Studies the effect of Equivalent Salt Deposit Density on leakage current and flashover voltage of artificially contaminated disc insulators

Reliable operation of transmission and distribution system depends on the life of the insulator. In overhead line the operation of the insulator is mainly influenced by pollution (contamination) level of that place. Flash over voltage and leakage current of the insulator are mainly influenced by the pollution level. Hence it is important to study influence of different pollutants on flashover voltage and leakage current of an insulator in polluted areas. This paper presents the flashover voltage and leakage current for artificial NaCl and KCl salt deposit layers at various Equivalent Salt Deposit Density (ESDD) level. The difference on flashover voltage and leakage current of polluted disc insulator have been studied by using solid layer method. The tests show that there are some differences on leakage current and flash over voltage characteristics, and the influences vary on both of specimens using different salt like KCl and NaCl. In this paper also an attempt has been made to develop an equation to estimate the flashover voltage and leakage current by using curve fitting method.