Conference Record of the 1992 IEEE International Symposium on Electrical Insulation, Baltimore, MD USA, June 7-10, 1992

POLYMER INSULATING MATERIALS AND INSULATORS FOR

HIGH VOLTAGE OUTDOOR APPLICATIONS
Sr i Sundhar , A 1 Ber nst or f , Waymon Goch, Don Li nson, Li sa Hunt sman
The Ohi o Br ass Company
8711 Wadswor t h Rd
OH 44281 Wadswor t h,
Abstract
Thi s paper di scusses t he char act er i zat i on,
eval uat i on and per f or mance of pol ymer
weat her shed mat er i al s and i nsul at or s used f or
hi gh vol t age out door appl i cat i ons. Today t he
most wi del y used i nsul at or weat her shed
mat er i al s ar e et hyl ene pr opyl ene di ene
monomer ( EPDM) , et hyl ene pr opyl ene monomer
( EPMJ , si l i cone r ubber (SR), and an
EPDM/ si l i cone r ubber al l oy. These pol ymer s
di f f er i n t hei r pr oper t i es, and t hei r
char act er i st i cs must be under st ood and
car ef ul l y cont r ol l ed t o yi el d a mat er i al
whi ch wi l l ser ve a l ong l i f e out door s i n hi gh
vol t age i nsul at or appl i cat i ons. Di scussed ar e
t est s consi der ed most per t i nent f or t est i ng a
pol ymer weat her shed mat er i al f or use i n hi gh
vol t age out door appl i cat i ons. Test r esul t s on
some of t he mat er i al s eval uat ed ar e al so
pr esent ed. A compound t hat successf ul l y
passes t hese teqtn qQau$d per f or m
sat i sf act or i l y dur, i ng , i t s i nt ended ser vi ce
l i f e. The agi ng ef f ect s on i nsul at or s, due t o
year s f wer e sQu&i ed, Tests t hat
ar e neede det er mi ne t he ext ent of
i nsul at or agi ng ar e al so di scussed.
I nt r oduct i on
Dur i ng t he f i r st t hr ee quar t er s of t he 20t h
cent ur y, t he onl y mat er i al of choi ce f or an
out door hi gh vol t age i nsul at or was por cel ai n.
Nat ur al l y occur r i ng r esi ns and gums t hat wer e
avai l abl e i n t he ear l y par t of t he cent ur y
wer e shel l ac and r ubber f ol l owed l at er i n
1907 by Dr Baekel and' s synt het i c phenol -
f or mal dehyde. These ear l y nat ur al pol ymer s
had good i ndoor el ect r i cal pr oper t i es but ,
bei ng or gani c, wi t h a car bon backbone, had
ver y poor t r ack r esi st ance.
Dur i ng t he 1930s and 40s newer synt het i c
r esi ns wer e devel oped and some of t he
ear l i est pol ymer i nsul at or s wer e made of
but yl and acr yl i c mat er i al s. Whi l e t hey
enj oyed some commer ci al success, t hey qui ckl y
became obsol et e because of hi gh cost , l i mi t ed
manuf act ur i ng ver sat i l i t y and, most
i mpor t ant l y, i nadequat e per f or mance f or hi gh
vol t age appl i cat i ons i n out door envi r onment s.
The use of al umi num t r i hydr at e ( ATH) t o
i mpr ove t he t r ack r esi st ance of some pol ymer s
was a gi ant st ep t owar d t he appl i cat i on of
cer t ai n pl ast i cs and el ast omer s f or out door
el ect r i cal i nsul at i on. The most pr omi si ng
pol ymer s wer e t he epoxi es, pol yest er s, SR and
et hyl ene pr opyl ene r ubber ( EPR) . However , ATH
di d not wor k wi t h al l pol ymer s. I t di d l i t t l e
t o i mpr ove t he t r ack r esi st ance of phenol i c
compounds.
The use of pol yest er and bi s- A epoxy r esi ns
l ooked pr omi si ng i n t he ear l y 1960s. They
wer e used i n t he const r uct i on of suspensi on
t ype i nsul at or s by cast i ng t he r esi n ont o
f i ber gl ass r ods. Al t hough bi s- A epoxi es had
some success f or i ndoor appl i cat i ons,
di scr epancy i n coef f i ci ent of t her mal
expansi on bet ween epoxy and f i ber gl ass r od
per' sl st ed. When appl i ed irl 6ut d4ar
envi r onment s t hey axp$r i enced ultla vi ol gt
( UV ) agi ng and t r acki ng pr obl ems.
The devel opment and appl i cat Aon of
cycl oal i phat i c epoxi es heJ pad
r esi n def i ci ency but di d n
coef f i ci ent of t her mal expansi on
t he f i ber gl ass r od/ housi n
Compoundi ng mat er i al s t o
compat i bi l i t y pr obl em
depol ymer i zat i on of t he mol ded shags i n war m,
humi d envi r onment s whi ch l e@ t o eLect r o-
mechani cal f ai l ur e. Thi s br ought abouf t he
devel opment of el ast omer based compounds such
as EPR and SR i 1960.
Bot h EPR and SR wer e i nvest i gat ed ' t he
pzwt ect i on of epaxy or , pal yes t ex, f i ber gt ass
t ensi on member s. Whi l e i l they. appeag&, &~ ,,work
wel L, SR had abi gh, tJ . Y MEtQ$. , hY, $~Qg&~~~i t Y
t hen EPR, . SR c j i d not , hays fhe,,, pfi
t oughness or el ect r i cal er osi on r esi st a
EPR. Al l oyi ng SR and EPR l ed t o a compound
t hat had good hydr ophobi ci t y, el ect r i cal
pr oper t i es, and physi cal t oughness.
