A

Seminar Report on

“The Analysis of High Voltage Composite Insulators under

the Atmospheric conditions”
Submitted by,

Mr. Ziyam Nasir Mukadam

Bachelors of Technology in Electrical Engineering

(PRN - 2030331293005)

Under the Guidance of,

PROF. P. L. KOTWAL

(Professor of Electrical Engineering Department)

In partial fulfilment of Bachelors of Technology Course in Electrical Engineering of

Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Technological University Lonere, Raigad.

For the Academic Year 2022-23

DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING,

DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY

LONERE, RAIGAD, MAHARASHTRA-402103
 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY
LONERE, RAIGAD, MAHARASHTRA-402103

DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING

CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that Seminar Report entitled “The Analysis of High Voltage Composite Insulators
under the Atmospheric conditions” is being submitted by Mr. Ziyam Nasir Mukadam [PRN-
2030331293005] in partial requirement of the award of degree of Bachelors of Technology in
Electrical Engineering is a record of own work carried by him under my supervision as prescribed
in the syllabus of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Technological University, Lonere during the academic
year 2022-23.

Prof.Prachi.L.Kotwal Prof.M.F.A.R.Satarkar

(Guide) (HOD)

Department of Electrical Engineering Department of Electrical Engineering

Date:
Place: Vidyavihar, Lonere
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to thanks and profound gratitude towards my guide P. L. Kotwal, Professor,
Department of Electrical Engineering, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Technological University,
Lonere, Raigad, Maharashtra, India for her proficient and enthusiastic guidance, which served as
a constant source of inspiration for the completion of this work. Her painstaking support and
exhaustive involvement in the conceptual understanding, conduction of simulation studies and
hardware structure are gratefully acknowledged. I sincerely appreciate her pronounced
individuality, humanistic and warm personal approach and excellent facilities provided in the
laboratory, which has given me strength to carry out this work on steady and smooth course. I
humbly acknowledge a lifetime’s gratitude to her. I express my deep sense of gratitude to the Head
of Electrical Engineering Department, M.F.A.R. Satarkar, for providing excellent laboratory and
computing facilities of department for this work.

Date: Ziyam Nasir Mukadam

Place: Vidyavihar,Lonere (2030331293005)

 Abstract

With the advancement in material engineering new insulation materials have been developed with
enhanced insulating properties and these materials have certain advantages over glass and
porcelain insulators in terms of field performance. Since last decade there is an increase in demand
of installing polymer/composite insulator as a preferable choice. These have promising features
for high voltage transmission and distribution applications. However, long-term environmental
and electric stresses could cause surface degradation and in due course reduce the insulation
strength of insulators. In the present work, an attempt is made to study the effect of multiple
stresses (humidity, low temperature, UV and electric stress) on the composite insulators. The
experimental chamber of 2.5 x 2.5 x 2.5 ft. is suitably fabricated for the experiment. The leakage
current is regularly monitored over the experimental duration of 1000 hours. The surface
morphological studies using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, Scanning Electron
Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive X-Ray Analysis (EDAX), Wettability Class (WC)
measurements and performance of tensile strength of the samples are conducted on the samples
before and after experimentation.

i
 List of Figures

Fig.No. Name Page no.

Fig.2.1 structure of composite insulators 5

Fig.2.2 Hydrophobic Characteristics 9

Fig.2.3 Factors Affecting Aging 11

SEM micrographs for virgin and the aged sample in

Fig.2.4 12
Magnification of 2000×

Fig.2.5 Energized & Denergized Iced Insulators 14

Water induced corona activity and resulting loss of

Fig.2.6 16
hydrophobicity on hydrophobic composite insulator

Examples of insulators that failed due to destruction of rod

Fig.2.7 17
by dishcharge activity and Flashunder

Fig.2.8 Formation of Dry band arc 18

Fig.2.9 Dry band arcing support to aging 19

Fig.3.1 Schematic of the Experimental Arrangement 20

Fig.3.2 Experimental arrangement for multi-stress studies 21

Fig.3.3 (a) Full scale (b) 2 mm thick flat slab 22

Fig.3.4 Multistress Aging Cycle 22

(a)WC of fresh sample, (b)WC of sample after 150hrs,

Fig.3.5 23
(c)after 500 hrs, (d) after 1000hrs

Fig.3.6 Tensile strength results (Elongation break) 23

Fig.3.7 FFT of leakage current at 350th hour 24

Fig.3.8 Variations in leakage current rms value 24

Fig.3.9 (a) Fresh sample, (b) Aged sample(SEM) 25

Fig.3.10 FTIR of fresh and aged samples 25

Fig.3.11 EDAX comparing fresh and treated sample 26

ii
 INDEX
CHAPTER PAGE
CONTENT
NO. NO.
Abstract i
List of figure ii
1.1.Introduction
1.2.Literature Review 1-4
1.
1.3.Aim
1.4.Objective
Basics Of Polymer Insulator
2.1.Structure Of Composite Insulators
2.1.1. Core
2.1.2. Housing(coating)
2.1.3. Connecters
2.2.Environmental Effect Parameters in
Selecting Insulators for transmission and
distribution Lines
2.3. Importance of Hydrophobicity
2.4.Aging of Polymer Insulator
2. 2.5.Environmental Impacts on Composite 5-19
Insulator
2.5.1.Impact Of Ultraviolet Radiations (UV)
2.5.2. Impact of Ice Accumulation on Composite
Insulators
2.5.3. Impact of Humidity
2.6.Electrical Stresses on Composite insulator
2.6.1.Corona Issues Affecting Composite Line
Insulators
2.6.2.Dry Band Arcing
Experimental Setup
3.1.Arrangement and Block Diagram
3.1.1. Samples Used
3. 3.1.2. Selection of Applied Parameters 20-26
3.2.Results and Discussions
3.2.1.Wettability Class Measurement
3.2.2.Tensile Strength Measurement
 3.2.3.Leakage Current Measurement
3.2.4.Scanning Electron Microscope(SEM)
3.2.5. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy
(FTIR)
3.2.6. Energy Dispersive X-Ray Analysis
4.1.Advantages of Polymer Insulators
4. 4.2.Disadvantages of Polymer Insulators 27
4.3. Applications of Polymer Insulators

