Experimental Investigation and Pollution Contaminant Severity Analysis of Glass and Porcelain Insulators Under Controlled Conditions

The use of insulators in transmission and distribution is well known. However, they are subjected to various phenomena and get contaminated by multiple pollutants like moisture, sand, fog etc. This contamination leads the insulator not to function or perform as desired due to current leakages leading to flashover. The magnitude of Leakage Current (LC) and Flashover (FO) depends on the atmospheric conditions, system voltage level, and contamination severity. The severity of the eventual flashover is controlled by detecting the contamination level of wet bands on the insulators. The present work investigates the flashover voltages under controlled conditions on an 11 kV porcelain and glass insulator. Artificial pollutants such as kaolin and NaCl (Sodium Chloride), desert sand, ice and cement are used. The insulators are then tested in a high voltage test chamber according to the standards of IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) 60,507. The Leakage Current (LC) and ESDD (Equivalent Salt Deposit Density) are measured, and the pollution severity is determined by simulation and prediction using Artificial Neural Network (ANN). The results indicate that the glass insulators are less susceptible to contamination severity and flashover than porcelain insulators in all regions except the polar region.