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About some important items of composite insulators design

Conference Paper · February 1999

DOI: 10.1049/cp:19990848 · Source: IEEE Xplore

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Kemo Sokolija Mirsad Kapetanovic

University of Sarajevo University of Sarajevo
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 About Some Important Items of Composite Insulators Design
Kemo SOKOLIJA
University of Sarajevo
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Abstract - Contemporary composite insulators
differ in manufacturing process largely related to
their design. Composite insulators in service are
exposed to pollution, creepage currents, corona
discharges and weathering. This can result in
ageing effects which change the surface properties
of polymer housing. Apart from the importance of
the recovery of hydrophobicity of the silicone
housing material and the diffusion of low
molecular weight polymers to the surface, the
general design and the particular design items
play weighty role in reliability of products and
exclusion of any mechanical and electrical failures
during service. Some effects of different design
items on the field conditions near the high voltage
flange of composite insulators are revealed.
1. INTRODUCTION
The growing trend of refinement of manufacturing
processes and consecutive use of composite
insulators is nowadays ubiquitous. After the
problems with the first generation of composite
insulators and intensive work of many utilities,
manufacturers, industry associations and universities
leading to the second and third generation of
composite insulators, it is evident that composite
insulators has achieved enviable high level of
improvement of their design and requested material
performance, offering significant advantages over
glass and porcelain insulators, particularly for heavily
polluted conditions.
However, also the modern composite insulators have
a number of weaknesses which influence on
discrepancy among manufacturers and users
regarding the need for polymer housing material
formulation, product design and manufacturing
processing optimisation. These three items are
interdependent and manufacturers have to solve the
Mirsad KAPETANOVIĆ
ENERGOINVEST, Sarajevo
Bosnia and Herzegovina
higher order optimisation equation. In order to
illustrate this fact our extension of "Kärner Matrix"
(according to Prof. Kärner, Chairman IEC TC 36)
will be used – Fig. 1.
Insulator
bad good
bad bad
bad good normal impossible
good bad
good good possible KNOW HOW
Design Material
Fig.1 Interdependence matrix in composite insulators
production
Obviously, a good composite insulator could be
obtained in case of a perfect combination of design
and the selected material. To transfer the could to
can, the third condition has to be also fulfilled –
manufacturer’s know–how.
This paper deals only with the some aspects of
design, which also influence on housing material
behavior, as well as on all interfaces presented in a
given design of composite insulator. From the other
side, the manufacturing process of composite
insulator is also mostly connected to the composite
insulator design and reversibly.
Generally speaking composite insulator are designed
to provide the required creepage distance for
adequate pollution levels. On a given insulation
length (arcing distance), the required creepage
distance can be obtained by arranging the
corresponding number of sheds. Insulator profile is
nowadays normally designed according to IEC Publ.
815 [1], applicable to outdoor ceramic and glass
insulators (conventional insulators). For conventional
insulators service experience showed that
recommendations of IEC 815 grant a quite good
service performance of the insulators under polluted corresponding electrical field distributions obtained
conditions. The idea to resort IEC 815 to composite using the software developed on the base of the
insulators is based on the fact that composite Bosnian algebra approach [7,8].
insulators "in the worst case" (means complete loss
of hydrophobicity) behave like conventional glass or
ceramic insulators, and in this case composite
insulators could be treated as conventional insulators
and should be designed according to IEC 815. This
approach is in a complete agreement with Summary
of SC 15 Discussion meeting from the last CIGRE
session 1998: ".. insulators must be designed to
operate for the occasions when the material becomes