Today, f our basi c pol ymer t ypes ar e used i n
t he manuf act ur e of hi gh vol t age i nsul at or s:
1. Epoxy
2. EPR ( EPMand EPDM)
3. SR
4. EPDM/ SR al l oy
EDOxY
Cycl oal i phat i c epoxy based compounds have
been used t o cast post t ype i nsul at or s and
ot her t ypes of i nsul at or housi ngs. These
i nsul at or s cont ai n no t ensi on member . The
r esi n' s l ow t ensi l e st r engt h pr event s i t f r om
bei ng used f or suspensi on i nsul at or s and
l i mi t s i t s use i n cant i l ever appl i cat i ons.
The epoxy i s i mpr oved, bot h el ect r i cal l y and
mechani cal l y, by t he use of f i l l er s. ATH i s a
non- r ei nf or ci ng f i l l er , used t o not onl y
i mpar t t r ack r esi st ance but al so f i r e
r et ar dance t o t he f i nal compound. Si l i ca i s
used as a r ei nf or ci ng f i l l er whi ch enhances
mechani cal char act er i st i cs such as t ensi l e
st r engt h, abr asi on and er osi on r esi st ance.
EEB
EPR i s t he desi gnat i on used t o i dent i f y EPM
and EPDM. EPM and EPDM pol ymer s ar e of t en
compounded wi t h ot her mat er i al s t o pr ovi de
t he desi r ed physi cal and/ or el ect r i cal
pr oper t i es f or speci f i c appl i cat i ons.
Ther e ar e many di f f er ent EPM and EPDM
pol ymer s avai l abl e t oday, each of f er i ng
0-7803-0649-X/92 $3.00 0 1992 IEEE 222
di f f er ent combi nat i ons of char act er i st i cs.
The sel ect i on of a par t i cul ar pol ymer has t o
be hade on t he basi s of a t hor ough eval uat i on
04 i t s char act er i st i cs and t hei r si gni f i cance
for t he i nt ended appl i cat i on. EPRs ar e among
t he best weat hdr r esi st ant synt het i c
el ast omer s. I n gener al , t hey have out st andi ng
r esi st ance t o heat , UV r adi at i on, oxygen, and
ozone.
s13
Whi l e SR i s t echni cal l y cl assi f i ed as an
i nor gani c mat er i al , i t i s somet i mes
mi st akenl y bel i eved t o cont ai n no car bon
at oms. However , t he base pol ymer used i n SR
compounds f or hi gh vol t age i nsul at i on
appl i cat i ons i s t ypi cal l y di met hyl si l oxane,
havi ng an or gani c cont ent of about 45%.
The mol ecul ar chai ns of si l i cone r ubber have
a combi nat i on of or gani c- i nor gani c
pr oper t i es. Compar ed t o or gani c r ubber
pol ymer chai ns, t hey have a l ar ge mol ar
vol ume and ver y l ow i nt er mol ecul ar at t r act i ve
f or ces. The mol ecul es ar e unusual l y f l exi bl e
and mobi l e, and coi l and uncoi l f r eel y over a
r el at i vel y wi de t emper at ur e r ange.
Li ke EPRs, t her e ar e sever al di f f er ent
si l i cone base pol ymer s ( gums) avai l abl e, f ew
of whi ch ar e sui t abl e al one f or out door hi gh
vol t age i nsul at i on appl i cat i ons.
Per haps t he most wi del y di scussed
char dbt er i st i c of SR f or out door hi gh vol t age
i nsul ht or s i s hydr ophobi ci t y. I t i s a measur e
of t he mat er i al ' s abi l i t y t o r epel wat er .
Sever al st udi es have i ndi cat ed t hat SR i s
abl e t o r ecover i t s hydr ophobi ci t y af t er a
ternpordf y l oss and t hi s phenomenon i s due t o
t he surface mi gr at i on of l bwmol ecul ar wei ght
(LMW) si l i cone oil(s) nor mal l y f ound i n t he
SYl i cone compound [l].
-
An EPDM/ SR al l oy i s f or med by bl endi ng EPDM
and SR. I t r et ai ns t he hydr ophobi c
char act er i st i c of SR and excel l ent el ect r i cal
pr oper t i es and physi cal t oughness of EPDM.
Mat er i al Char act er i zaLkm
Pol ymer i nsul at i ng mat er i al s ar e f or mul at ed
t o pr ovi de per f or mance char act er i st i cs
equi val ent t o, or bet t er t han, t hat of
por cel ai n. However , t hese compar at i ve
Char act er i st i cs t ypi cal l y i nvol ve onl y shor t
t er m el ect r i cal pro+rt i es of t he compl et e
i nsul at dr s. Ther e ar e many physi cal
pr oper t i es of a pol ymer mat er i al t hat must be
under st ood and pr oper l y cont r ol l ed t o pr ovi de
t he char act er i st i cs necessar y t o ser ve a Long
l i f e as a hi gh vol t age i nsul at i ng pol ymer .
These physi cal pr oper t i es ar e eval uat ed by a
var i et y of desi gn t est s t o ensur e t hat t he
compound exhi bi t s t hose char act er i st i cs
r eqdi r ed *or use i n hi gh vol t age i nsul at or s.
