Composite Insulator

Related terms:

Bushings, Electric Lines, Pollution, Silicone Rubber, Flashover, Glass Insulator

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Transmission lines detection technolo-

gy
Yi Hu, Kai Liu, in Inspection and Monitoring Technologies of Transmission Lines
with Remote Sensing, 2017

4.8.2 The Performance Characteristics of Composite Insulators

Composite insulators can take wind and rain and have good self-cleaning perfor-
mance under wind and rain, so need checking for pollution only once every 4–5
years, and requiring less time for the repair and power interruption. Since the core
rod has higher extension strength, composite insulators can result in very light
overall weight. Their weight is only 10–20% of the weight of porcelain insulator
strings of the same voltage class. Their length can be shortened by more or less
10% in the same voltage class, which can greatly reduce the labor of workers in
transportation and field operation.

The composite insulator has many advantages, but also disadvantages, e.g., the loss
of hydrophobicity, the risk of the core rod becoming brittle and breaking, lightning
strike and birds droppings, which can all make composite insulators lose efficiency.

Since the diameter of the sheds of the composite insulator is less, the minimum
electric arc distance is less than for the same length of porcelain insulator strings,
and the lightning withstand level is also less than for the same length of porcelain
insulator strings.
After a lightning strike, the only effect on composite insulators is some white electric
erosion; there is no change in their insulating property. But attention must be paid
to the erosion of both ends of the fitting.

The internal insulation distance of composite insulators is nearly equal to that of the
external insulation, and the structure is in the group of puncture-proof insulators,
and therefore does not have the problem of having to detect zero value insulators,
and this greatly reduces the workload of operation maintenance.

The material of sheds and sheaths of composite insulators are silicone rubber and
the surface is a low energy surface. The creepage distance of composite insulators
is bigger and the diameter of the umbrella shed is smaller, and the surface has
hydrophobicity and migration of hydrophobicity. Even in a humid and polluted
environment, the shed surface of composite insulators will not form a continuous
water film; therefore, its antipollution performance is superior to that of a porcelain
insulator.

The main component of the composite insulator is a silicone rubber sheath. Silicone
rubber is formed by the linkage of high-molecule polymers of polydimethyl siloxane
and organic oxygen compounds; the main chain is formed by a silicon oxygen
bond. Since the bond energy of the silicon oxygen bond is larger it has good
thermostability, and can work at temperatures of −100 to +350°C. Silicon rubber has
good ozone resistance performance, and whereas butadiene-propylene propylene
butadiene rubber can be readily broken, under room temperature tension on ozone
of 150 ppm, however, silicone rubber can last for several months and not be broken.

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Application of Polymer-Based Compos-

ites
Reza Taherian, in Electrical Conductivity in Polymer-Based Composites, 2019

6.4.4 Materials of Composite Insulators

Composite insulators have been introduced as a good alternative to ceramic and
glass insulators. After nearly 30 years of launching the first type of composite
insulators and making design improvements and consuming materials, they are
used as well-known and suitable products in HV [1,15,16].

In the resin insulators, the oxygen composition with certain plastics is made in the
form of a polyidison; that is, together with the composition, large molecules are
produced. In order to harden the compound, usually additional materials such as
quartz are added, and finally, the resin is made up by heating and casting. These
types of insulators are not used in open space due to their lack of ultraviolet radiation
in the sun and are used only in interior spaces and inside panels. In Fig. 6.4, samples
of resinous insulators have been shown [1,15,16].

Composite insulators consist of at least two insulating materials; one of which is the
task of providing electrical properties and the other providing mechanical properties.
Composite insulators, as shown in Fig. 6.5, are composed of components such as
[1,29]:

Figure 6.5. Different components of composite insulators containing of composite

core, polymeric housing, and metallic connectors in different view [9,28].

1. Core

2. Housing

3. End connections

Core: The main principles of composite insulations are based on the use of a
composite core, whose function is to withstand the mechanical load brought on by
the conductor wire and transfer this tensile force to the tower.

