Environmental pollution effects on insulators of northern Egypt HV transmission lines

Flashover of polluted high voltage insulators is a major problem for operation of power lines in Egypt. In 2010, insulators´ pollution was the cause of several interruptions in the Egyptian electric network. Variations of climatic conditions and large industrial developments in the last few years call to update the pollution map of Egypt. To achieve this, six sites in northern Egypt with different types of pollution (industrial, desert, marine and their mixtures) have been investigated. To asses the pollution behavior of line insulators, IEC standard cap-pin suspension insulators were hanged for a time zone of 5 months. The study was conducted through measurements of: Equivalent salt deposition density (ESDD), Surface Conductivity, Maximum leakage current and Flashover voltage. The results are useful to assess the insulation performance in different environmental situations and as well to provide an updated pollution map in Egypt.