Desi gn Tes t s
The l ong t er mabi l i t y of a pol ymer compound
t o per f or m as a hi gh vol t age i nsul at or i s
assessed by means of desi gn t est s. By
necessi t y, desi gn ' tests i nvol ve accel er at ed
agi ng.
The pol ymer compound must be abl e t o resi st
t r acki ng, UV r adi at i on, and cor ona exposur e.
The physi cal abi l i t y of t he pol ymer t o r esi st
t hese i nf l uences i s j udged i n t er ms of
cr azi ng, cr acki ng, checki ng, er osi on,
t r eei ng, and hydr ophobi ci t y.
The t r acki ng r esi st ance of a compound i s a
measur e of i t s abi l i t y t o wi t hst and i nt ense
sur f ace l eakage cur r ent s. Dr y band ar ci ng, a
phenomenon caused by f l ow of l eakage cur r ent
acr oss t he sur f ace and dr yi ng of t he t hi n
f i l m of wat er due t o heat gener at ed by
cur r ent f l ow [ 2 ] , gener at es ozone, hi gh
t emper at ur e and UV r adi at i on on t he pol ymer ' s
sur f ace. Typi cal l y, sampl es of t he compound
ar e wet t ed wi t h a conduct i ng sol ut i on t o
i ni t i at e ar ci ng. Sampl es ar e eval uat ed i n
t er ms of t i me and/ or cycl es t o f ai l ur e.
Accept abl e per f or mance depends on mat er i al s
and t est met hods.
Pol ymer i nsul at i ng compounds ar e al so exposed
t o W r adi at i on f r omcor ona and sunl l ght . UV
absot ber s and st abi l i zer s ar e added t o t he
pol ymer dur i ng compoundi ng t o i mpar t
r esi st ance t o UV degr adat i on. Accel er at ed
t est met hods l i ke t hose descr i bed i n ASTM G53
measur e t he compound' s r esi st ance t o cr azi ng,
cr acki ng, and l oss of hydr ophobi ci t y.
Ant i oxi dant s ar e i ncor por at ed i nt o a pol ymer
compound t o i nhi bi t t he r eact i on of oxygen
and ozone wi t h t he compound' s chemi cal
composi t i on. The oxi dat i ve st abi l i t y t est
measur es t he t i me t o depl et i on of t he ant i -
oxi dant wi t hi n a mat er i al under cont r ol l ed
condi t i ons.
A pol ymer ' s abi l i t y t o wi t hst and hi gh vol t age
st r esses wi t hout damage i s measur ed by i t s
di el ect r i c st r engt h.
Tear st r engt h i s t he f or ce r equi r ed t o st ar t
or cont i nue a t ear i n a mol ded sheet under
speci f i ed condi t i ons.
Compoundi ng
I n t he f i el d of pol ymer t echnol ogy, r ubber
compoundi ng i s one of t he most di f f i cul t and
compl ex subj ect s t o mast er . The compounder s
knowl edge and exper i ence i n sel ect i ng and
combi ni ng el ast omer s and addi t i ves i s
r equi r ed t o obt ai n a mi xt ur e t hat wi l l
devel op t he necessar y physi cal and chemi cal
pr oper t i es of a f i ni shed compound.
A det ai l ed knowl edge of t he equi pment used
f or mi xi ng, mol di ng and vul cani zat i on i s
essent i al t o secur e t he pr oper t i es of t he
f i ni shed pr oduct t o sat i sf y r equi r ement s and
at t ai n pr ocessi ng char act er i st i cs necessar y
f or ef f i ci ent ut i l i zat i on of avai l abl e
equi pment .
A pr act i cal compound f or mul at i on t ypi cal l y
consi st s of 10 or mor e i ngr edi ent s. Each
i ngr edi ent has a speci f i c f unct i on and each
has an i mpact on pr oper t i es and
pr ocessi bi l i t y. Knowl edge of t he f unct i on and
ef f ect i veness of compoundi ng i ngr edi ent s i s
essent i al i n t he devel opment of a compound
f or hi gh vol t age i nsul at i on [3].
The f ol l owi ng br i ef l y descr i bes t ypi cal
i ngr edi ent s and t hei r f unct i on i n a
f or mul at i on.
223
Elastomers
The most i mpor t ant , and usual l y t he f i r st ,
st ep i n compoundi ng i s t he sel ect i on of a
base pol ymer or el ast omer . El ast omer s, as a
cl ass of engi neer i ng mat er i al s, possess some
common basi c char act er i st i cs. Al l el ast omer s
ar e el ast i c, f l exi bl e, t ough and r el at i vel y
i mper meabl e t o wat er and ai r . Beyond t hese
common char act er i st i cs, each el ast omer has
i t s own uni que pr oper t i es. The sel ect i on of
an el ast omer shoul d be based on t he
pr oper t i es desi r ed and pr ocessi bi l i t y of t hat
el ast omer .
v
These ar e i ngr edi ent s used t o cr eat e a
chemi cal r eact i on, r esul t i ng i n t he cr oss-
l i nki ng of el ast omer mol ecul es. Thr ough
chemi cal cr ossl i nki ng, an el ast omer i c
compound i s conver t ed f r om a sof t , t acky
t her mopl ast i c to a st r ong, t her mal l y st abl e
t her moset . The pr oper sel ect i on of a
vul cani zi ng agent i s ext r emel y i mpor t ant .
Unl ess a sui t abl e vul cani zi ng agent i n t he
pr oper concent r at i Qn i s used, a compound wi l l
not devel op i t s opt i mum pr oper t i es and
adequat e pr ocessi bi l i t y [ 3] .
