Numerically established correlation in electrical responses of polymer film capacitors to ac and pulsed voltages

In this paper, an equivalent circuit model is used to simulate electrical responses of metalized polymer film capacitors to either ac voltage or pulsed voltage stresses, in particular electric field induced on the electrode coating surface and power dissipation within the film capacitor. Electrode segmentation patterns are taken into consideration by means of arrays of interconnected lumped surface resistors, and the film capacitance is modeled by a set of shunt capacitors distributed across the length of the capacitor film. Voltage magnitude and waveform characteristics are studied in great detail for their effects on surface electric field and power dissipation. Through numerical examples, surface electric field and dissipated power induced by one type of external stresses (ac or pulsed) at one frequency are shown to correlate to that at a different frequency. Further correlation is also established to relate surface field and dissipated power induced by one type stress (e.g. ac) to those by the other (pulsed), provided the waveform characteristics of the two different stresses are specifically related. These numerically established correlations can permit significant reduction in development time of metalized film capacitors.