Flashover voltage prediction of outdoor insulators subjected to road salt contamination

A new approach has been developed to predict the flashover voltage (FOV) of contaminated porcelain insulators based on surface resistance (SR) measurement performed at low voltage under wet conditions. The emphasis of this paper is on contamination resulting from the use of road salts in winter for deicing. Electric field simulations were performed to determine the role of water droplets at the tip of the sheds, which can contribute to flashover at lower contamination severities. The approach has been extended to polymer or nonceramic insulators.