6.4.4.1 Process of Manufacturing Insulator Core [1]

As shown in Fig. 6.6, the core of a composite insulator consists of a composite
rod consisting of two main components of the matrix and reinforcing fibers. The
matrix is made of epoxy resin and E-glass reinforcing fiber, which is made of glass
fiber in parallel and in the same direction throughout the rod. The core composite
quadrilateral depends on the design of the insulator and the tensile load that it
has to withstand and is made in different diameters. However, its range with the
numbers mentioned by different manufacturers can be set between 14 mm and
70 mm. The fibers in the core of a composite insulator are two main tasks, one
that acts as the main insulation component, and the other is the task of bearing
mechanical load. Composite core construction is done by pultrusion process. In
general, pultrusion is a process used to produce continuous composite sections,
such as rods, tubes. The main parts of the pultrusion process are schematically
shown in Fig. 6.6. In this process, the fiberglass is fed from the fiber feeder to the
resin dipping and entered into the mold after passing through the preforms. In the
form of heat treatment, the impregnation and curing of the resin takes place and
the profile forms the cross-sectional shape of the mold. The advantages of fabricated
parts include lightweight, lower maintenance costs, and more corrosion resistance;
the most important advantage in strength (rigidity to weight) is relatively high due to
the high percentage of fiber and its continuity in the structure of these components.
It should be noted that there are other methods for the production of composite
cores, including manual warping and filament winding techniques, but since the
highest strength and the highest mechanical properties of the pultrusion process
are obtained, the method pultrusion is preferred to other methods [1,30].

Figure 6.6. Pultrusion process [1,30].

Housing (coating) [1,3]: The function of this coating is to protect the core to the
weathering and moisture-damaging effects, as well as to increase the voltage and
creeping current. This coating is usually made up of silicone rubber and other
additives such as TiO2 and aluminum three hydrate [1]. The insulating properties
of composite insulators are largely related to their coating.

The coatings used in composite insulators include:

a. Ethylene propylene monomer

b. Ethylene propylene diamine monomer

c. Silicone rubber

d. Ethylene-propylene rubber

Today, the most common rubber coatings used in composite insulators are silicon
rubber. The reason for this is the long-term stability of silicone rubber against
different weather conditions, hydrophobicity. Waterproofing properties of silicon
separate it from other insulating materials. This property means that water cannot
to be dispersed on the insulator, but remains in the form of a water droplet
concentrated in one part. This is why, in the case of contaminated environments,
the leakage current at the level of the silicone rubber insulators is much lower
than that of ceramic, glass, and even ethylene propylene insulators. Therefore, in
extremely polluted areas, there is no electrical arc on these insulators. In addition, the
hydrophobicity of silicone rubber is always consistent with other polymers [1,31,32].

6.4.4.2 Process of Manufacturing Core Housing

In 2013, Vijayalekshmi [33] performed a two-mill roller machine to prepare a sili-
con-binder mix in the presence of reinforcing particles. Fig. 6.6 shows the device
image of the two-way mixer. Mixing takes place in the room for about 15 min, and
then the prepared hot pressing mixture is placed at 140°C for 1 h until the baking
takes place.

Gafti [1] has performed a research on manufacturing housings of insulators by

compression molding of composite containing HTV silicone rubber reinforced by
TiO2 and Aluminate hydroxide.

Connectors [33–36]: Connectors are the parts that are located between the tower
and the conductive cable.

Due to this variety in different parts of composite insulators and their construction
methods, it can be clearly seen that the performance of a composite insulator
is heavily related to the correct selection of raw materials and the technology of
manufacturing the insulator [9].

The advantages and disadvantages of composite insulators are as follows:

1. Flexible and unbreakable, and suitable for areas where breakdown of insulators
is commonplace by human factors.
2. Silicone insulators have the ability to dispose of water and are technically and
economically very suitable for wet areas.
3. The use of these insulators in airlines due to no necessity of periodic washings
greatly reduces line maintenance costs.
4. Due to the lightweight silicone-based insulators in comparison to the glass
and ceramic insulators, it is easier to transport and install them. On the
other hand, due to this feature, the cost of constructing the line in terms of 5.
mechanical calculations of the towers and the design of the foundation will be
reduced significantly.
The breakage probability of composite insulators during the transportation 6.
and installation is negligible.
Composite insulators contain a higher performance in snowy and frost areas
due to the shape of the insulator and the small diameter of housings.

