Partial discharge inception electric field strength of water droplets on polymeric insulating surfaces

Water droplets are formed on the surface of polymeric insulators under wet conditions, which enhance the electric field especially in close vicinity of the contact line between air, water droplet and insulator surface. It is experimentally found that the maximum allowable E-field strength tangential to a polymeric insulating surface in presence of a single water droplet on the flat surface with wettability class 1 is between 6 and 7.5 kV/cm (peak). Some important parameters that have an influence on PD inception are experimentally investigated to find more reliable results. A simple prediction method of partial discharge inception E-field strength of a single water droplet on polymeric insulating surfaces based on the streamer criterion for inception is also proposed and discussed. The investigated PD inception E-fields in this contribution can be used for prediction of partial discharge inception voltage of polymeric insulators under wet conditions.