Conclusion 28

References 29
 Chapter 1
1.1 Introduction
Insulators used in high voltage overhead transmission lines and substations are required to
withstand extreme changes in the environmental conditions. These insulators are subjected to various
environmental stresses in the field conditions. Environmental effects such as humidity, atmospheric
pressure, UV and also biological degradation caused by microorganism which attacks organic
materials in presence of moisture are also significant. Electrical stress which includes dry band arcing,
corona can deteriorate the material with tracking and erosion and can alter both mechanical and
electrical properties. From the literature it is seen that effect of various climatic conditions have been
studied extensively on the performance of composite insulators in desert, in coastal areas, at high
altitudes (icing flashover), in urban areas etc. These studies have established that at higher ambient
temperature, rate of degradation is higher or aging of composite insulators is at elevated rate.
From the studies it has been observed both from service and laboratory tests that prolonged
dry band arcing causes the surface of polymer insulators to lose their initial hydrophobicity and
become wettable. To determine the role of hydrophobicity recovery, the temperature range evaluated
was from -4 to 60_C, there was no silicon detected for the samples subjected to 4°C, the reason is the
diffusion process for LMW (low molecular weight) was seen to accelerate at higher temperature and
very low at lower temperature. In case of composite insulator are in highly contaminated area then
there could be decrease in surface resistance and leakage current can increase and dry band arcing can
be intense and further deteriorates the surface of polymer insulator. Further depletion of LMW can
reduce the mechanical strength of the sheds with decomposition of HMW (high molecular weight).
The availability of literature pertaining to the performance of composite insulators at low temperature
with other environmental stress is very limited; hence the present study is envisaged.
Studies on effect of the ambient temperature on surface resistivity are carried by the results
show that surface resistivity is reduced of an insulator sample by absorbing humidity as the loss of
hydrophobicity increases. A study has shown that safety and functionality of equipment at low
temperature is very important and material properties dictate the behavior of electrical equipment at
low ambient temperature.
Polymer insulators are elastomers they become stiff and less flexible at low temperature two
important deductions can be made out from the studies (a) elongation break of the sheds will reduces
(b) if it’s snowing then snow will accumulate for some more time reducing the creepage length and

1
lowering the flashover voltage for that particular time. Extensive studies have been done on effect of
low temperature on material and electrical properties of the composite insulators, but there is very less
literature available on effect of environmental stresses coupled with low temperature. IEC Working
Group 12 of TC 36 drafted multiple stress test procedure for composite polymer insulators in IEC/TR
62730 specific aging cycle involving various stress. The test process is not standardized yet and
research is in progress. For selecting insulator for a particular environment, report mentions various
parameters for designing and installation should be taken into consideration, In the experiment we
have considered that insulator is installed in remote high altitude area with very light
effect of the pollution.
Present study is focused to understand performance of insulators for long term ageing under
environmental stresses UV, humidity, electrical and at very low temperature conditions.

1.2 Literature Review

[1] R. Hackam, "Outdoor HV Composite Polymeric Insulator", IEEE Trans. Dielectr. Electr.
Insul. vol.6, no.5, 1999, pp.557-585.
HV composite polymeric insulators are being accepted increasingly for use in outdoor
installations by the traditionally cautious electric power utilities worldwide. They currently represent
-60 to 70% of newly installed HV insulators in North America. The tremendous growth in the
applications of non-ceramic composite insulators is due to their advantages over the traditional
ceramic and glass insulators. These include light weight, higher mechanical strength to weight ratio,
resistance to vandalism, better performance in the presence of heavy pollution in wet conditions, and
comparable or better withstand voltage than porcelain or glass insulators. However, because polymeric
insulators are relatively new, the expected lifetime and their long-term reliability are not known and
therefore are of concern to users. Additionally they might suffer from erosion and tracking in the
presence of severe contamination and sustained moisture. This leads to the development of dry band
arcing that under certain circumstances could lead to failure of polymer insulators. In this paper a
review is presented of the recent performance experience of HV composite polymeric insulators in
outdoor service, testing methods, aging, the ranking of the materials, the role of fillers, the role of low
molecular weight components present in the insulators, the mechanisms responsible for the loss and
recovery of hydrophobicity, one of the most important properties of polymers, the mechanisms of
failure, detection of faults, type and quantity of natural contaminants, effects of exposure to rain,