Ther e ar e t wo maj or t ypes of vul cani zi ng or
cur i ng agent s used: sul f ur and per oxi de.
Sul f ur t ends t o st i f f en t he st ock, maki ng i t
ver y di f f i cul t to mol d as wel l as maki ng t he
f i nal pr oduct t oo har d for assembl y pur poses.
As a r esul t , hi gh vol t age i nsul at i on
compounds use per oxi de cur i ng agent s.
Coaaents
By i nhi bi t i ng bond degr adat i on dur i ng cr oss-
l i nki ng, coagent s pr ovi de f or r api d cr oss-
l i nki ng at t he poi nt of f r ee r adi cal
gener at i on. I n ot her wor ds, a coagent
pr ot ect s t he al r eady cr ossl i nked bonds
bet ween t he pol ymer and vul cani zi ng agent
f r ombei ng t or n apar t whi l e at t he same t i me
maki ng new bonds. Thi s assur es t hat bonds ar e
not br oken as f ast as new bonds ar e
gener at ed.
These chemi cal s ar e used t o r et ar d t he
det er i or at i on of a r ubber compound i ni t i at ed
by oxygen, ozone, heat , l i ght , met al
cat al ysi s and mechani cal f l exi ng. These
ant i degr adant s ar e al so known as
ant i oxi dant s, ant i ozonant s and i nhi bi t or s.
The f unct i on of pr ocessi ng ai ds i s t o i mpr ove
t he pr ocessi bi l i t y of a r ubber compound i n
t er ms of mol d f l ow and mol d r el ease. Some
pr ocessi ng ai ds ar e al so used as a l ubr i cant ,
desi ccant or homogeni zi ng agent . The
el ast omer t ype and pr ocessi ng oper at i on ( such
as mi xi ng, cal ender i zi ng, ext r udi ng or
mol di ng) wi l l det er mi ne what ki nd of
pr ocessi ng ai ds ar e needed.
Fi l l er s ar e used t o r ei nf or ce physi cal
pr oper t i es or t o i mpar t cer t ai n pr ocessi ng
char act er i st i cs. Ther e ar e t wo t ypes of
f i l l er s: r ei nf or ci ng and ext endi ng.
The r ei nf or ci ng t ype i mpr oves har dness,
t ensi l e st r engt h, modul us, t ear st r engt h and
abr asi on r esi st ance of a compound. Ther e ar e
t wo ki nds of r ei nf or ci ng f i l l er s: car bon
bl ack and f i ne- par t i cl e mi ner al pi gment , such
as si l i ca [ 3] . Si l i ca not onl y i mpr oves t he
physi cal and mechani cal pr oper t i es of a
compound, but al so pr event s er osi on t hat
r esul t s f r om t he el ect r i cal st r ess t o whi ch
t he compound i s subj ect ed t o i n ser vi ce.
An ext endi ng f i l l er i s a l oadi ng or non-
r ei nf or ci ng mat er i al . I t may be used t o
r educe cost or t o i mpar t ot her desi r abl e
pr oper t i es t o a compound. ATH i s a good
exampl e of an ext endi ng f i l l er . I n hi gh
vol t age pol ymer i c mat er i al s, ATH i mpar t s
hi gh el ect r i cal t r acki ng and f i r e r et ar dance.
Coupl i ng agent s ar e compounds cont ai ni ng bot h
or gani c and i nor gani c gr oups: t hey br i dge t he
i nt er f ace bet ween t he pol ymer and t he ATH
f i l l er [ e ] .
Sof t-
These mat er i al s ar e used t o ei t her ai d
mi xi ng, modi f y vi scosi t y or pr ovi de
f l exi bi l i t y at l ow t emper at ur es wi t hout
subst ant i al l oss i n physi cal pr oper t i es. Many
i ngr edi ent s i n t hi s gr oup may al so be
consi der ed as pr ocessi ng ai ds or ext endi ng
f i l l er s.
The i mpor t ant cr i t er i a i n t he sel ect i on of
pl ast i ci zer s ar e el ast omer compat i bi l i t y,
ef f i ci ency, st ai n r esi st ance and cost . I f t he
pl ast i ci zer sel ect ed i s not compat i bl e wi t h
t he base el ast omer , i t wi l l bl eed out and
cr eat e sur f ace st i cki ness and i mpar t poor
physi cal pr oper t i es [ 3] .
ose Ma-
Thi s cat egor y al l udes t o t hose i ngr edi ent s
whi ch ar e used for a speci f i c pur pose not
nor mal l y r equi r ed i n t he maj or i t y of r ubber
compounds. Exampl es of such mat er i al s ar e
bl owi ng agent s ( f or sponge r ubber
f or mul at i ons) , adhesi on pr omot er s and
f ungi ci des.
Whi l e t her e ar e sever al st andar di zed t est s t o
eval uat e i nsul at i ng mat er i al s, f ew of t hem
ar e sui t ed t o pr oper assessment of
char act er i st i cs r equi r ed f or use i n hi gh
vol t age out door appl i cat i ons. Test s t hat ar e
usef ul i n eval uat i ng such mat er i al s ar e
descr i bed bel ow. Any mat er i al t hat
successf ul l y passes t hese t est s shoul d ser ve
i t s i nt ended ser vi ce dut y wi t h l i mi t ed l oss
of pr oper t i es t hr oughout i t s desi gn ser vi ce
l i f e.
