Monitoring the condition of insulator shed materials in overhead distribution networks

Author

Birtwhistle, D. ; Blackmore, P. ; Krivda, A. ; Cash, Glenn ; George, Geordie

Author_Institution

Sch. of Electr. & Electron. Syst. Eng., Queensland Univ. of Technol., Brisbane, Qld.

Volume

6

Issue

5

fYear

1999

fDate

10/1/1999 12:00:00 AM

Firstpage

612

Lastpage

619

Abstract

Methods of sampling and analyzing the surface material of sheds of composite insulators are reviewed. It is shown that scanning electron microscopy gives useful information from slivers cut from the insulator surfaces, and emission Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy enables derivation of indicators of material oxidation to be developed from surface swabbing with solvents. FTIR absorption spectroscopy and diffuse reflectance FTIR spectroscopy give indicators of surface chalking for ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) insulators. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy is used to determine surface layer elemental composition and concentration of oxidized bonds. The techniques are applied to field aged 275 kV EPDM and silicone rubber insulators and tentative correlations developed between surface condition and leakage current. Cluster analysis of results from sampling of a large population of EPDM insulators shows that the surface analysis methods facilitate grouping by location and manufacturer

Keywords

Fourier transform spectroscopy; X-ray photoelectron spectra; distribution networks; infrared spectroscopy; insulator testing; leakage currents; power overhead lines; scanning electron microscopy; 275 kV; FTIR absorption spectroscopy; X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy; diffuse reflectance FTIR spectroscopy; emission Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy; ethylene propylene diene monomer; insulator shed materials; leakage current; material oxidation; overhead distribution networks; scanning electron microscopy; surface layer elemental composition; surface material; Composite materials; Condition monitoring; Electron emission; Fourier transforms; Infrared spectra; Insulation; Oxidation; Sampling methods; Scanning electron microscopy; Spectroscopy;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation, IEEE Transactions on

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

1070-9878

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/94.798118

Filename

798118