Contamination of high voltage insulators in the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia

Rapid urbanization and industrialization in Malaysia over last two decades has resulted in increased demand for reliable electric power. The reliability in turn is greatly influenced by the grid system and its components being properly maintained. One of the important components is the high voltage insulators used in the switchyards, overhead lines, substations and power stations. A common phenomenon in the east cost of Peninsular Malaysia is rapid buildup of salt contamination on high voltage insulators due to the salty wind coming from the South China Sea. The main objective of this paper is to develop a mathematical model correlating equivalent salt deposit density (ESDD) with the hydro-meteorological variables. The data collected at one of the plants in the east coast during the dry season has been used to develop the model by using multiple regression analysis. This model has been validated for predicting contamination accumulation level during the dry season