The performance of high voltage; outdoor insulation in polluted environments

"An iron wire, 12000 feet in length, was suspended about five feet from the ground by silk cords; one end of it was connected to the globe of an electrical machine, and at the other a lead ball was hung in order to perceive when the matter reached it. After five or six turns of the wheel, the matter had passed along the whole wire and communicated its virtue to the ball, which instantly attracted and repelled light bodies. 2. As this ball was equally electrified with every part of the wire, it is probable that the electric matter would instantly pervade a wire of a still greater length, provided we had a proper apparatus for the purpose. 3. Several metals and other conductors were substituted in place of the ball, and all received the electricity in the same manner. The ball and touched with other non-conductors, :when' the finger, gave a luminous spark and as smart a shock as when the end of the wire next to 'the 'gTobe·vas touched. All these effects instantly ceased whenever .. any person not electrified touched any part of the wire and commenced again a few seconds after his hand was withdrawn. The same effects are produced, though with more difficultly, when hair or woollen ropes were substituted in place of the silk ones: But they were entirely stopped by hemp ropes or when the silk ones were wetted.

Humidification Degree Effect under Rain of Inclined Silicone Insulation on its Electric Performance

This investigation is focused on the effect of inclination angle with respect to the horizontal of a hydrophobic silicone insulation, on the rate of its creepage distance's wetting by natural rain. The constellation of rainwater drops obtained on the de-energized site is then reproduced in the laboratory, to quantify the effect of their volume on the humidification intensity of the inclined insulation's creepage distance, and therefore its electrical performance under different alternating voltage levels. For this purpose, two different experimental devices allowing the variation of the insulation's inclination angle were set-up. The first one is dedicated to the on-site display of silicone samples in natural rain. The second one allows the study of the applied voltage's effect on the wetting degree of the insulation's surface. All the performed tests were supported by camera visualization. On-site measurement results show a decline in the length of the creepage distance of the natural rain-wetted insulation with increasing its inclination angle. Laboratory results also show a decrease in the size of the insulation's wet surface with increasing its inclination angle. These two characteristics reveal two different intervals of critical inclination angles of the insulation, unfavorable and favorable, for the dimensioning of the insulators' sheds corresponding respectively to their minimum and maximum electrical performance

Parametric and nonparametric identification of shell and tube heat exchanger mathematical model

Parametric and nonparametric models of a shell and tube heat exchanger are studied. Such models are very important because they provide information about controlling a system operation. Without the model, the control task would be difficult for tuning of controller. For many years, researchers have studied these models; however, their models are still less satisfactory since they are not in general form. This problem is caused by two key issues, namely, multiple unknown parameters and highly nonlinear structures. Energy balances have been set-up for condition of unknown parameters which involved, among others, temperature, flow rate, density and heat capacity. The identification process produces a dynamic model of the heat exchanger which is developed based on a lumped parameter system. The model developed is single input single output whereas input signal is hot water flow rate and the output is cold water temperature. The general form of the model obtained could have parametric model structures such as auto regressive with external input, average auto regressive moves with external input, output error or box-jenkins. The study in this thesis aims to solve the general form through parametric and nonparametric models which has been proposed as candidate models. Both candidate models have been implemented and tested by applying several data sets constructed in lab experiments. The first finding is the derivation of the dynamic model in the general form of the transfer function in s domain, and it has been proven that it has parametric model structure. The second finding is the first order without delay time transfer function of the nonparametric model where they have gain is 35.20C and time constant 7200s. These have proven to fulfill that the measured experimental data contains calculated error that is no than more 2%. The third finding is the parametric model obtained has proven that the measured experimental data contains calculated error level that is very satisfactory, i.e. less than 1%. This error has been determined based on the final prediction error for each model structure used. The best model has been chosen, i.e. bj31131. It has the smallest values of the loss function and final prediction error of 0.0023, and it has high values of the best fits, i.e. 96.84%. Parameter optimization has been calculated to determine minimization or maximization of functions which involved the parameter studied. It is used to find a set of design parameters that can in some way be defined as optimal. The first until the third findings are minor contribution while the parameter optimization has been a major contribution

Comparative laboratory performance characterisation of silicone rubber textured insulators