2
hydrocarbons, stationary air and wind, various methods to optimize the electrical performance and a
relatively new method for evaluating the performance status of polymeric insulators in the field.
[2] N. Yoshimura, S. Kumagai. “Electrical and Environmental Aging of Silicone Rubber Used
in Outdoor Insulation”, IEEE Transactions on Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation Vol. 6 No.
5, October 1999.
This is a laboratory study on the aging of SIR and hydrophobicity recovery, Uv radiation,
corona discharges, acid rain, dry-band arcing are employed as sources of the aging. Chemical and
morphological analysis is used to detect the surface chemical and structural changes derived from
these stresses. The nature of highly mobile low molecular weight (LMW) chains achieving a quick
recovery of the hydrophobicity is carefully examined. Their generation and extinction caused by these
stresses are investigated. From this study, it is shown that oxidation that induces crosslinking,
branching, interchanging and a formation of silanol groups are the most dominant chemical reactions
during the aging of Furthermore, silanol groups that are by products of oxidation restrict the diffusion
of mobile LMW chains, which decreases the recovery speed of hydrophobicity and accelerates the
aging. A typical aging scenario of SIR from the installation to the end of their life is drawn.
[3] Mohammad Amin “HYDROPHOBICITY OF SILICONE RUBBER USED FOR
OUTDOOR INSULATION (AN OVERVIEW)”, rev. Adv. Mater.Sci 13(2006) 93-116
Among the new insulating materials widely used in high voltage outdoor insulation systems,
silicon rubber materials also called polymeric materials are very important; during last 20 years they
have been applied for manufacturing outdoor insulators. These materials are organic in nature;
therefore they are prone to decomposition under different environmental conditions; the most
important among these conditions for consideration of w.r.t. of high voltage electrical insulation is the
hydrophobicity.
Hydrophobicity is treated as the resistance to formation of conducting water tracks that
increase leakage current, chances of flashover, and other deterioration effects. The superior
contaminant performances of polymer outdoor insulating materials are regarded as the contribution of
their hydrophobic surfaces. In other words, it is the formation of water beads on surface, which resist
the flow of water in continuous conducing track. Hydrophobicity theory, its importance for polymeric
silicon rubber insulators, methods of hydrophobicity measurements - especially by leakage current,
low molecular weight component chains responsible for hydrophobicity recovery, chemistry of
hydrophobicity loss and recovery, hydrophobicity recovery related with temperature, humidity, UV
radiation, corona, electric field and dry band arcing are overviewed in this paper.

3
[4] Khan.Y, “Degradation of Hydrophobic Properties of Composite Insulators in Simulated Arid
Desert Environment”, International Journal of Engineering & Technology Vol: 10, PP-64-68,
2010.
Electrical insulators form a very important component of high voltage electric
power networks. Along with the traditional insulators i.e. glass and porcelain, etc.
presently the polymeric insulators are also used world widely. These polymeric
insulators are very sensitive to various environmental parameters such temperature,
environmental pollution, UV-radiations, etc. which seriously effect their electrical,
chemical and hydrophobic properties. The UV radiation level in the central region of
Saudi Arabia is high as compared to the IEC standard for the accelerated aging of the
composite insulators. Commonly used suspension type of composite EPDM (Ethylene
Propylene Diene Monomer) insulator was subjected to accelerated stress aging as per
modified IEC standard simulating the inland arid desert’s atmospheric condition and also
as per IEC-61109 standard. The hydrophobic characteristics were studied by measuring
the contact angle along the insulator surface before and after the accelerated aging of the
samples. It was found that EPDM insulator loses it hydrophobic properties more
proportional to the intensity of UV radiations and its rate of recovery is very low as
compared to Silicone Rubber insulator. The effect of water salinity and drop size on the
contact angle characteristics was also investigated.

1.3.Aim
The main aim of this topic is to do the Analysis of High Voltage Composite Insulators under the
Atmospheric conditions, as there various studies on high temperature performance of composite
insulators but there are very least study on low temperature or atmospheric conditions.

1.4.Objective
 To do study of high voltage composite insulators performance under environmental conditions.
 To do the case study of experimental setup where atmospheric conditions are artificially
produced for analysis.

4
 Chapter 2
Basics of Polymer Insulator
2.1. Structure of Composite Insulators

Fig.2.1:structure of composite insulators

Composite insulators have been introduced as a good alternative to ceramic and glass
insulators. After nearly 30 years of launching the first type of composite insulators and making design
improvements and consuming materials, they are used as well-known and suitable products in HV.
In the resin insulators, the oxygen composition with certain plastics is made in the form of a
polyidison; that is, together with the composition, large molecules are produced. In order to harden
the compound, usually additional materials such as quartz are added, and finally, the resin is made up
by heating and casting. These types of insulators are not used in open space due to their lack of
ultraviolet radiation in the sun and are used only in interior spaces and inside panels.
Composite insulators consist of at least two insulating materials; one of which is the task of
providing electrical properties and the other providing mechanical properties. Composite insulators,
as shown in figure 2.1.
5
 The basic structure principle of the polymer insulators is very simple. The center of the
insulator is a glass fiber reinforced plastic rod, and the end of the insulator is fixed with a metal ring.
In order to connect with the structural fittings and structures of the electrical device. In order to prevent
the influence of the surrounding environment and to produce the leakage traces on the surface of the
mandrel under the action of the leakage current, a polymer is coated on the mandrel.
Following points describes the structure of Composite/Polymer Insulators:
2.1.1. Core
2.1.2. Housing
2.1.3. End connections
2.1.1. Core
The main principles of composite insulations are based on the use of a composite core, whose
function is to withstand the mechanical load brought on by the conductor wire and transfer this tensile
force to the tower.
As shown in Fig.2.1, the core of a composite insulator consists of a composite rod consisting
of two main components of the matrix and reinforcing fibers. The matrix is made of epoxy resin and
E-glass reinforcing fiber, which is made of glass fiber in parallel and in the same direction throughout
the rod. The core composite quadrilateral depends on the design of the insulator and the tensile
load that it has to withstand and is made in different diameters. However, its range with the numbers
mentioned by different manufacturers can be set between 14 mm and 70 mm. The fibers in the core of
a composite insulator are two main tasks, one that acts as the main insulation component, and the other
is the task of bearing mechanical load.
Composite core construction is done by pultrusion process. In general, pultrusion is a process
used to produce continuous composite sections, such as rods, tubes. The main parts of the pultrusion
process are schematically shown in Fig.2.1. In this process, the fiberglass is fed from the fiber feeder
to the resin dipping and entered into the mold after passing through the preforms. In the form of heat
treatment, the impregnation and curing of the resin takes place and the profile forms the cross-sectional
shape of the mold. The advantages of fabricated parts include lightweight, lower maintenance costs,
and more corrosion resistance; the most important advantage in strength (rigidity to weight) is
relatively high due to the high percentage of fiber and its continuity in the structure of these
components. It should be noted that there are other methods for the production of composite cores,
including manual warping and filament winding techniques, but since the highest strength and the

