abstract: This thesis concerns the flashover issue of the substation insulators operating in a polluted environment. The outdoor insulation equipment used in the power delivery infrastructure encounter different types of pollutants due to varied environmental conditions. Various methods have been developed by manufacturers and researchers to mitigate the flashover problem. The application of Room Temperature Vulcanized (RTV) silicone rubber is one such favorable method as it can be applied over the already installed units. Field experience has already showed that the RTV silicone rubber coated insulators have a lower flashover probability than the uncoated insulators. The scope of this research is to quantify the improvement in the flashover performance. Artificial contamination tests were carried on station post insulators for assessing their performance. A factorial experiment design was used to model the flashover performance. The formulation included the severity of contamination and leakage distance of the insulator samples. Regression analysis was used to develop a mathematical model from the data obtained from the experiments. The main conclusion drawn from the study is that the RTV coated insulators withstood much higher levels of contamination even when the coating had lost its hydrophobicity. This improvement in flashover performance was found to be in the range of 20-40%. A much better flashover performance was observed when the coating recovered its hydrophobicity. It was also seen that the adhesion of coating was excellent even after many tests which involved substantial discharge activity. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.S. Electrical Engineering 2013

abstract: This paper presents a theoretical model for evaluating flashover performance of insulators under contaminated conditions. The model introduces several new features when compared with existing models such as, the formation of dry bands, variations in insulator geometry and surface wettability. The electric field distribution obtained from software for 3-Dimensional models along with form factor are used to determine the dimensions of the dry bands and the onset of arcing. The model draws heavily from experimental measurements of flashover voltage and surface resistance under wet conditions of porcelain and composite insulators. The model illustrates the dominant role played by the insulator shape and housing material on the flashover performance. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.S. Electrical Engineering 2012

Cette thèse s’inscrit dans le cadre de l’amélioration du comportement électrique des isolateurs de lignes haute tension ; l’objectif est d’assurer une meilleure fiabilité et qualité d’alimentation en énergie électrique. Ce travail a été motivé par la nécessité de répondre à trois questions liées au comportement des isolateurs verre en zone polluée. La première porte sur la recherche d’une méthode permettant de calculer la tension de contournement des chaînes polluées selon le type d’isolateur et ses caractéristiques. La deuxième question concerne la différence de comportement entre les isolateurs en verre et les isolateurs en porcelaine de type « outerrib » ; ce type d’isolateurs présente une forme spécifique adaptée aux environnements à forte pollution. Les tensions de contournement ainsi que les trajectoires de l’arc sur les isolateurs en verre sont très différentes de celles observées avec les isolateurs en porcelaine. Et la troisième question est relative à la défaillance des isolateurs recouverts de silicone lors des essais en chocs (des impulsions de tension) à front raide. En effet, les isolateurs recouverts d’une couche de 0.3 mm (ou plus) de silicone hydrophobe explosent lorsqu’ils sont soumis à des impulsions de tension à front raide d’amplitude très élevée pendant un temps très court. Différents mécanismes pouvant être à l’origine de l’explosion/éclatement des isolateurs recouverts d’une couche de silicone sont discutés. Il ressort des différents tests et analyses que le mécanisme le plus probable semble être la fragmentation par plasma. En effet, suite à l’application d’une tension à front raide, d’amplitude très élevée, des canaux (fissures) microscopiques prennent naissance là où le champ électrique est le plus intense. L’application répétitive des chocs de tension conduit au développement de décharges dans ces canaux (rupture diélectrique de l’air) c’est-à-dire des arcs (canaux de plasma) qui se développent/propagent dans le volume de l’isolateur. La puissance déchargée (c’est-à-dire l’énergie stockée dans les condensateurs du générateur en des temps très courts) dans ces canaux à chaque choc étant très élevée, elle conduit à l’explosion de l’isolateur après quelques chocs (parfois 5 ou 6 suffisent): c’est la fragmentation par plasma. / This thesis deals with the improvement of the electrical behavior of insulators of high voltage lines; the objective is to ensure better reliability and quality of power supply. This work was motivated by the need to answer three questions related to the behavior of glass insulators in polluted areas. The first one concerns the search for method for calculating the flashover voltage of polluted chains according to the type of insulator and its characteristics. The second question concerns the difference in behavior between glass insulators and "outerrib" porcelain insulators; this type of insulator has a specific shape adapted to environments with high pollution. The flashover voltages as well as the trajectories of the arc on glass insulators are very different from those observed with porcelain insulators. And the third issue is the failure of silicon-coated insulators during shock tests (pulses) with a steep front. Indeed, insulators coated with a layer of 0.3 mm (or more) of hydrophobic silicone explode when subjected to very high amplitude steep-edge voltage pulses for a very short time. Different mechanisms that may be responsible for the explosion / puncturing of insulators covered with a layer of silicone are discussed. It appears from the various tests and analyzes that the most probable mechanism seems to be plasma fragmentation (cracking). Indeed, following the application of a steep front voltage, of very high amplitude, microscopic channels (fissures) originate where the electric field is most intense. The repetitive application of impulse voltages (shocks) leads to the development of discharges in these channels (breakdown of the air), i.e.; arcs (plasma channels) which develop / propagate in the volume of the insulator. The discharged power (i.e.; the energy stored in the capacitors of the generator in a very short times) in these channels (cracks) at each shock being very high, leads to the explosion of the insulator after some shocks (5 to 6 sometimes): it is the fragmentation by plasma or plasma cracking.