hydrophilic". There are also many situations where a
creepage bonus ( reduction in creepage distance) of
more than 20 percent was applied [2, 3].
a)
Taking into account the fact that, because of bad field
conditions near the high voltage flange, an insulator
can experience severe deterioration even in case of
longer creepage distance than recommended by IEC
815, one can easily conclude that some other design
items, out of creepage distance, are critical for
effective performance and life of composite
insulators.
One of the most important details of composite
insulator design is the design of the triple junction:
housing, air and metal. The field intensity near this
junction must be controlled in such a way that partial
arcs anchoring at one site of the metal flange is
prevented. Three different design of this joint used b)
for three principal designs of composite insulator
currently in use will be discussed here from that point
of view.
Another deceive item which make deference between
principal designs is the moulding line and its
position. Long term service experience [4] and
laboratory test [5] illustrated that the moulding lines
arranged parallel to the main directions of the
electrical fields could cause, besides from chalking,
also erosion in the mould line and cracks developing
along mould line which may at the end lead to
mechanical failure resulting in line drop [6]. c)
The third item discussed here is the distance between
Fig.2 Calculated field distributions for different designs
the lower flange and lowest shed presented in case of
currently in use. Note: tangential components of the fields
designs where there is not the direct transition are turned 90o because of better visualization
between the flange and lowest shed. This distance
has significant influence on the electric field A high electrical field strength may have a damaging
conditions and therefore on effective performance influence on polymer housing material when its
and life of composite insulator. tangential component reaches a value sufficient to
bring about surface discharges. This discharges will
2. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION spoil the hidrophbicity of the polymer surface and
2. 1 General considerations after wards may erode the material leading to its
premature ageing. Therefore, the lower electrical
Figures 2a, 2b and 2c show different designs of the field strength on the surface and near the triple
critical zone near the high voltage flange of junction will produce a lower ageing rate of material.
composite insulators currently in use and
2. 2 Design of the triple junction composite insulators. The design according to Fig. 2a
results in moulding lines on all sheds but only at
Preventing of housing organic material
outer periphery of the sheds.
decomposition under the influence of partial
discharges burning over surface of an insulator out of
the end flanges is achieved by proper choice of
material – instability of arcs caused by vapour
generation from the polymeric material or protection
from partial arc attacks using long term hydrophobic
material. However, instability of partial arcs starting
from the surface of metal flanges should be provided
by design.
From Fig. 2a and 2b one can conclude that in case of
such two designs, the movement of the foot-point of no sheds
partial arcs, started at the triple junction point, to the
point of the highest electric field strength means
instability of the partial arcs and protection of
interface between isolating material and metal
flanges from decomposition. In case of the design
from Fig. 2c, the foot-point of the arc starting from
triple junction coincide the place of the highest field
strength and the triple junction is not protected –
isolating material could start burning and eroding.
There are also another opinion regarding this issue.
Coming from the hypothesis that in case of the
design from Fig. 2c dry band arcing occurs on the 40 mm
shank between two adjacent sheds, but not starting
from the triple junction, the authors concluded in
favour of this design [9]. It has to be said that we can
not arbitrarily predict the starting point of partial
discharges. They could start from triple junction
point also in case of the design from Fig. 2c.
2.3 Position of the lowest shed
A concentration of electrical field and divergence at 10 mm
the ends of on insulator is very well known
phenomena. However, the lowest shed could modify
the electric field and press out the equipotential lines,
1.4
Etanmax (p.u.)