6
highest mechanical properties of the pultrusion process are obtained, the method pultrusion is preferred
to other methods.
2.1.2. Housing (coating)
The function of this coating is to protect the core to the weathering and moisture-damaging
effects, as well as to increase the voltage and creeping current. This coating is usually made up
of silicone rubber and other additives such as TiO2 and aluminum three hydrate. The insulating
properties of composite insulators are largely related to their coating.
The coatings used in composite insulators include:
a. Ethylene propylene monomer
b. Ethylene propylene diamine monomer
c. Silicone rubber
d. Ethylene-propylene rubber
Today, the most common rubber coatings used in composite insulators are silicon rubber. The
reason for this is the long-term stability of silicone rubber against different weather
conditions, hydrophobicity. Waterproofing properties of silicon separate it from other insulating
materials. This property means that water cannot to be dispersed on the insulator, but remains in the
form of a water droplet concentrated in one part. This is why, in the case of contaminated
environments, the leakage current at the level of the silicone rubber insulators is much lower than that
of ceramic, glass, and even ethylene propylene insulators. Therefore, in extremely polluted areas, there
is no electrical arc on these insulators. In addition, the hydrophobicity of silicone rubber is always
consistent with other polymers.
2.1.3. Connectors
Connectors are the parts that are located between the tower and the conductive cable. Due to
this variety in different parts of composite insulators and their construction methods, it can be clearly
seen that the performance of a composite insulator is heavily related to the correct selection of raw
materials and the technology of manufacturing the insulator.
The advantages and disadvantages of composite insulators are as follows:
1. Flexible and unbreakable, and suitable for areas where breakdown of insulators is commonplace by
human factors.
2. Silicone insulators have the ability to dispose of water and are technically and economically very
suitable for wet areas.

7
3. The use of these insulators in airlines due to no necessity of periodic washings greatly reduces line
maintenance costs.
4. Due to the lightweight silicone-based insulators in comparison to the glass and ceramic insulators,
it is easier to transport and install them. On the other hand, due to this feature, the cost of constructing
the line in terms of mechanical calculations of the towers and the design of the foundation will be
reduced significantly.
5. The breakage probability of composite insulators during the transportation and installation is
negligible.
6. Composite insulators contain a higher performance in snowy and frost areas due to the shape of the
insulator and the small diameter of housings.

Despite the particular merits of composite insulators, these insulators also have disadvantages. The
disadvantages of composite insulators can be classified as follows:
1. The higher price of raw materials as compared to other insulators.
2. The lack of experienced labor.

2.2. Environmental Effect Parameters in Selecting Insulators for

transmission and distribution Lines
 Climate
 Different temperature parameters humidity
 Radiation of thermal and ultraviolet radiation (UV)
 Rainfall
 Lightning and Isocraonic levels of the area
 Wind
 The severity and type of pollution of the area
 Types of insulator profiles
 Height above sea level
 Installation arrangement: Transmission, end, or chain type
 Effect of insulator material
 Earthquake

8
2.3.Importance of Hydrophobicity for Polymeric Insulators
Hydrophobicity of any material is its resistance to flow of water on its surface. A material is
highly hydrophobic if it resists to flowing water dropped on it and is least hydrophobic if dropped
water flows in form of tracks on its surface. The hydrophobic surface is water repellent, in contrast
with a hydrophilic surface that is easily wetted. Hydrophobicity of a material can be described using
the contact angle on the material surface (θc) that liquid drop makes when it comes into the contact
with a solid surface; this angle is a measure of the surface wettability. The material which is easily
wettable allows water to touch a large surface area and hence makes a contact angle of less than 90°;
hydrophobic material allows less water surface contact and thus makes a contact angle greater than
90°.

Fig.2.2:Hydrophobic Characteristics

The contact angle gives information about surface energies, surface roughness, and surface
heterogeneity. Contact angle is also a measure of the surface contamination. The surface
hydrophobicity of insulation material is often quantitatively evaluated by the value of contact angle
formed between water droplet and material surface, which is direct representation of the tension
between interfaces of water and the material atoms [1]. The shape of the liquid droplet depends on the
type of the solid material and physical and chemical state of its surface.
The most obvious drawback of hydrophobicity reduction in electrical insulators are an increase
in surface leakage current activity and, as a result, the increased dryness of the surface. This fact is

9
known as a major insulation performance factor for ceramic insulators, but for polymeric or non-
ceramic insulators hydrophobicity loss or reduction causes other serious effects. Hydrophobicity
affects the polymeric silicon rubber materials/insulators in two ways. Firstly, the loss of
hydrophobicity causes reduction in electrical insulation and pollution withstands performance.
Secondly, it also prominently influences the aging process of SIR insulators. For polymeric insulators
operating in polluted condition, hydrophobicity can be determined by two types of measurements:
static hydrophobicity measurement and dynamic hydrophobicity measurement.
Static hydrophobicity means hydrophobicity of raw material or hydrophobicity of material
under normal constant magnitude of stresses. The dynamic hydrophobicity measurement involves
monitoring of hydrophobicity transfer, loss, and recovery; mechanisms involved in parameters causing
these factors are not clear up to now. Therefore, quantitative measures to improve the design, selection,
and maintenance of operating Silicon Rubber insulators are not successful till now.
Many investigations are systematically attempting to study the actual hydrophobicity status of SIR
insulators in various polluted areas]; all of them have the aim to provide guidance to power companies
for the usage and maintenance of composite insulators in contaminated areas.
Results from various testing sites show that all insulators still preserve very good
hydrophobicity properties even after ten years operation in some heavily polluted areas. It is interesting
that a clear correlation exists between the deterioration of hydrophobicity and the local strengthening
of electric field.

