FZ50 digital camera; a system of electric field strength sensors; a
system of photoelectronic multipliers for measuring the velocity of discharge
propagation; servers for processing and storing large arrays of experimental
data.
2) High-voltage hall. The hall presents
high–voltage installations used for testing and laboratory work: two voltage
pulse generators 2400 and 1000 kV, a cascade of 400 kV transformers, a new
combined test installation with a voltage of up to 400 kV, as well as various
measuring elements - high-voltage voltage dividers and a ball arrester.
The high-voltage hall is equipped with equipment for
measuring the electromagnetic parameters of high and ultrahigh voltage pulses generated
at its installations, special equipment for recording optical and electrical
space-time parameters of the discharge development process in the air,
including direct measurement of electric fields in the studied insulation gap
in the range of values characteristic of a long spark and lightning.
3) Unique
installation "Four-component lightning current generator (GTM-4)". Designed for testing the lightning resistance of
objects exposed to direct lightning, in accordance with the requirements of Russian
and international standards. GTM-4 is made according to a combined scheme and
allows to obtain simultaneously high voltage and high currents necessary for
research and testing.
GTM-4 generates a current pulse having four components
– A, B, C and D, which can be used both individually and in various
combinations for lightning resistance tests.
Component A is the current pulse of the first reverse
discharge (current amplitude 50-200 kA; front duration 4 microseconds; pulse
duration 70 microseconds; exposure duration up to 500 microseconds; action
integral (0.125-2.0)×106 A2× s).
Component B is an intermediate current (current
amplitude 2 kA; duration of exposure 5 ms; transferred charge 10 Kl).
Component C is a constant current (current amplitude
200-800 A; duration of exposure 0.25-1.0 s; portable charge up to 200 Kl).
Component D is the re–discharge current (current
amplitude 50-100 kA; front duration 2 microseconds; pulse duration 35-50
microseconds; exposure duration up to 500 microseconds; action integral
(0.0625-0.25)×106 A2× s).
4) Modular high
voltage test system JXXXT-3. Designed to generate high variable (50 Hz), constant (rectified) and
pulsed (lightning pulses) voltages. The JXXXT-3 system allows you to quickly
and easily assemble various test circuits without the use of special tools,
since its parts are light in weight and easy to handle. The design is made with
a minimum level of partial discharges. All oil-filled elements are protected from
leaks.
The JXXXT-3 system can be used both for the creation
of training and research facilities, as well as for industrial acceptance and
type tests in accordance with the IEC 60060-1 standard or for calibration.
5) Combined generator
of pulse voltages and currents (development of the department). The generator is designed for testing protective
devices of various voltage classes (up to 10 kV) and their elements, as well as
studies of their characteristics.
The generator allows testing objects with voltage
pulses of a normalized form of 1.2/50 µs with an amplitude of up to 100 kV, as
well as current pulses:
• when testing 10 kV OPN in accordance with GOST R
52725-2007 (IEC 60099-4);
• when testing the 0.4 kV ultrasound in accordance
with GOST R 51992-2002 (IEC 61643-11);
• with a combined voltage pulse of 1.2/50 µs up to 10
kV, with a current pulse of 8/20 µs up to 5 kA.
The generator also allows testing of technical means
for resistance to microsecond pulse interference of high energy in accordance
with the requirements of GOST R 51317.4.5-99.
The measurement system installed on the stand provides
registration of discharge current and voltage at the test object.