Despite the particular merits of composite insulators, these insulators also have
disadvantages. The disadvantages of composite insulators can be classified as follows
[32,37,38]

1. The higher price of raw materials as compared to other insulators.

2. The lack of experienced labor.

Environmental Effect Parameters in Selecting Insulators for transmission and dis-

tribution Lines [32,37,38]:

a. Climate

b. Different temperature parameters humidity

c. Radiation of thermal and ultraviolet radiation (UV)

d. Rainfall

e. Lightning and Isocraonic levels of the area

f. Wind

g. The severity and type of pollution of the area

h. Types of insulator profiles

i. Height above sea level

j. Installation arrangement: Transmission, end, or chain type

k. Effect of insulator material

l. Earthquake

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Devices and technology for monitoring

transmission lines
Yi Hu, Kai Liu, in Inspection and Monitoring Technologies of Transmission Lines
with Remote Sensing, 2017

5.3.2.4 Pollution flashover characteristics of composite insula-

tors
Silicone rubber composite insulators have good antipollution flashover capability.
In the same pollution and wetting condition and of the same structural height, its
flashover or withstand voltage is 2–3 times higher than that of porcelain insulators.
Composite insulators with shed sheaths of silicon rubber material have good an-
tipollution flashover capability, and the main reasons are the following:

1. The surface of silicon rubber sheds is a low energy surface with good hy-
drophobicity. The hydrophobicity of silicon rubber also migrates to the pol-
lution layer’s surface, which makes the pollution layer have hydrophobicity.
2. As the pollution layer in the silicon rubber surface also has hydrophobicity,
and the water absorbed by the pollution layer surface will not form a con-
tinuous water film, and only presents in the form of discontinuous small
water droplets. Under sustained voltage action, a thin small arc is distributed
over the whole insulation surface, which does not form a concentrated and
strong arc like electrical porcelain or glass insulators. This characteristic is
the deciding factor meaning that composite insulators do not easily form a
concentrated discharge path, a partial arc does not develop easily, and there is
higher pollution flashover voltage.
3. Under the same circumstances, the time required for silicon rubber composite
insulators to get damp and become saturated is several times that required for
porcelain insulators, so it is hard for silicon rubber composite insulators to get
wet, and natural pollution flashover is unlikely to occur.
4. The rod diameter (or equivalent diameter) of composite insulators is small
with a big shape coefficient. In the condition that the surface is dirty,
its surface resistance is much larger than that of an insulator with a small
shape coefficient. Pollution flashover voltage has direct relation with surface
resistance, the bigger the surface resistance, the higher the pollution flashover
voltage.
5. The plasticity of silicon rubber material is high, and it is easy to shape, which is
helpful in optimizing and selecting insulators’ structure and shape, with little
pollution and higher pollution flashover voltage.

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Equipment of UHV Overhead Trans-
mission Lines
Zhenya Liu, in Ultra-High Voltage Ac/dc Grids, 2015

8.3.1.2 Rod suspension composite insulators

1. Technical dataComposite insulators of 210–550 kN are used in UHV AC lines.
Table 8.14 summarizes their technical data, and Figure 8.30 gives a picture
of composite insulators used in the UHV AC pilot and demonstration project
in China.Table 8.14. Technical Data of 1000-kV Composite Insulators.No.-
ItemTechnical Data 1Rated operating voltage (kV)1000 2Rated 1 min withstand tensile load
(kN)210, 300, 420, and 550 31 min wet power frequency withstand voltage (rms, kV)≥990 4Dry
lightning impulse withstand voltage (peak value, kV)≥3200 5Wet switching impulse withstand
voltage (peak value, kV)≥1675 6Visual corona voltage (kV)≥700 7Height (mm)9750/10,530 8Dry
arcing distance (mm)>9000 9Creepage distance (mm)>32,00010Markings of fittings for
assembly20, 24, 28, 32Note: These
parameters apply only for areas at altitudes
below 1000 m and with a pollution class of B, C, D, or E. For altitudes above
1000 m, corrections should be made according to GB 311.1—2012 Insulation
2. Co-ordination—Part 1: Definitions, Principles and Rules.Figure 8.30. Composite
insulators used in China’s UHV AC pilot and demonstration project.