2.4.Aging of Polymer Insulator

The major problem with polymer insulator is aging, which mainly these insulators suffer from
and this aging can take minor forms like chalking, crazing, and can take the most serious forms like
erosion or the complete failure of insulator can take place. Now what are the causes of aging of outdoor
insulators and specifically the silicon rubber or polymer insulators.
The classification of major contributor to aging of polymer insulator are electrical discharges and
environmental conditions and somehow these two factors work together and enhance each other in the
aging process. There are two forms of electrical discharge i.e. corona and dry band arcing and from
the environmental conditions the most severe are the UV and humidity.

10
 Fig.2.3:factors affecting aging

2.5. Environmental Impacts on Composite Insulator

2.5.1.Impact Of Ultraviolet Radiations (UV)
Ultraviolet is assumed as the most dangerous degrading factor since sunlight includes high
levels of ultraviolet emissions. Absorption of these emissions, especially for those climates that have
many hours of intense sunlight, can accelerate the rate of chemical and even mechanical defects in the
structure of the insulator.
Experiments show these defects are greatly intensified if the surface of SiR insulator is wet. Although
there are some visible signs of UV defects appear on the insulator surface such as whitening and
mechanical tracks, the most important weakness caused by UV is a decrease in hydrophobicity of the
surface which is likely to result in a high power fault even at the nominal voltage.
In general, when the surface hydrophobicity is diminished, the leakage Current (LC) on the
surface increases leading to a chemical process on the surface which eventually ends up with total
erosion of the surface. Erosion of the surface is itself a positive feedback to the decrease in
hydrophobicity. This process is called ageing of the SiR surface. The LC on the surface is composed
of Ohmic and capacitive components. In general, capacitive current which depends on the geometry
11
of the insulator and permittivity of the SiR can be magnified if the voltage encompasses high frequency
harmonics; otherwise, this component of the LC can be assumed constant. However, the resistive
component is strongly dependent on layers of contamination and/or erosion levels on the SiR surface.
In the previous researches, it has been assumed that if the LC is higher than a specific threshold, since
the distribution of the surface current density is not even, a specific path is heated and dried. This path
is the main reason of forming and expanding the electrical arc. Our experiments reveal that with
increasing the magnitude of applied voltage, the 3rd harmonic of current increases. In the initial stages
of ageing, since the hydrophobicity is still high, the LC is relatively low.
However, after a while, when the ageing process reaches a critical point, water droplets join
due to electric forces and make a direct conducting path for the LC and decrease the surface resistance.
This situation is even worse under intense electric field when the probability of dry band arcing
increases. The arcing phenomenon is observed especially when the harmonic distortion of the voltage
is relatively high.

2.4:SEM micrographs for virgin and the aged sample in

Magnification of 2000×

To study various surfaces of the sample insulator, specimens were cut from the top sheds of
the insulators and analyzed by SEM in magnification of 2000×. The micrograph images of the virgin
and UV-aged samples are illustrated in Figure 3.2. It can be observed that surface of the virgin samples
is smooth and just distributed filler is apparent on it. These figures also reveal that UVC radiation just
slightly changes the surface and creates shallow cracks on it. However, loosely bound filler can be
12
clearly seen in UV aged samples. UVC radiation etched the silicone rubber around the filler particles
more than the bulk polymer.

2.5.2- Impact of Ice Accumulation on Composite Insulators

According to some studies, the flashover voltage of ice-covered composite insulators is lower than that of
ice-covered porcelain and glass insulator strings on the same operation voltage level under the same icing
condition. The main reason for this shortcoming is the effect of the insulator shape configuration. Compared with
the shapes of porcelain and glass insulator strings, the shed spacing of composite insulators is shorter which makes
the air gaps between adjacent sheds of a composite insulator easy to be bridged. As the air gaps are bridged, the
total leakage distance decreases, leading to a lower flashover voltage. Many studies show that CF (creepage factor)
is also an important factor influencing the electrical performance of composite insulators. A optimal CF should
be chosen when composite insulators are used in the icing districts.
The Chinese Electric Power Industry Standard suggests that CF should not be higher than 3.2 for
grade I (light) and grade II (medium) polluted regions and 3.5 for grade III (heavy) and grade IV (very heavy)
polluted regions. Some research shows that the optimal CF ranges from 3.2 to 3.4 based on experimental
studies on composite insulators with different salt deposits. many experiments were carried out with CFs of
composite insulators ranging from 2.87 to 3.94. The results showed that when the icing is light, the flashover
performance of composite insulators increases and then decreases with the increase of CF. When the icing is
moderate or heavy, there is no obvious relationship between flashover performance and CF. However, most
of these studies are based on de-energized conditions. There are few studies on flashover performance of
insulators energized at service. Therefore, it is meaningful to study the flashover performance and icing
characteristic of energized composite insulators with AC service voltage under the icing condition.