making it free from corona activity, but increasing 1.2

the tangential component on the part of the trunk 1
under the lowest shed. In order to satisfy requested
creepage distance many designs are created in such a 0.8
way that the closeness of the lowest shed enables the 0.6
discharges activities to reach the button of the shed. 0.4
Fig. 3 illustrates the influence of the distance
between the lowest shed and metal flange on the 0.2
distance (mm)
electrical field conditions near the high voltage 0
flange. The referent value is maximal tangential
105
115
15
25
35
45
55
65
75
85
95
5

component of electrical field in case of the same

composite insulator with no sheds.
Fig.3 Tangential component of field versus distance
2.4 Moulding line and its position
between the lowest shed and metal flange
The moulding line and its position resulting from the
The designs according to Fig. 2b and 2c result in
particular manufacturing process present one
moulding lines on all sheds as well as on the
important item distinguishing different designs of
insulator shank, arranged parallel to the main
direction of the electrical field. In case of the design
according to Fig. 2a the excess material protruded
between the two parts of the mould could be easily
removed. Apart from that here we have moulding
lines arranged perpendicular to the main direction of
the electrical field and placed in the regions of lower
electrical field intensity, meaning negligible
distortion of electrical field distribution.
Fig.4 Moulding lines
In case of designs with moulding lines running
parallel to the main direction of the field (Fig. 4) a
scrutinized technique in order to remove the excess
material is required (applied only rarely [10]).
Besides in this case the existence of moulding lines
can significantly distort electrical field distribution
causing increase of its tangential component (19,8%
in the example on Fig. 5) and observed problems of
erosion and cracking in the mould line [4, 11].
a) Etanmax=1 b) Etanmax=1.198
Fig.5 Simplified model showing distortion of electrical
field caused by moulding lines; a) without moulding lines
b) with moulding lines. Note: tangential components of the [8] M. Kapetanović, K.Sokolija: A New Algebra as a Tool for
fields are turned 90o because of better visualization
3. CONCLUSIONS
The approach which has the starting point that
composite insulators "in the worst case" (complete [10] Hungarian Manufacturer of Composite Insulators Looks for
loss of hydrophobicity) behave like conventional
insulators and that in this case composite insulators
could be treated as conventional insulators and
should be designed according to IEC 815, could be
good only if we take into account the design items
which significantly influence on the behaviour of
composite insulator in service:
• A efficient control of the field conditions near
the high voltage flange could be achieved by the
proper design of that critical item bringing about a
lower ageing rate of weathershed material.
• Design of end flanges and position of triple
junction ought to provide for the instability of the
partial arcs burning from triple junction point.
Designs with the direct transition between the flange
and the lowest shed is not always expected to provide
for required instability.
• Moulding lines running parallel to the main field
direction could cause the electrical field distortion (as
well as enhanced pollution concentration) and
therefore are to be avoid "naturally" (by design itself)
or by removing the excess material protruded
between the two parts of the mould towards the
outside.
• In order to avoid the discharge activities near
high voltage end flange the position of the lowest
shed in relation to the high voltage flange has to be
optimised, but not submitted to the unique target: to
achieve required creepage distance without any
compromise.
REFERENCES
[1] IEC 6815 Guide for Selection of Insulators in Respect of
Polluted Conditions, 1986.
[2] A. Shütz: Discussion Contribution to the Meeting of SC 33
during CIGRE 1996, Insulator News & Market Report,
Nov./Dec. 1996.
[3] J. Kindersberger: Discussion Contribution to the Meeting of SC
33 during CIGRE 1996, Insulator News & Market Report,
Nov./Dec. 1996.
[4] H. Auxel, F.Ehrhard,K.F.Wustenberg: Erosion und Alterung von
Freiluftisolatoren aus cycloaliphatischen Epoxid – und
Polyurethan – Giebharzen, Elektrizitätswirtschaft 91 (1992) 8
[5] R. S. Gorur,E. A.Cherney,R. Hackam: Performance of Polymer
Materials in Salt Fog, IEEE/PES SM 1986 Mexico City 96 SM
424–6
[6] M. Kuhl, A. Schütz: Design Criteria of Composite Insulators for
Use in HV Outdoor Applications, CIGRE SC 22, Jordana
Técnica Sobre Aislante Compuesto en Li´neas Electricas,
Madrid, 1997.
[7] M. Kapetanović: Algebra Fraktalnog Vektora kao Prilog
Rje{avanju Elektri~nih Polja, Dissertation, Electrotechnical
Faculty of University Sarajevo, 1997.
Electric Field Calculation, ISH 97, Montreal, Canada, 1997.
[9] R. Joullie, L. Pargamin, C. de Tourreil: Sediver Composite
Insulators Design, Service Experience and New Products,
International Colloquium on Insulator Technologies, Sarajevo,
Bosnia and Herzegovina, 1997.
Expanded International Presence, Insulator News & Market
Report Nov./Dec. 1998.
 [11] I. Gutman, R. Hartings: Standard and Reduced Salinity 1000 h
Salt Fog Tests on Silicone Rubber Apparatus Insulators, ISH
97, Montreal, Canada, 1997.

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