Silicone rubber (SiR) outdoor insulators are increasingly being deployed in new AC and DC high voltage transmission systems thanks to their superior performance in wet-polluted conditions compared to traditional porcelain and glass insulators. However, in severely polluted environments, sustained discharge activities and dry band arcing due to surface contamination cause tracking, erosion, and the loss of hydrophobicity on the SiR insulator surface. This degradation can accelerate damage to the insulator surfaces, increasing the probability of a flashover and enduring insulator failure. This thesis presents an experimental study on the electric performance of polluted and aged outdoor SiR polymeric insulators using AC and DC voltages. The research involved an extensive review of the published literature and an investigation of the performance of SiR insulators subjected to different ambient conditions and identifies the modes where most failure and degradation occurred on SiR surfaces. Experimental investigations were carried out to compare the aging performance of two 11kV SiR insulator designs using a rotating wheel dip test under AC and positive DC excitations. A standard polymeric insulator design was used and compared with insulators that had a textured surface. Both insulator designs were fabricated in-house using a vacuum casting machine. Several electrical parameters were measured during the test to characterise the performance of each insulator. Dry band arcing activities were mainly observed on the trunk surface of the conventional profile. A decrease in hydrophobicity was measured on the tested surfaces, and tracking and erosion defects were also observed on both insulator designs. Leakage current measurements showed that drying and discharge activity was greater for a conventional insulator compared with the textured insulator, and more severe degradation appeared under positive DC tests than under AC. These studies showed that insulators with a textured design can improve the performance of SiR insulators against tracking and erosion under AC and positive DC excitations. The electric field and potential distributions along the leakage surface of the 11 kV SiR insulators under dry clean and wet polluted conditions were studied using finite element method COMSOL Multiphysics. The critical of high field regions on SiR surfaces were identified and the power dissipated in the pollution layer along insulator surface was calculated. This study showed useful information about surface heating, which could be used to predict of the formation of dry bands. An investigation of the pollution layer characterisation on conventional and textured pattern designs is described. Several tests were conducted to evaluate the behaviour of the insulator surfaces under different conditions. ESDD and NSDD parameters were measured for different materials, and evaluations for each design were also performed. Leakage conductance measurements on surface designs were determined, and the distribution trends of surface conductance were also characterised. Different rectangular SiR samples were assessed, and an improvement for reducing the pollutant deposition on textured surfaces was observed. In 4-shed insulators, the textured design showed comparable ESDD value with conventional profile. Textured designs also showed slower growth of the leakage current than the conventional design. Clean fog tests (based on a high voltage ramp test) were carried out to investigate the flashover performance of conventional and textured insulator designs. For different ranges of wetting and pollution severity conditions, the textured design showed an improvement in the flashover performance that could reach 16 % compared to the conventional surface. This indicates that the textured surface seems to be more effective under severe ambient conditions. It was also observed that the textured insulator design can improve the electrical performance of SiR insulators under AC and DC voltages

Outdoor Insulation and Gas Insulated Switchgears

This book focuses on theoretical and practical developments in the performance of high-voltage transmission line against atmospheric pollution and icing. Modifications using suitable fillers are also pinpointed to improve silicone rubber insulation materials. Very fast transient overvoltage (VFTO) mitigation techniques, along with some suggestions for reliable partial discharge measurements under DC voltage stresses inside gas-insulated switchgears, are addressed. The application of an inductor-based filter for the protective performance of surge arresters against indirect lightning strikes is also discussed

An evaluation of different material line insulators under high voltage AC and bipolar DC excitation in a marine polluted environment

Thesis (MScEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2012.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The worldwide increase in the popularity of high voltage direct current (HVDC) power transmission application has led to questions regarding the performance of high voltage alternating current (HVAC) insulators when energized under HVDC excitation. These questions have led researchers conduct numerous research projects worldwide. A particular question NamPower (the power utility in Namibia) has faced is: how do these insulators perform and age when energized under HVDC excitation in heavily polluted environments? This question was only partly answered by some insulator ageing tests conducted under laboratory conditions for HVDC excitation. However, the natural ageing tests on insulators, which are preferred, have to date been confined predominantly to HVAC excitation voltages. Thus, this research was initiated to investigate the natural ageing performance of insulators under both HVAC and HVDC excitations, when subjected to harsh marine pollution environments. This research project involved performance and ageing tests on three identical sets of line insulators made from different insulator materials, energised under HVAC and both polarities HVDC excitations respectively. The tests were conducted at Koeberg insulator pollution test station (KIPTS), which is a natural marine pollution insulator test station located near Cape Town, along the west coast of South Africa, approximately 50 m from the sea. The set of insulators consisted of EPDM silicone alloy rubber, HTV silicone rubber, RTV silicone rubber coated porcelain, Porcelain and Glass insulators. The HVAC excitation voltage was chosen as 12.7 kV r.m.s. phase-to-ground and it was decided to use a HVDC excitation voltage equal to this value. The research results showed that the insulators made from HTV silicone rubber performed better than the insulators made from EPDM silicone alloy rubber under all excitation voltages. It is also showed that RTV silicone rubber coated porcelain insulators performed better than Glass and Porcelain insulators under all excitation voltages.AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die wêreld wye toename in gewildheid van hoë spanning gelyk stroom (HSGS) krag transmisie aplikasie het gelei na vrae oor die effektieweteit van hoë spanning wissel stroom (HSWS) insolators in HSGS aplikasies. Hierdie vrae het gelei na baie navorsings projekte. Een vraag waarmee NamPower (die krag voorsienings maatskapy in Namibia) gekonfronteer was, was hoe gaan die insolators wat onderworpe is aan ’n HSGS toevoer reageer in ’n baie besoedelde omgewing. Hierdie vraag was slegs gedeeltelik beantwoord deur verouderings toetse op insolators wat gedoen is in ’n labaratorium met ’n HSGS toevoer. Inteendeel, die meeste natuurlike verouderings toetse op insolators, soos verkies, is meestal gedoen met ’n HSWS toevoer. Om hierdie rede was hierdie navorsing begin om natuurlike verouderings toetse te doen op insolators onderworpe beide aan HSWS en HSGS toevoere binne ’n marien besoedelde omgewing. Hierdie navorsings projek gaan oor prestering en verouderings toetse op drie, identiese, transmissie lyn insolator stelle, wat onderskeidelik onderworpe was aan HSWS en beide polariteite HSGS toevoere. Die toetse was gedoen by Koeberg insolator besoedeling toets stasie (KIBTS) wat naby Kaapstad geleë is langs die weskus van Suid Africa omtrent 50 m van die see. ’n Stel toets insolators bestaan uit EPDM silikon allooi rubber, HTV silikon rubber, RTV silikon rubber bedekte porselein, Porselein en Glas insolators. Die HSWS waarde waarmee die insolators getoets was, was 12.7 kV w.g.k., fase-na-grond, en dit was besluit om ’n HSGS waarde gelyk aan hierdie spannings waarde te gebruik. Die navorsings resultate wys dat insolators wat gemaak is met HTV silikon rubber presteer beter as insolators wat met EPDM silikon allooi rubber gemaak is onder al die verskillende toevoere. Dit wys ook dat RTV silikon rubber bedekte porselein presteer beter as Porselein en Glas insolators onder al die verskillende toevoere