13
 Fig.2.5: Energized & Denergized Iced insulators

As the insulators in service may be contaminated before icing, two methods are used to
simulate the icing process in laboratory. The first one is the solid layer method in which the insulator
is contaminated and dried before icing. The second one is the freezing water conductivity method in
which the insulator is cleaned before icing and then sprayed with water of equivalent conductivity as
compared with the first method. The equivalence relationship between the solid layer method and the
freezing water conductivity method in terms of impact on the flashover voltage of ice-covered
composite insulators. Figure 3.3 shows pictures of the insulators after icing.
2.5.3. Impact of Humidity
The surface resistivity of plastic insulators in humid environments is a property of much
practical concern. the low final surface resistivity observed such surfaces exposed to humidity is not
a characteristic of the adsorbed water film in equilibrium with that surface defined by the molecular
structure of the polymer. Some process or processes with a time constant much longer than that
required for formation of an equilibrium water film is involved. Such a process might lead to formation
of a more water susceptible surface, different from its pristine state. It might also lead to conduction
in layers below the surface not separable from surface conductivity. The volume conductivity
suggested in this last hypothesis is not probable. For one thing, volume conductivity measured normal
to the surfaces remained unchanged during the experiments, four to five decades higher and all

14
exposure times. For another, diffusion of water out of this volume should take about the same time as
diffusion in. Resistivity should therefore rise again in dry air at the same, slow rate it fell in wet. But
the rise is much more rapid.
Hydrolysis is a possible process leading to alteration of the surface to make it more susceptible
to water, e. g., by formation of hydroxyl and carboxyl groups. Such groups might also furnish ions to
increase conductivity. Three observations make this hypothesis improbable: Prolonged contact with
water (humidity) would be most effective in promoting hydrolysis but was not most effective in
causing a drop in surface resistivity. Some of the polymers examined were much more resistant to
hydrolysis than others for example epoxies-but not more resistant to resistivity degradation; and
silicones hydrolyze relatively easily yet may maintain high resistivity in the wet ambient.
This leaves only one process generally applicable to all polymer surfaces and aptly explaining the
observations: Oxidation. Reaction with oxygen of any molecular structure usually produces a more
polar and hence more wettable product. Thermal degradation data show that most polymers degrade
oxidatively several hundredvto several thousand times more rapidly than thermally (in absence of
oxygen). The exceptions to this are the very polymers found most resistant to degradation of surface
resistivity, the silicones and fluorocarbons. Also, the conditions or manipulations found to cause a
drop in resistivity-such as heating to dry-are also most apt to cause oxidation. Moreover oxidative
surface changes would be permanent, as observed, whereas hydrolytic changes might be reversed by
heating.

2.6.Electrical Stresses on Composite insulator

2.6.1.Corona Issues Affecting Composite Line Insulators
Continuous corona activity from the metal end fittings can contain enough energy to directly
cause erosion on rubber as well as loss of galvanization on metal end fittings. On hydrophobic
insulators individual drops or relatively limited water patches can enhance localized E-field by a factor
of up to 12 due to the high permittivity of water (εr = 80). In the high E-field regions of the insulator,
this enhancement could result in corona activity from the edge of the water. Research suggests that it
is unlikely that water drop corona alone will result in significant degradation of the polymeric housing
since temperature increase due to this type of corona is minimal. There is, however, ample evidence
that the chemical by-products of corona – together with moisture – can result in serious material
degradation. In this respect, formation of nitric acid is considered important. For example, it has been

15
found that the pH on the surface of an insulator drops from an initial value of about 7 to 3.4 after only
about 15 minutes of corona activity on a wet insulator surface. Moreover, it has been found that some
formulations of silicone rubber can be particularly vulnerable to deterioration when exposed to nitric
acid.
Available evidence suggests that water drop corona can be just the initial phase of the
following, more severe, degradation mechanism that affects long-term insulator performance. Present
understanding of this process is as follows:
1. Water drop corona in the high E-field regions results in localized loss of hydrophobicity. Regions
affected have E-field magnitudes above the onset threshold for water drop corona.
2. Under wetting conditions, patches of surface water form in regions of lower hydrophobicity and are
separated by dry regions or ‘bands’.
3. Localized arcs form, bridging gaps between water patches.
4. The energy and temperature of these localized arcs are significantly higher than that of water drop
corona, further stressing the rubber.
5. With time, as affected regions lose hydrophobicity and completely wet out, E-field in the adjacent
regions is enhanced above the water drop corona onset threshold under wetting conditions.
6. The ageing mechanism is then initiated in previously unaffected regions. In this manner, affected
regions grow in size.
7. The by-products formed by corona in combination with water, notably nitric acid, can be aggressive
on the housing, resulting in cracks or corrosion of end fittings.

Fig.2.6:Water induced corona activity (left) and resulting loss of hydrophobicity on

hydrophobic composite insulator.

16
 Sufficiently high E-field magnitudes can lead to discharge activity within any internal defects,
e.g. voids, inclusions ot poor bonding between sheath and core. This, in turn, could eventually lead to
insulator failure either by destruction of the rod from discharge activity or by ‘flashunder’.

Fig.2.7:Examples of insulators that failed due to destruction of rod by discharge activity (left)
and flashunder.
Research has shown that not all insulators are equally affected by high electric fields. Important factors
that influence the rate and level of degradation include:
• Type of rubber and design of the weathershed system;
• Design of end fitting seal;
• Level, location and type of discharge activity, which is determined to a large extent by E-field along the
insulator, type and intensity of wetting, presence of contaminants and level of hydrophobicity of
material.

