A mathematical model for tracking time calculation for polymeric materials

A tentative mathematical model is developed to calculate the tracking time for organic insulating material. The model is based on the energy balance criterion, which takes into account not only the energy required for discharge activities, but also the thermal energy balance along the insulator surface. A special laboratory test set-up was prepared for this project, which attempted to include as many parameters as possible that would affect the tracking breakdown of the organic material in service. The model could be used to determine the tracking time for analysis of correlation between the weather conditions and the test parameters. The results are compared with the measured tracking time, and reasonable agreement is found