I t i s essent i al t hat a pol ymer exhi bi t
excel l ent r esi st ance t o t r acki ng and er osi on.
Pol ymer s degr ade by er osi on and t r acki ng due
t o t he heat gener at ed by l eakage cur r ent s and
dr y band ar ci ng. Si nce each pol ymer di f f er s
i n t er ms of t r acki ng r esi st ance, one of t he
ways t o di f f er ent i at e var i ous compounds i s t o
subj ect t hemt o a t r acki ng t est .
A t r acki ng t est eval uat es t he r el at i ve
abi l i t y of an i nsul at i ng mat er i al t o
wi t hst and t he act i on of el ect r i cal di schar ges
on t he sur f ace whi ch ar e si mi l ar t o t hose
t hat may occur i n ser vi ce under t he i nf l uence
of di r t , moi st ur e and conduct i ng sal t s
224
condensed f r omt he at mospher e.
Sampl es ar e mount ed on a 30 degr ee i ncl i ne
wi t h el ect r odes at t ached on ei t her si de. The
el ect r odes ar e posi t i oned 35 mm apar t as
shown i n Fi gur e 1. The sampl es ar e cycl i cal l y
spr ayed wi t h a conduct i ve sol ut i on and t hen
ener gi zed. The conduct i ve l i qui d has a
r esi st i vi t y of about 400 ohm- cm and i s
f or mul at ed t o l eave no r esi due on t he
sampl e' s sur f ace. A vol t age of 10 kV i s
appl i ed wi t h a cont r ol l ed cur r ent of 20 mA.
The l eakage cur r ent and subsequent dr y band
ar ci ng dr y t he sur f ace of t he sampl e.
EPR/ SR al l oy
Fai l ur e
1.
2.
3 .
50000* No f ai l ur e
Fi gur e 1 Tr acki ng Test
i s j udged by t hr ee cr i t er i a:
Car boni zat i on or t r acki ng of t he
sampl e' s sur f ace.
The sampl e r emai ns conduct i ve at t he
end of a 90 second per i od as a r esul t
of moi st ur e absor pt i on.
Er osi on of t he sampl e' s sur f ace.
Tabl e 1 summar i zes t est r esul t s of some
pol ymer i c mat er i al s.
Tabl e 1 Tr acki ng Test Resul t s
Cycl es Comment s
Fai l ur e
16000 Fai l ur e
50000* No f ai l ur e
Test
Resi st ance t o degr adat i on r esul t i ng f r om UV
exposur e i s an i mpor t ant f act or i n
det er mi ni ng t he ser vi ce l i f e of a pol ymer .
The UV spect r umconst i t ut es about 5% of t he
ener gy i n sunl i ght . Wavel engt hs of UV r ays
r ange f r om250 t o 400 nanomet er s.
The phot ochemi cal ef f ect of t hi s l ow
wavel engt h r adi at i on i s r esponsi bl e f or most
of t he damagi ng ef f ect s of sunl i ght . The
absor pt i on of UV r adi at i on r esul t s i n
mechani cal and chemi cal degr adat i on of a
pol ymer st r uct ur e whi ch can af f ect t he
di el ect r i c and weat her i ng pr oper t i es of t hat
pol ymer . The r at e at whi ch t he degr adat i on
occur s i s dependent upon t he i nt ensi t y and
wavel engt h of t he r adi at i on. These f act or s
var y wi t h season, t i me of day, el evat i on and
l at i t ude. Accel er at i on of t he ef f ect s occur s
i n t he pr esence of moi st ur e on t he pol ymer ' s
sur f ace.
The ef f ect s of UV r adi at i on on a pol ymer
i ncl ude :
1. Cr azi ng, checki ng or cr acki ng of t he
2. L oss of hydr ophobi ci t y.
3. Di scol or at i on.
sur f ace.
I n t he pr esence of UV r adi at i on, hi gher
sur f ace t emper at ur e, combi ned wi t h wat er
cont ai ni ng di ssol ved oxygen on t he sur f ace of
t he pol ymer , accel er at es t he r at e of
degr adat i on. The ef f ect s i ncl ude:
1. Oxi dat i on of t he sur f ace.
2. Accel er at i on of t he phot ochemi cal
3. Depol ymer i zat i on of pol ymer bondi ng
4 . Reduct i on of t he ar c r esi st ance and
r eact i on.
mat r i x.
mechani cal st r engt h.
Pol ymer compounds f or use i n out door
envi r onment s shoul d, t her ef or e, be eval uat ed
under el evat ed t emper at ur e i n t he combi ned
pr esence of UV r adi at i on and hi gh humi di t y.
An accel er at ed eval uat i on can be per f or med i n
commer ci al l y avai l abl e t est equi pment such
as, Weat her omet er s ( At l as El ect r i c Devi ces
Co. ) or Q. U. V. Accel er at ed Weat her i ng Test er
( Q- Panel Co. ) .
U. V. AcceLer at nd Weatherina Tea-
The Q. U. V. t est i s an accel er at ed weat her i ng
t est per f or med i n conf or mance wi t h ASTM G53.
The Q. U. V. al t er nat es UV r adi at i on exposur e
and condensat i on dur i ng each cycl e. A cycl e
consi st s of 16 hour s of UV exposur e and 8
hour s of condensat i on.
