| Performance of insulators is critical for uninterrupted power supply. Characterizing the flashover performance and the extent of aging is essential to assess insulator's condition. In this work the flashover performance of non-ceramic and ceramic insulators have been studied in depth using flashover and surface resistance experiments. Statistical techniques have been used to develop and validate models (using experimental data) to predict the flashover performance based on ESDD (Equivalent Salt Deposit Density), leakage distance for different materials. A theoretical model has been developed using simulations in electro to propose arc/reignition constants which are used for flashover modeling of non-ceramic insulators. The developed theoretical model is in good agreement with experimental results. Finally a correlation has been established between flashover voltage, degradation layer thickness, and surface resistance measurement; using this information, a threshold value of surface resistance and surface degradation is proposed. |
