Design of booster shed parameters for post insulators under heavy icing conditions using geometric modelling and the Taguchi method

A generic design approach is presented to optimise the parameters of booster sheds (BSs) installed on post station insulators in heavy icing conditions. This approach is based on geometric modelling and Taguchi method and it allows to improve the electrical performance of the insulators. It deals with geometrical parameters of BSs including their number, inclination angle and diameter. Numerical analyses using geometric modelling, MATLAB programming and Minitab software were carried out in this study. The presented approach seems to be a good alternative to experimental measurements which are costly and difficult to perform. This investigation shows that the optimised value of BS inclination angle is equal to the upper shed angle of the insulator. Moreover, it indicates that generally the maximum feasible values for the diameter and number of BSs are the best options.