The Q. U. V. cycl i c Weat her omet er has been
adopt ed as bei ng t he most meani ngf ul f or
eval uat i on of t he weat her i ng per f or mance of
out door i nsul at i on mat er i al s. Thr ough
compar i sons wi t h t est s per f or med at t he
Deser t Sunshi ne Exposur e Test ( DSET) si t e i n
Ar i zona, t he agi ng accel er at i on of t he Q. U. V.
t est has been assessed at 8:l; t hat i s one
hour of Q. U. V. exposur e i s equi val ent t o
ei ght hour s of exposur e i n t he Ar i zona
deser t . Test r esul t s obt ai ned f r omt he Q. U. V.
t est pr ovi de a means of compar at i vel y r anki ng
t he UV r esi st ance of mat er i al s.
The Q. U. V. t est si mul at es t he ef f ect s of
sunl i ght by means of f l uor escent UV l amps
posi t i oned wi t hi n i nches of t he t est
speci men. A wat er r eser voi r at t he bot t om of
t he t est chamber i s heat ed t o pr oduce vapor .
The hot vapor keeps t he chamber at 100%
r el at i ve humi di t y. The wat er vapor condenses
225
on t he cool er sur f aces of t he t est speci mens.
The combi nat i on of condensat i on wi t h hi gh
i nt ensi t y UV r adi at i on r esul t s i n an
accel er at ed exposur e t est .
Typi cal l y, sampl es ar e exposed t o sever al
t housand hour s. Eval uat i on of a mat er i al i s
based on checki ng, cr azi ng, er osi on and l oss
of hydr ophobi ci t y. Resul t s of weat her i ng
t est s on some pol ymer i c mat er i al s ar e
summar i zed i n Tabl e 2.
Mat er i al i me, hr s
EPM j 8000
housi ngs must be abl e t o r esi st degr adat i on
due t o cor ona di schar ge.
Rubber sampl es, 5 cmby 7 cm, ar e pl aced i n a
chamber wher e cor ona i s cont i nuousl y
gener at ed by appl yi ng 12 kV t o a needl e- l i ke
el ect r ode pl aced 1 mm above t he sur f ace of
t he sampl e. To accel er at e t he agi ng f ur t her ,
t he sampl es ar e subj ect ed t o a mechani cal
st r ess by bendi ng t he sampl e over a gr ounded
el ect r ode as shown i n Fi gur e 2.
f
Comment s
L oss of hydr ophobi ci t y
EPDMl
EPDM2
EPR/ SR al l oy
SR
~~ ~~ ~
1000 Checki ng of sur f ace
4000 L oss of hydr ophobi ci t y
28000+ Hydr ophobi c
60000 Hydr ophobi c
Tabl e 3 Oxi dat i ve St abi l i t y
Mat er i al
EPM
EPDMl
Ti me, mi nut es
20- 26
20
EPDM2
I
, EPR/ SR al l oy 440*
Not e: * i ndi cat es t est t er mi nat ed
Cor ona Cut t i ng Chamber
An i nsul at or sur f ace can be subj ect ed t o
cor ona di schar ge under cer t ai n at mospher i c
condi t i ons. Cor ona accel er at es agi ng of
pol ymer s and i n some cases causes i r r epar abl e
damage. Any r ubber used f or i nsul at or
Fi gur e 2 Cor ona Cut t i ng
The t est can be conduct ed i n dr y ai r or wi t h
cont r ol l ed humi di t y. Humi di t y accel er at es
agi ng appr eci abl y. The t est i s r un unt i l
f ai l ur e occur s. The chamber shut s i t sel f of f
when a sampl e f ai l s. Fai l ur es usual l y occur
by cor ona spl i t t i ng or cut t i ng of t he r ubber .
Thi s t est can be used f or r el at i ve
compar i son. Test r esul t s on some mat er i al s
ar e l i st ed i n Tabl e 4.
Tabl e 4 Cor ona Cut t i ng
Not e: * i ndi cat es t est t er mi nat ed
J ,oss a m Recover y of Hvdroph&l cl t v . .
The l oss and r ecover y of hydr ophobi ci t y can
be measur ed and compar ed wi t h ot her r ubber s
by agi ng t he speci mens i n a cor ona chamber .
Pol ymer s, whose sur f aces ar e dynami c i n
nat ur e [6], l ose t hei r hydr ophobi ci t y
t empor ar i l y under dr y band ar ci ng due t o
f or mat i on of f r ee hydr oxyl r adi cal s but
r egai n t hei r hydr ophobi c sur f ace over a
per i od of t i me when t her e i s l i t t l e or no dr y
band act i vi t y [l] . The r at e of r ecover y of a
226
r ubber , an i mpor t ant f act or i n ext endi ng i t s
l i f e, i s sl i ght l y di f f er ent f or var i ous
r ubber s.
I t i s essent i al t hat pol ymer s mai nt ai n a hi gh
degr ee of hydr ophobi ci t y, wi t h t he capabi l i t y
of r ecover y af t er t empor ar y l oss. A si mpl e,
yet ef f ect i ve, means of assessi ng hydr ophobi c
pr oper t i es of a pol ymer sur f ace i s by
measur i ng wat er dr op cont act angl e, a good
i ndi cat or of hydr ophobi ci t y [ 7 ] .
A sessi l e dr op of wat er pl aced on t he sur f ace
of t he pol ymer i s magni f i ed t o about 30 t i mes
and t he cont act angl e i s r ead f r om a
gr aduat ed scr een. Si nce t he cont act angl e can
change a f ew degr ees wi t hi n a coupl e of
mi nut es, t he measur ement has t o be t aken ver y
qui ckl y.
