Statistical modeling for predicting degradation of medium voltage outdoor equipment

The paper introduces a Weibull probabilistic model for predicting the performance of outdoor medium voltage apparatus using cycloaliphatic epoxies. Rectangular slabs of the material were tested on the inclined plane test (ASTM D2303)for determining the tracking and erosion resistance. Some slabs were sand-blasted to duplicate the degradation observed on field-aged samples that were located in various test sites for up to 20 years. Leakage current data was recorded for new and sandblasted samples during the test. The model is a product of leakage current and arc time at a particular spot as a parameter for the Weibull distribution. The model predictions are in good agreement with the experimental results.