Electric field distribution along the surface of cap and pin glass insulators covered with contamination layers

Abstract

Knowledge of the electric field distribution can deepen the understanding of the flashover behavior of outdoor insulators. Many factors contributed to the profile of the electric fields such as the geometry of the insulators, dielectric properties and environmental conditions. This project investigates the electric field distribution along the surface of cap and pin glass insulators and its enhancement due to contamination particles or elements by means of computational simulations and laboratory experiments. Different levels of contamination that affecting the electric field distribution was analyzed through finite element method simulation by using Quick Field software. The insulator surface is simulated for dry conditions as well as its changes under wet conditions. To find the influence of the contamination layers on the potential and electric field distribution, various levels of the ESDD of the insulators were applied in the study. In addition, the laboratory experiments were conducted for measuring voltage distribution along the insulators and leakage current in order to correlate the results from the simulation findings.