The i ni t i al cont act angl e i s measur ed on
smal l r ect angul ar sampl es, 6 cm by 4 cm i n
si ze. These sampl es ar e t hen put i nsi de a
cor ona chamber and al l owed t o age f or a f ew
hundr ed hour s. Cont act ang1, e i s measur ed
i mmedi at el y f ol l owi ng r emoval and t hen
measur ed f r equent l y f or sever al hour s t o
det er mi ne t he r at e of r ecover y. Any r ubber
t hat r ecover s mor e t han 75%of i t s i ni t i al
val ue i n 10 hour s can be consi der ed good. The
r ecover y pat t er n i s di f f er ent f or var i ous
compounds and t hi s pat t er n can be used f or
compar i son.
Salt-er Test
Sal t f og met hods of eval uat i ng pol ymer i c
mat er i al under accel er at ed agi ng condi t i ons
have been f ound t o be ef f ect i ve [ 8 ] . A sal t
f og t est exami nes ef f ect s on t he housi ng
mat er i al f r om pr ol onged exposur e t o a hi gh
humi di t y sal t envi r onment .
Some of t he met hods of gener at i ng f og ar e by
usi ng nozzl es and by usi ng a humi di f i er
connect ed t o a sal t wat er r eser voi r as shown
i n Fi gur e 3. Cer t ai n par amet er s such as
l eakage cur r ent , char ge, and number of
cur r ent pul ses can be moni t or ed by usi ng a
dat a acqui si t i on syst em f or quant i t at i ve
anal ysi s and cor r el at i on t o degr adat i on [ 9] .
I 7
I
S T SAMPLES
I
I 'If
I
HIGH VOLTAGE
I ' I
HUMI DI FI ER
i
Fi gur e 3 Fog Chamber
Each r ubber t o be eval uat ed i s mol ded i nt o a
st andar d weat her shed pr of i l e and assembl ed t o
f or m an i nsul at or wi t h one, t wo, or t hr ee
weat her sheds. Al l sampl es ar e physi cal l y
i dent i cal t o ensur e uni f or mi t y i n t est i ng.
The sampl es ar e eval uat ed under nor mal
el ect r i c st r ess of 25 - 35 V/ mm at 250 pS/ cm
and 2500 pS/ cm sal i ni t i es as some pol ymer s
behave di f f er ent l y i n di f f er ent sal i ni t i es.
Dr y band ar ci ng causes t he sampl es t o degr ade
due t o er osi on and t r acki ng. Thi s t est i s
used t o compar e di f f er ent mat er i al s and
weat her shed pr of i l es.
is Wheel Test
Al so known as t r acki ng wheel t est , t hi s t est
i s used t o eval uat e sur f ace t r acki ng and
er osi on r esi st ance of pol ymer mat er i al s [lo]
and weat her shed geomet r i es. As shown i n
Fi gur e 4, t he t est speci men i s ener gi zed f or
par t of t he cycl e and i mmer sed i n sal i ne
wat er dur i ng anot her par t of t he cycl e wi t h
dr yi ng and cool i ng st at i ons i n bet ween.
H:GH VOLTAGE
ENERGIZATION PERIOD
TEST SPECIMEN
Fi gur e 4 Fer r i s Wheel
The mot or - dr i ven wheel r ot at es i n t i med, 90
degr ee i ncr ement s. One t est cycl e i s one
r evol ut i on of t he wheel whi ch consi st s of 2
mi nut es at each st at i on wi t h a 10 second
t r ansi t i on t i me bet ween st at i ons f or a t ot al
cycl e t i me of 8 mi nut es and 40 seconds.
Thi s i s a compar at i ve t est wi t h a f i xed
el ect r i c st r ess on t he speci mens at t he
ener gi zat i on st at i on. The r esi st i vi t y of t he
sal t wat er i s mai nt ai ned at 400 ohm- cm.
St udy of Nat ur al l y Ae d I nsul at or s
Accel er at ed ar t i f i ci al agi ng t est s i n t he
l abor at or y ar e meani ngf ul onl y when t he
r esul t s can be compar ed and cor r el at ed t o t he
nat ur al ser vi ce envi r onment .
Sever al t ypes of f i r st gener at i on pol ymer
i nsul at or s, i nt r oduced i n t he si xt i es and
sevent i es, exper i enced a var i et y of
el ect r i cal and mechani cal pr obl ems i n
ser vi ce.
Fi r st gener at i on desi gns whi ch wer e
successf ul wer e pr eceded by ext ensi ve
r esear ch and devel opment pr ogr ams whi ch
i ncl uded wel l or gani zed f i el d t r i al s,
conduct ed i n var i ous envi r onment al
condi t i ons, over sever al year s. The t r i al
i nsul at or s wer e per i odi cal l y exami ned whi l e
i n ser vi ce and, sampl es wer e syst emat i cal l y
227
r emoved f r om ser vi ce f or l abor at or y t est i ng
and anal ysi s. The f or mal f i el d t r i al pr ogr ams
have ended but many of t he i nsul at or s r emai n
i n ser vi ce and, t hey cont i nue t o be
moni t or ed.
I nsul at or s whi ch have been i n cont i nuous
ser vi ce f or t he t i me per i ods r angi ng f r om
mont hs t o mor e t han 15 year s have been
exami ned i n t he l abor at or y. These uni t s wer e
subj ect ed t o a var i et y of t est s t o eval uat e
t hei r condi t i on f or cor r el at i on t o dat a
der i ved f r om accel er at ed l abor at or y agi ng
t est s. The mechani cal and el ect r i cal
per f or mance of t he nat ur al l y aged i nsul at or s
can al so be compar ed t o new, unaged
i nsul at or s. Typi cal l y, t he eval uat i on of
i nsul at or s r emoved f r om ser vi ce i nvol ves at
l east t he f ol l owi ng st eps.
