Conference Record of the 1994 IEEE Intemational Symposium on Electrical Insulation, Pittsburgh, PA USA, June 5-8, 1994

LEAKAGE CURRENT AND PERFORMANCE OF SILICONE

RUBBER INSULATORS DURING SALT-STORMS

A.E. Vlastds and T. Sorqvist

Chalmers University of Technology
S-412 96 Gothenburg, Sweden
Abstract - The leakage current and the performance of
silicone rubber insulators during a salt-storm were
studied at the Anneberg research station. A relative
comparison of leakage current data was made for
insulators with leakage distance in accordance with valid
specifications and for insulators with shorter leakage
distance i.e. higher electric stress. The data show that a
high voltage AC or DC insulator, with silicone rubber
surface and leakage distance in accordance with valid
specifications, maintains low leakage currents under
severe salt-storm conditions experienced on the Swedish
west coast. However, a silicone rubber insulator with a
much shorter leakage distance may show high leakage
currents.

the leakage currents of insulators with leakage distance

in accordance with valid specifications and of insulators
with a shorter leakage distance was made.

AC insulator

Kevwords: Silicone rubber insulator, leakage current,

electric stress, HVAC, HVDC.

Leakagedistance

3590

3927

2244

2032

3822

15+14

42

24

10

27

45

45

75

21

Sheddiameter
170
(large/small) (mm) /130

97

97

130

133

DC insulator

Leakagedistance

7350

7293

4902

7272

Numberofsheds

46

78

25

50

Distancebetween
sheds (mm)

55

45

75

26

Shed diameter

170

97

130

133

F.XPERLMENTBL D A T h W W U U U S
Silicone rubber insulator data
The insulators in this paper have the following data:

("1
Numberofsheds
(large+small9

INTRODUCTION
To study the behavior and stability of silicone rubber
transmission line insulators under pollution conditions
the High Voltage Engineering Department at Chalmers
University of Technology in Sweden has established a
test station in Anneberg on the Swedish west coast. The
study involves a large number of transmission line
silicone rubber insulators energized with high DC
voltage (+300kV pole to ground) and high AC voltage
(130 kVrms phase to ground) corresponding to 220 kV
system voltage. Today there are ten types of silicone
rubber insulators on the DC side and eleven on the AC
side.

Distance between
sheds (mm)

35

1"(

An essential parameter describing the insulator surface

conditions is the leakage current of the insulator.
Therefore, in order to understand the performance and
stability of silicone rubber insulators it is necessary to
monitor the leakage current of the insulators under
different climatic and pollution conditions over a long
period. Previous results [ l ] have shown that silicone
rubber insulators with a leakage distance in accordance
with valid specifications maintain a low leakage current
after several years in test under the severe salt-storm
conditions experienced on the Swedish west coast.

(")

Insulators A, B and C on the AC side and insulators A

and B on the DC side come from one manufacturer.
Insulators D and E on the AC and DC sides,
respectively, come from another manufacturer.
On the AC side insulators A and B have similar leakage
distances but different designs. Insulator C has a design
identical with that of insulator B but it has a much
shorter leakage distance. Insulators D and E have almost
the same shed diameter but the distance beteween the
sheds of insulator D is greater and its leakage distance is
shorter.

In order to tell how a shorter leakage distance, i.e. a

higher electric stress, affects the leakage currents under
severe salt-storm conditions, a relative comparison of
530

hmA)
10

:._....

.............

....................................

...

,...

..

...

....................................

......

01
18

19

20

21

22

18

19

20

21

Figure 3. Leakage current peak values of the silicone

rubber insulator C on the AC side during the salt-storm
on January 18-23, 1993 (130 kVrms, leakage distance
2244 mm energized in April 1991).

Figure 1. Leakage current peak values of the silicone

rubber insulator A on the AC side during the salt-storm
on January 18-23, 1993 (130 kVrms, leakage dista e
3590 mm, energized in December 1987).
I(d)
5

figures it can be seen that the capacitive current due to

the altemating current is in the order of tenths of a mA.
On January 23 one of the EPDM insulators included in
the test flashed over and the AC side was deenergized. In
figures 1 and 2 the current peaks due to this flashover
can be distinguished clearly.

Figure 3 shows the peak values of the leakage current of

the insulator C during the same period. Insulators B and
C have the same design but insulator C is shorter and has
a shorter leakage distance. The current peaks of
insulator C reached values up to about 30 mA. The
insulator showed dry banding and partial arcing. The
leakage distance of insulator C is about 60% of that of
insulator B.

0
18

19

20

21

22

23

Figures 4 and 5 show the peak values of the leakage

current of the insulators D and E, respectively.
Insulators D and E have about the same shed diameter
and length but different distance between their sheds.
The leakage current peaks of the insulator D reached
values exceeding 90 mA while the leakage current peaks
of the insulator E were about 2 mA. The leakage
distance of insulator D is roughly half as that of
insulator E.

nme(days)

Figure 2. Leakage current peak values of the silicone

rubber insulator B on the AC side during the salt-storm
on January 18-23, 1993 (130 kVrms, leakage distance
3927 mm, energized in April 1990).

