Dimensioning of booster sheds for icing protection of post station insulators

The main objective of this paper is to introduce an analytical and numerical method to calculate the diameter and position of booster sheds (BSs) on post station insulators under heavy icing conditions. Numerical simulations using the finite element method (FEM), implemented by the commercial software Comsol Multiphysics, were performed to calculate the influence of BSs on voltage drops along two units of a standard post insulator under heavy icing conditions. The shape of ice accretion and icicles used in the present study were based on laboratory tests carried out at CIGELE. The presented simulations and analytical calculations seem to be efficient options to quantify the effects of the electric field and ice bridging on the dimensioning of the BSs along the post insulator. Based on the obtained results, the electric field strength would be the main factor involved for BSs close to the HV electrode whereas ice-bridging (icicle length) would be the main one for those close to the ground electrode.