1.
2 .
3.
4.
5 .
6.
Thor ough ext er nal exami nat i on f or evi dence
of cont ami nat i on, sur f ace er osi on, l eakage
cur r ent s, cor ona, and ot her el ect r i cal and
mechani cal weat her shed damage. The i nsul -
at or har dwar e i s i nspect ed f or evi dence of
cor ona, f l ashover , mechani cal over l oadi ng,
and ot her damage.
The weat her shed' s sur f ace hydr ophobi ci t y
i s checked wi t h a wat er / met hanol sol ut i on
and, i f t her e i s any evi dence of cont ami -
nat i on, equi val ent sal t deposi t densi t y
( ESDD) measur ement s ar e made.
El ect r i cal t est s on t he compl et e i nsul at or
ar e conduct ed f or compar i son wi t h cat al og
and desi gn dat a f or new uni t s. The t est s
nor mal l y i ncl ude 60 Hz wet and dr y f l ash-
over and wi t hst and, i mpul se f l ashover and
wi t hst and, cl ean f og l eakage cur r ent ,
cor ona obser vat i on and, r adi o i nf l uence
vol t age ( RI V) .
Ul t i mat e mechani cal t ensi on or cant i l ever
t est s ar e conduct ed, dependi ng upon whet h-
er t he i nsul at or i s a suspensi on or post
t ype. Fol l owi ng t he mechani cal t est s, t he
weat her sheds ar e r emoved f r omt he f i ber -
gl ass r od f or f ur t her exami nat i on of t he
weat her sheds, f i ber gl ass r od, and al l
i nt er f aces.
Weat her shed sampl es ar e t aken f r omvar i ous
por t i ons of t he i nsul at or f or mi cr oscopi c
exami nat i on, t her mal mechani cal anal ysi s
( TMA) , and oxi dat i ve st abi l i t y t est s.
Ot her weat her shed sampl es ar e used f or
sal t f og, f er r i s wheel , and cor ona
cut t i ng t est s.
Fi ber gl ass r od sampl es ar e al so t aken f or
mi cr oscopi c exami nat i on, TMA, and mechan-
i cal and el ect r i cal t est s.
Summar y
A br i ef hi st or i cal r evi ew of pol ymer s f or
out door hi gh vol t age appl i cat i ons has been
pr ovi ded.
Char act er i zat i on of pol ymer i c mat er i al s f or
hi gh vol t age appl i cat i ons has t o be
under st ood and car ef ul l y cont r ol l ed t o ser ve
a l ong ser vi ce l i f e.
Speci al i zed t est s ar e needed t o eval uat e
pol ymer i c mat er i al f or out door hi gh vol t age
appl i cat i ons. These t est s ar e usef ul i n st udy
of nat ur al l y aged i nsul at or s.
Ref erences
[ l ] R. S. Gor ur , J . Chang, and 0. G Ambur gey,
"Sur f ace hydr ophobi ci t y of pol ymer s used
f or out door i nsul at i on, " I EEE Tr ans Paper
# 90WM023- 2 PWRD, 1990.
[ 2] P. J . Lambet h, "Ef f ect of pol l ut i on on
hi gh vol t age out door i nsul at or s, " Pr oc.
I EE, I EE Revi ews, Vol 118, pp, 1107- 1130
1971.
[3] Har r y Long, " Basi c compoundi ng and pr oces-
si ng of r ubber , " Rubber di vi si on, Amer i c-
an chemi cal soci et y, 1985.
[4] "Conci se encycl opedi a of pol ymer sci ence
and engi neer i ng, " J ohn Wi l ey & Sons,
p 209, 1990.
[ 5 ] R. L. Bl ai r e, "Oxi dat i ve st abi l i t y of
pol yol ef i ns, " Du Pont appl i cat i on br i ef ,
TA # 40.
[SI J . D. Andr ade, "Pol ymer sur f ace dynami cs, "
Pl enumpubl i shi ng cor por at i on, 1988.
[ 7] A. W. Adamson, "Physi cal chemi st r y of
sur f aces, " J ohn Wi l ey and Sons, 1976.
[81 W. T. St ar r , "Pol ymer i c out door i nsul at i -
on, " I EEE t r ans on el ect r i cal i nsul at i on,
Vol 25, No 1, pp. 125- 136, Febr uar y 1990.
[ 9] D. C. J ol l y, A quant i t at i ve met hod f or
det er mi ni ng t he r esi st ance of pol ymer s
t o sur f ace di schar ges, " I EEE t r ans. on
EI , V O ~ 17, pp 293- 299, 1982
[ l o] M. Kur t z, "Compar i son of t r acki ng test
met hods, " I EEE t r ans on EI , vol 6 ( Z ) ,
pp 76- 81, 1971.
Thi s wor k has cont r i but ed, and cont i nues t o
make si gni f i cant cont r i but i ons, t o t he
desi gn, mat er i al s, and pr ocesses used i n t he
manuf act ur e of moder n pol ymer i nsul at or s. The
r esul t i s pol ymer i nsul at or s whi ch wi l l
pr ovi de many decades of sat i sf act or y ser vi ce
wi t h a l i f e expect ancy whi ch equal s or
exceeds t hat of por cel ai n.
228
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