3.2.2-Dry Band Arcing

Dry-band arcing provides high heat energy to insulator surfaces and is different from corona
discharges. Continuous dry-band arcing that occurs during the loss of the hydrophobicity is capable
of decomposing polymeric materials, which results in tracking and erosion. Moreover, dry-band arcing
is responsible for a decline in the recovery speed of the hydrophobicity because it removes volatile
LMW chains of low molecular units (silicone oligomers) due to its heat energy There are reports
simulating the temperature on the insulator surface at different leakage current levels.

17
 Fig.2.8:formation of dry band arc

When the surface of polymer insulator is wet and as it is used for high voltage insulation purpose the other side of
insulator will be grounded a leakage current flows on the the surface of insulator due to the patching of water droplets and
making the insulator loose its hydrophobicity and becoming hydrophilic. The leakage current is sinusoidal and not really
damaging however the density of this current is not uniform over the surface of insulator. so, in certain areas it has high
dense leakage current and low in some areas . now these high leakage current will cause joule heating which will cause
evaporation of water droplets and we will have dry band. There will be very high electrical stress over the dry band and there
will be arc formed on the dry surface and that’s why it is called dry band arcing.

18
 Fig.2.9:dry band arcing support to aging

Dry band arcing will cause heat on the insulator surface which will cause thermal degradation
or depolarization of material which will mainly cause erosion on the insulator surface. Also due to the
arcing nature a UV discharge coming out can damage the chain scissions of the polymer backbone and
finally there will be ozone coming out which will do some oxidative reactions and all the three factors
will work together in aging process of polymer insulator.

19
 Chapter 3
Experimental Setup
3.1. Arrangement and Block Diagram
Fig.4.1 and 4.2 show the schematic and arrangement of the experimental setup. A specially
fabricated aging chamber of 2.5 x 2.5 x 2.5 ft with arrangement for high voltage (HV) connection and
leakage current (LC) measurement is made. In addition, the chamber is designed to accommodate UV
lamps, heater and humidifier to produce multiple environmental stresses simultaneously.

Fig.3.1:Schematic of the Experimental Arrangement

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 Fig.3.2:Experimental arrangement for multi-stress studies
1:230 Volt, 50 Hz Supply, 2: 400 Volt, 50 Hz Supply, 3: HVAC source, 4: HVAC control
panel, 5: High Voltage probe, 6: Current limiting resistor 15 k_, 500 W, 7: High Voltage bushing, 8:
Aging Chamber, 9: UV protected glass, 10: Shunt box, 11: NI cDAQ for LC measurement, 12: Digital
Oscilloscope, 13: Climate chamber control panel, 14: NI cDAQ data acquisition in LabVIEW
environment.
Solar radiation was simulated using 15 W UV lamps, to get effective UV irradiance of 1 W/m².
The test chamber is integrated with control panel equipped with digital preset timers and controllers
to control the applied parameters. Input supply is 230Vrms, 50 Hz to the aging chamber and control
panel.The 30 kVA HVAC source with output voltage is provided by an input of 400 V rms, 50 Hz
supply. Over voltage and over current protection is provided for safety. Shunt box with a resistance of
10 k_ is used to measure the LC at the ground side by tapping the voltage across it. Source voltage
and LC are monitored using RIGOL make digital storage oscilloscope DS1102E (100 MHz, 1 GSa/s).

3.1.1. Samples Used

Fig.4.3 shows full scale and flat slab samples used for experimentation. Flat slabs of dimension
140 mm x 140 mm x 2 mm and distribution class full scale HTV SIR Insulator samples of creepage
length 347 mm used are provided by the manufacturer. Three samples of each were placed in the
climate chamber for experimentation. Each sample is cleaned with cleaning agent (propanol) and dried
in normal air for atleast 3h , to prevent pre-contamination.

21
 Fig.3.3:(a) Full scale (b) 2 mm thick flat slab
3.1.2. Selection of Applied Parameters
Fig.4.4. represents adopted Multistress cycle for 1000h duration, two applied stresses
(humidity temperature) were continuously on for 24h cycle with electrical stress, UV was on for 12
hours and off for the same period as per IEC 62730.
The applied electric stress levels are arrived as per IEC/TR 62730 . Full scale HTV SIR samples are
stressed with 10.0 kV rms AC voltage using factor of 34.6 mm/kV based on
creepage length. The temperature and humidity profile of the country was obtained from [20] and 40%
RH and temperature 0 to 2_C was adopted for the study.

Fig.3.4:Multistress Aging Cycle

3.2.Results and Discussions

3.2.1.Wettability Class Measurement
Wettability class measurements are conducted at regular intervals by spray method as per IEC
TS 62073. Fig.4.5 shows wettability measurements conducted at different period of time to observe

22
the changes. The results obtained are compaired with the standards. It is noticed that there is change
from WC1 to WC2 in the contact angle of water droplets during the period of 1000 hrs of experiment.
This may be due to effect of UV (breaking of CH3 bond) and presence of OH bond on the surface.
FTIR also confirms the same observation.

Fig.3.5:(a)WC of fresh sample, (b)WC of sample after 150hrs, (c)after 500 hrs, (d) after
1000hrs.
3.2.2.Tensile Strength Measurement
The tensile strength measurements for analyzing the effect of low temperature on polymer
insulator are conducted. Stress strain measurements were performed using INSTRON 5967 Universal
Testing Machine (UTM). Fig. 4.6, establishes the elongation break of treated samples is lower then
the fresh samples, this is due to the stiffness of material as it was exposed for low tempreature.