An evaluation of different material line insulators under high voltage AC and bipolar DC excitation in a marine polluted environment

Thesis (MScEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2012.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The worldwide increase in the popularity of high voltage direct current (HVDC) power transmission application has led to questions regarding the performance of high voltage alternating current (HVAC) insulators when energized under HVDC excitation. These questions have led researchers conduct numerous research projects worldwide. A particular question NamPower (the power utility in Namibia) has faced is: how do these insulators perform and age when energized under HVDC excitation in heavily polluted environments? This question was only partly answered by some insulator ageing tests conducted under laboratory conditions for HVDC excitation. However, the natural ageing tests on insulators, which are preferred, have to date been confined predominantly to HVAC excitation voltages. Thus, this research was initiated to investigate the natural ageing performance of insulators under both HVAC and HVDC excitations, when subjected to harsh marine pollution environments. This research project involved performance and ageing tests on three identical sets of line insulators made from different insulator materials, energised under HVAC and both polarities HVDC excitations respectively. The tests were conducted at Koeberg insulator pollution test station (KIPTS), which is a natural marine pollution insulator test station located near Cape Town, along the west coast of South Africa, approximately 50 m from the sea. The set of insulators consisted of EPDM silicone alloy rubber, HTV silicone rubber, RTV silicone rubber coated porcelain, Porcelain and Glass insulators. The HVAC excitation voltage was chosen as 12.7 kV r.m.s. phase-to-ground and it was decided to use a HVDC excitation voltage equal to this value. The research results showed that the insulators made from HTV silicone rubber performed better than the insulators made from EPDM silicone alloy rubber under all excitation voltages. It is also showed that RTV silicone rubber coated porcelain insulators performed better than Glass and Porcelain insulators under all excitation voltages.AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die wêreld wye toename in gewildheid van hoë spanning gelyk stroom (HSGS) krag transmisie aplikasie het gelei na vrae oor die effektieweteit van hoë spanning wissel stroom (HSWS) insolators in HSGS aplikasies. Hierdie vrae het gelei na baie navorsings projekte. Een vraag waarmee NamPower (die krag voorsienings maatskapy in Namibia) gekonfronteer was, was hoe gaan die insolators wat onderworpe is aan ’n HSGS toevoer reageer in ’n baie besoedelde omgewing. Hierdie vraag was slegs gedeeltelik beantwoord deur verouderings toetse op insolators wat gedoen is in ’n labaratorium met ’n HSGS toevoer. Inteendeel, die meeste natuurlike verouderings toetse op insolators, soos verkies, is meestal gedoen met ’n HSWS toevoer. Om hierdie rede was hierdie navorsing begin om natuurlike verouderings toetse te doen op insolators onderworpe beide aan HSWS en HSGS toevoere binne ’n marien besoedelde omgewing. Hierdie navorsings projek gaan oor prestering en verouderings toetse op drie, identiese, transmissie lyn insolator stelle, wat onderskeidelik onderworpe was aan HSWS en beide polariteite HSGS toevoere. Die toetse was gedoen by Koeberg insolator besoedeling toets stasie (KIBTS) wat naby Kaapstad geleë is langs die weskus van Suid Africa omtrent 50 m van die see. ’n Stel toets insolators bestaan uit EPDM silikon allooi rubber, HTV silikon rubber, RTV silikon rubber bedekte porselein, Porselein en Glas insolators. Die HSWS waarde waarmee die insolators getoets was, was 12.7 kV w.g.k., fase-na-grond, en dit was besluit om ’n HSGS waarde gelyk aan hierdie spannings waarde te gebruik. Die navorsings resultate wys dat insolators wat gemaak is met HTV silikon rubber presteer beter as insolators wat met EPDM silikon allooi rubber gemaak is onder al die verskillende toevoere. Dit wys ook dat RTV silikon rubber bedekte porselein presteer beter as Porselein en Glas insolators onder al die verskillende toevoere