An experimental study of the flashover performances of outdoor high-voltage polymeric insulators under fan-shaped pollution and dry band location

• Published in: Electrical engineering Vol. 107; no. 5; pp. 5719 - 5735
• Main Authors: Kumar, K., Maheswari, R. V.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.05.2025; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Economics and Management; Electrical Engineering; Electrical Machines and Networks; Energy Policy; Engineering; Flashover; High voltages; Insulators; Line voltage; Original Paper; Pollution; Power Electronics; Research projects; Transmission lines; Flashover voltage test; Dry band; Polluted insulators; Fan-shaped pollution; Even rising method; Solid layer method
• ISSN: 0948-7921; 1432-0487
• DOI: 10.1007/s00202-024-02825-7

The rise in transmission line voltage has significantly raised the importance of insulator contamination studies to understand the physical principles governing this occurrence and to ascertain the flashover behaviour of contaminated high-voltage insulators. An essential factor influencing the performance and reliability of electrical transmission networks is the pollution of the insulators, which is considered as the most essential component of the flashover phenomena. The implications of the flashover phenomena on polymeric insulators performance used in transmission lines have been the subject of significant experimental research projects. The objective of this work is to address this research gap by creating a reliable, laboratory-based artificial pollution testing technique developed specifically for high-voltage polymeric insulators. The flashover phenomenon, the maximum degree of pollution that could be withstand, the effects of fan-shaped pollution, the influence of orientation angle, and the impact of flashover voltage on dry band position were all the subjects of investigation. The test findings showed that the flashover voltage varies with the position of the dry band, and the orientation angle has little effect on the insulator’s ability to flash over in dry circumstances. The insulators functioned better when tilted under damp conditions. An inverse relationship was found between the voltage at flashover and time, and an inverse relationship was found between the pollution severity and the time to flashover .