Abstract
Arresters are the best protective device on electrical power systems against transient overvoltages generated by lightning and/or switching operation. Nonetheless, arresters are deteriorated by absorption of moisture in the environments of its use, repetition in the protective operation to overvoltages, and some defects at manufacturing. It is therefore important to estimate the electrical characteristic changes of ZnO blocks. In this paper, an accelerated ageing test by a standard lightning impulse current was carried out to extract parameters needed for arrester diagnosis, and leakage current components were measured. Total energy applied to the ZnO blocks at each time is about 1,050[J] in 8/20[${\mu}\textrm{s}$] impulse current. From the experimental results, we proposed electrical parameters and leakage current level to diagnose arrester soundness.
