Leakage current and flashover of field-aged polymeric insulators

In this paper results from leakage current (LC) measurements under steam fog and voltage withstand tests under rain conditions obtained on various field aged polymeric insulators are reported. Included in this work are several silicone rubber (SIR) and ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) rubber insulators of ac and dc design that have been energized at suitably high ac and dc voltages under coastal conditions for a period of more than nine years. Their performances are compared to two sets of identical insulators, namely one that was outdoors exposed without being energized and one that was stored indoors. The LC of each insulator was studied three times, namely as received from the field, after it was gently washed to remove soluble pollution, and finally after a voltage withstand test. In between the measurements, the insulators were left to recover for a period of a week. The results show that the LC of the SIR insulators were generally lower than those of the EPDM. In both cases, the LC of the insulators that were stored indoors were significantly lower than those of the outdoor exposed insulators. The voltage withstand tests revealed an almost linear relation between the flashover voltage (FOV) and the arcing distance of the insulators. In general, for similar SIR and EPDM insulators the FOV of the SIR ones were higher than those of EPDM insulators