Novel cryogenic high voltage insulation breaks with spiral channel

Insulation breaks are used in cryogenic lines with a gas or liquid at temperatures of 4.2-300 K and pressure up to 30 MPa to isolate the parts of electrophysical setup with different electrical potential. Novel cryogenic high voltage (HV) insulation breaks for the electrophysical equipment that uses the effect of superconductivity was developed in the D.V. Efremov Institute of Electrophysical Apparatus (NIIEFA).These insulation breaks consist of glass-reinforced plastic cylinder equipped with channel for cryoagent and stainless steel end fittings. The main design feature of new kind HV break is spiral channel instead of linear one. This approach allowed to increase the breakdown voltage and to decrease the overall dimensions of insulation breaks. The design length of the spiral channel depends on HV requirements and the kind of cryoagent. To provide the wide range of operating voltages, temperatures and pressures the insulation breaks with various dimensions were developed. To provide an acceptance test of breaks as manufactured the special test facility was prepared. Helium tightness test with a level 1.2⋅10−11 m3⋅Pa/s under up to 30 MPa, HV test up to 135 kV and different kinds of mechanical tests could be provided at room and liquid nitrogen temperatures.