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Development of advanced materials for

transmission and distribution (T&D)
networks equipment
J.-L. Bessède, in Electricity Transmission, Distribution and Storage Systems, 2013

5.3.2 Composite insulators

For HV circuit breakers, composite insulators are used increasingly in place of
ceramic insulators. Indeed, composite insulators are light, resilient, do not explode
under impact, have good seismic behaviour, and withstand pollution well. However,
the ageing of such insulators is not well known, and their air-tightness is difficult
to manage. The design of insulators, as well as choice of contact material, must be
considered, because when the arc is formed, metal droplets of contact and nozzle
materials will be in contact with decomposed and polluted SF6 (Domejean et al,
1997).
Composite insulators used in HV circuit breakers generally comprise a composite
tube (a), metal flanges (b), and elastomeric silicon sheds (c) – see Fig. 5.4. The
composite is made of glass fibres and epoxy resin. The sheds are made out of silicone
rubber.

5.4. (a–c) Composite insulator structure. See text for explanation.

During their lifetime of about 30 years, insulators must withstand the temperature
requirements and heavy atmospheric conditions, and support mechanical stresses.
Therefore, the qualification procedures of such insulators are very demanding, and
are described in the IEC 61462 International Standard.

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High-Voltage Transmission
Ravi S. Gorur, in The Electrical Engineering Handbook, 2005

5.7.3 Nonceramic and Composite Insulators

The use of nonceramic and composite insulators in place of traditional porcelain
and glass insulators for line insulation has become widespread in the last 20 years.
Such insulators have several advantages over porcelain and glass insulators, such as
lighter weight, easier handling, better resistance to damage from vandals, lower cost
(in some countries), and superior contamination performance. Different material
families have been used for the exposed part of the insulator (hereafter called the
housing). High temperature vulcanized (HTV) silicone rubber, ethylene propylene
rubber (EPR), cycloaliphatic epoxy, and EVA are among the materials proven suitable
for outdoor use, with the first two varieties dominating for transmission voltages.

A nonceramic and composite insulator's performance under polluted conditions

merits careful consideration. For porcelain or glass insulators, flashover resulting in
a temporary outage is the end result of a contamination event. This does not usually
cause any major permanent damage to the insulator string although burning of
the glaze and/or fragmentation of the bells in contact with the power-follow fault
current can occur. There is little risk of the insulator failing mechanically. It is also
unlikely that the inorganic dielectric is degraded due to surface discharge activity,
which could be long-lasting.

For nonceramic insulators, there is actually less risk than with the porcelain or glass
insulators from the flashover event itself due to the elastic nature of the material. But
it is from the surface discharge activity that the exposed insulation can be subjected
to degradation, and this can be a major concern. In addition, the organic nature
of the insulating materials can make them vulnerable to degradation from natural
elements, such as heat, UV from sunlight, moisture, and chemicals. A permanent
reduction of their desirable properties under service conditions can occur with time,
referred to as aging. It is also important to note that some degradation modes may
actually occur even in clean conditions, such as from exposure to corona activity.
In fact, mechanical failure of nonceramic insulators from a mode of failure called
brittle fracture has been experienced in relatively benign outdoor conditions. Users
should be aware of all these possibilities.

Despite these concerns, it should be said that judicious selection and application
of nonceramic insulators has resulted in improved reliability and lower installation
costs for both transmission and distribution lines. Progress at all fronts, namely
research, development, testing, manufacturing, and usage, has made this possible.

Just from geometrical considerations alone, nonceramic insulators should offer

superior performance under contaminated conditions when compared to their
porcelain and glass counterparts due to their smaller diameter. Additional improve-
ment in contamination performance can be obtained by using materials that are
hydrophobic, hence suppressing leakage current and discharge activity; they can
remain in this state for a long time in service. Silicone rubber is one type of material
that fits into this category. Within a particular material family, the leakage current
suppression capability is dependent on the formulation, but in general, silicone
polymers have better leakage current suppression capability than other outdoor
insulating materials.

The typical practice is to use a leakage distance similar to porcelain for silicone rubber
insulators; and for nonceramic insulators employing materials other than silicone
rubber, the leakage distance is about 20 to 30% higher than the distance for porcelain
insulators.

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