A C l e W e c u r ren t d a a
DC leakage cu rrent d a

Figures 1 and 2 show the peak values of the leakage

current of the insulators A and B, respectively, during a
salt-storm 18-23 January, 1993. Insulators A and B have
similar leakage distances but different designs. The
leakage current peaks do not exceed one mA. From the

Figures-6 and 7 show the peak values of the leakage

current of the insulators A and B on the DC side,
respectively. Insulators A and B have similar leakage

531

I(W
90

75

60

45
...................................................

30
.............,

15

16

19

20

21

22

ia

23

19

20

21

23

22

llme(days)

nmecdays)

Figure 6. Leakage current peak values of the silicone

rubber insulator A on the DC side during the salt-storm
on January 18-23, 1993 (+300 kV DC, leakage distance
7350 mm, energized in December 1987).

Figure 4. Leakage current peak values of the silicone

rubber insulator D on the AC side during the salt-storm
on January 18-23, 1993 (130kVrms, leakage distance
2032 mm, energized in April 1990).
I(W
5

3.

I/

0
18

-'

19

20

21

22

0
18

23

Tlme(days)

19

20

21

Tlme(days)

Figure 5. Leakage current peak values of the silicone

rubber insulator E on the AC side during the salt-storm
on January 18-23, 1993 (1 30 kVrms, leakage distance
3822 mm, energized in October 1992).

Figure 7. Leakage current peak values of the silicone

rubber insulator B on the DC side during the salt-storm
on January 18-23, 1993 (+300 kV DC, leakage distance
1293 mm, energized in April 1990).

distances but different designs. The leakage current peak

values of the insulator A reached about 3 mA while the
leakage current peak values of the insulator B remained
below 1 mA. The current peaks, due to interference
from the neighbouring AC side, where an EPDM
insulator flashed over on January 23, can be noticed in
the plottings. The DC side was not appreciably

intluenced by the flashover on the AC side and remained

energized.
Figures 8 and 9 show finally the peak values of the
leakage current of the insulators D and E on the DC
side, respectively. Insulators D and E have about the
same shed diameter and length but different distances
532

SUMMARY AND DISCUSSION

There is a great number of laboratory work on the
behavior and performance of silicone rubber insulators,
however, our experience from field measurements
under controlled conditions is very limited [2-61.

10

19

20

21

22

The leakage currents monitored on silicone rubber

insulators from two manufacturers were analysed. A
comparison of the leakage currents for insulators with
similar leakage distances, in accordance with valid
specifications, shows that the insulators of both makes
both at the AC and DC sides showed low leakage
currents during the severe salt-storm conditions
experienced at the Anneberg field station in January
1993. However, the results obtained with insulators with
strongly reduced leakage distances show dry banding
and intensive arcing on the insulators. The lower leakage
currents on the highly stressed insulator D on the DC
side may partly be due to the fact that the DC insulators
are longer and have longer leakage distances. The results
obtained under realistic service conditions emphasize
that a good long-term performance of a silicone rubber
insulator in a salt-polluted environment can only be
achieved if both insulator material and design are
properly chosen.

23
Tlme(daya)

Figure 8. Leakage current peak values of the silicone

rubber insulator D on the DC side during the salt-storm
on January 18-23, 1993 (+300 kV DC, leakage distance
4903 mm, energized in April 1990).
I(W
5

REFERENCES
3

[ 11 A.E. Vlastbs, "Transmission Line Polymeric

Insulators Leakage Currents and Performance", CIGRE
1992 Session, paper 15-401, Aug. 1992.

[2] J. Kindersberger and M. Kuhl, "Effect of Hydrophobicity on Insulator Performance", Sixth Intemational Symposium on High Voltage Engineering, paper
12.01, August 28, 1989.

[3] H. Kamer, "Surface Discharges on Outdoor Polymeric Insulation", paper number 86 CH 1496-9, Proceedings of IEEE Electrical Insulation Symposium, 1986.

0
18

19

20

21

22

23
Tlme(day8)

[4] R.G. Houlgate and D.A. Swift, "Composite Rod

Insulators for AC Power Lines:Electrical Performance
of Various Designs at a Coastal Testing Station", Trans.
IEEE, Power Delivery, Vol. 5 , No. 4, pp 1944-1955,
Oct 1990.

Figure 9. Leakage current peak values of the silicone

rubber insulator E on the DC side during the salt-storm
on January 18-23, 1993 (+300 kV DC, leakage distance
7272 mm, energized in October 1992).

[5] R.S. Gorur, T. Orbeck, "Surface Dielectric Behavior of Polymeric Insulation under HV Outdoor
Conditions", IEEE Trans. Electrical Insulation, Vol. 26,
pp 1064-1072, 1991.

between their sheds. The leakage distance of insulator D

is roughly 70% of that of insulator E. The leakage
current peak values of the insulator D reached values up
to 25 mA. The lower leakage currents on the DC side
compared to those of insulator D on the AC side may be
due to the fact that the DC insulator is longer and has a
longer leakage distance.

[6] R.E. Carberry and H.M. Schneider, "Evaluation of

RTV Coating for Station Insulators Subjected to Coastal
Contamination", IEEE Trans. Power Delivery, Vol. 4,
No. 1, pp 577-585, Jan 1989.
533