Fig.3.6:Tensile strength results(Elongation break)

23
3.2.3. Leakage Current Measurement
Leakage current for full samples is measured at regular intervals for entire period of 1000 hrs
experiment, FFT (fast Fourier transform) of the leakage current wave form clearly shows the absence
of third and fifth harmonics that gives the indication about absence of the discharge activities.
Fundamental component was the dominating frequency as shown in Fig.4.7 the average curve fitting
is shown in Fig.4.8. It is observed from the figure that LC shows no significant change in the current
value over the experimental duration.

Fig.3.7:FFT of leakage current at 350th hour

Fig.3.8:-Variation in leakage current rms values

24
3.2.4. Scanning electron Microscope (SEM)
Fig.4.9 presents SEM pictures of (a) fresh sample (b) aged sample. SEM analysis is essential
morphological study to detect the surface roughness of insulating material. SEM studies are conducted
using FEI make ESEM QUANTA 200.Comparing fresh sample with aged sample shows that
degradation has taken place in top layer of the insulator that might be due to the effct of UV radiation.

Fig.3.9:(a) Fresh sample, (b) Aged sample(SEM)

3.2.5. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR)
FTIR is conducted using Perkin Elmer spectrometer. Scanning is done from wave number 4000
cm-1 to 400 cm-1. By observing the shifts in transmittance peaks, we can conclude that breaking or
formation of bonds with respect to particular wavenumber is the result of surface degradation on the
composite insulator. Fig.4.10 represents the % transmittance where comparison of fresh sample and
aged sample. The peak in the range of wavenumber from 3200 to 3700 implies loss of ATH( aluminum
tetra hydrate), a minor difference is noticed for fresh and aged samples so no loss of ATH. Peak shift
in the 1400 to 1600 wavenumber represent bending vibrational mode of the CH3 bond.

Fig.3.10:FTIR of fresh and aged samples

25
3.2.6. Energy Dispersive X-Ray Analysis
EDAX analysis depicts elemental composition on the material on the surface which might have
surfaced due to various physical and chemical reactions. Fig. 11 shows reduction in peaks indicating
loss of particular compound which was present in the polymer matrix. Comparison of fresh sample
and treated sample indicate reduction of peaks is very small, shows the intensity of the surface
phenomenon was not dominating. Red peak indicates fresh sample and black peak is of the treated
sample these peaks are almost overlapping.

Fig.3.11:EDAX comparing fresh and treated sample

26
 Chapter 4
4.1.Advantages of Polymer Insulators
1. It is very lightweight compared to porcelain and glass insulator.
2. As the composite insulator is flexible the chance of breakage becomes minimum.
3. Because of lighter in weight and smaller in size, this insulator has lower installation costs.
4. It has a higher tensile strength compared to a porcelain insulator.
5. Its performance is better, particularly in polluted areas.
6. Due to lighter weight polymer insulator imposes less load to the supporting structure.
7. Less cleaning is required due to the hydrophobic nature of the insulator.
4.2.Disadvantages of Polymer Insulators
1. Moisture may enter in the core if there is any unwanted gap between core and weather sheds.
This may cause the electrical failure of the insulator.
2. Over crimping in end fittings may result in cracks in the core which leads to mechanical
failure of polymer insulator.

4.3.Applications of Polymer Insulators

Composite insulastors are particularly suitable for
 Dirty areas
 High mechanical tensile loads
 Large spans and
 Compact lines

27
Conclusion
This report gives the information about effects of atmospheric conditions on High voltage
composite insulators. The study shows slight reduction in the elongation at failure of silicone rubber
due to the effect of low temperature. No major changes were observed in LC measurement for 1000
hours. A slight decrease in hydrophobicity was observed on the surface of polymer insulator. EDAX
measurements have shown minor changes in elemental composition on the surface. SEM analysis
indicated partial surface degradation of the material.

28
References
[1] R. Hackam, "Outdoor HV Composite Polymeric Insulator", IEEE Trans. Dielectr. Electr. Insul.
vol.6, no.5, pp.557-585, 1999.
[2] N. Yoshimura, S. Kumagai. “Electrical and Environmental Aging of Silicone Rubber Used in
Outdoor Insulation”, IEEE Transactions on Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation Vol. 6 No. 5, October
1999
[3] Raji Sundararajan, Chad Pelletier, Roger Chapman, “Multistress aging of polymeric insulators”,
2000 Conference on Electrical Insulation and Dielectric Phenomena,Texas,U.S.A
[4] Khan.Y,“Degradation of Hydrophobic Properties of Composite Insulators in Simulated Arid
Desert Environment”, International Journal of Engineering & Technology Vol:10, PP-64-68, 2010.
[5] Mohammad Amin “Aging of polymer insulators an overview”, rev. Adv Mater.Sci 13(2006) 93-
116
[6] M.A.Rizk, “Effect of desert environment on electrical performance of silicone rubber
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[7] Masoud Farzaneh, William A Chisholm, insulators for icing and polluted environment 10 Nov
2009.
[8] M. A. R. M. Fernando, “Ageing of Silicone Rubber Insulators in Coastaland Inland Tropical
Environment”, IEEE Transactions on Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation Vol. 17, No. 2; April 2010
[9] Brian Keane Member, IEEE Eaton “Electrical equipment in cold weather applications”, White
Paper WP083007EN IEEE October 2013.
[10] “HV polymeric insulators for indoor and outdoor use tracking and erosion testing by wheel test
and 5000h test” IEC/TR 62730 2012-03.
[11] B. Ma, J. Andersson and S. M. Gubanski “Evaluating Resistance of Polymeric Materials for
Outdoor Applications to Corona and Ozone”,Transaction on dielectrics and electrical insulation 2010

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