Operating conditions of film capacitors are complex

and the problem of film insulation failure caused by repetitively pulsed voltage is becoming ever serious. Degradation of the film under repetitively pulsed voltage cannot be accurately evaluated by the average breakdown electric field. In this paper

the effects of pulsed electric field and pulse repetition frequency on the breakdown in biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) films are investigated. Three phases of BOPP degradation are proposed based on the voltage amplitude

i.e.

maintenance (M)

decline (D)

and near-zero (N). Evolution of the BOPP film from degradation to breakdown at different frequencies is presented. Meanwhile

transition of discharge mode and elemental composition of the film are analyzed. Experimental results show continuous heat generation under repetitive microsecond pulses is the dominant factor for degradation of BOPP film. The number of applied pulses and the repetitive stressing time decrease exponentially with increase of frequency. This research can be contributed to the safe and reliable operation of capacitors.