EEN-206

Power Transmission and Distribution

Lecture 20: Insulators
Dr. Deep Kiran
Course so far…
 Conductor size

 Resistance, Inductance and capacitance

 Power transfer, SIL, Ferranti effect, Circle diagram

 Sag
Attendance
Insulators for Overhead Line
 Insulators are used to insulate towers from the live
conductors

 The insulators are attached to the tower and support

the line conductors.

 Important characteristics:
 Homogeneous materials without voids and
impurities.
 Minimum leakage current.
 High dielectric or breakdown strength.
 Mechanically strong to bear the conductor load
 Longer life.
Insulators for Overhead Line
 Porcelain:
 Porcelain is widely used as it is cheap.
 It is thoroughly vitrified to remove voids and
glazed before use to keep surface free of dust and
moisture.
 Breakdown strength is around 120-280 kV/cm
 Glass:
 Toughened glass is another choice having higher
dielectric strength (1200 kV/cm), mechanical
strength and life, higher thermal shock resistant,
lower coefficient of expansion
 Flaws can be detected easily by visual inspection.
 Main disadvantage is moisture rapidly condenses
on the surface giving high surface leakage current.
 Expensive
Insulators for Overhead Line
 Polymeric Insulation:
 Silicone rubber and EPDM (Ethylene propylene diene
monomer) are used for insulation purpose.
 Low cost, light weight, smaller in size, higher life,
improved dielectric performance under contamination or
pollution.
 They are used in combination with fiber glass rod.
 Tracking and erosion of the shed material, which can
lead to bad pollution performance and can cause
flashover.
 Chalking and crazing of the insulator’s surface, which
resulted in increased contaminant collection, arcing, and
flashover.
Insulator Ratings
 Three voltages ratings
 Working voltage
 Puncture voltage
 Flashover voltage

Flashover Voltage
Safety Factor =
Working Voltage

 Flashover voltage is less than puncture voltage.

Types of Insulators

 Pin type insulators

 Suspension type insulators
 Strain type insulators

 Shackle insulator
 Post type insulators
Pin Type Insulator
 Supported on steel bolt or pin
which is firmly supported on cross-
arm.

 Conductor is tied to insulator on

groove by annealed binding wire.

 Generally used for 11 kV and 33

kV lines.

 They can be made in one piece up

to 33 kV and two pieces for higher
voltages.

 Pin type insulators are

uneconomical for higher voltages.
Suspension Type Insulators
 Consists of one or more insulating units hung from
cross arm and conductor is connected at lowest unit.
 String is free to swing (lower mechanical stresses);
thus long cross arms are required.
 Economical voltages above 33 kV. Each typical unit
is designed for 11 kV.
 Failed unit can be changed
without changing whole
string.
 V shaped insulator strings
can also be used to avoid the
swings.
 400 kV -> 19 units -> 3.84 m
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Strain Type Insulator

 The insulators are similar to

suspension type insulator but used
in horizontal position.
 Generally used at the towers with
dead end, angle towers, and road
and river crossings.
 They can take tension off the
conductors. When tension is very
high two or more strings are used
in parallel.
Shackle, Post and Polymeric insulators

Shackle insulators or
Post type insulators Polymeric insulators
spool insulators
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Potential Distribution over String
Potential Distribution over String

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Potential Distribution over String
 Capacitance of disc:
Capacitance between metal
work of the insulator units;
sometimes called as mutual
capacitance.
 Capacitance to ground:
capacitance between metal
work of insulator to tower.
Capacitance per insulator 𝑚𝐶
𝑚= =
Capacitance to ground 𝐶

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Potential Distribution over the String
 If V is voltage across the conductor and
ground. We have:

Also
𝑗𝜔𝑚𝐶𝑉2 = 𝑗𝜔𝑚𝐶𝑉1 + 𝑗𝜔𝐶𝑉1

𝑚𝑉2 = 𝑚𝑉1 + 𝑉1
𝑚+1
𝑉2 = 𝑉1
𝑚

1
𝑉2 = 1 + 𝑉
𝑚 1
Potential Distribution over the String
 Similarly,

3 1
𝑉3 = 1 + + 2 𝑉1
𝑚 𝑚
Potential Distribution over the String
 Similarly,

𝜔𝑚𝐶𝑉4 = 𝜔𝑚𝐶𝑉3 + 𝜔𝐶 𝑉1 + 𝑉2 + 𝑉3

6 5 1
𝑉4 = 𝑉1 1 + + 2+ 3
𝑚 𝑚 𝑚
String Efficiency
 Let m = 5
1
𝑉2 = 𝑉1 1 + 𝑉2 = 1.2𝑉1
𝑚

3 1
𝑉3 = 𝑉1 1 + + 2 𝑉3 = 1.64𝑉1
𝑚 𝑚

6 5 1
𝑉4 = 𝑉1 1 + + 2 + 3 𝑉4 = 2.41𝑉1
𝑚 𝑚 𝑚

Voltage Across String

String Efficiency = × 100
n × Voltage across unit adjacent to line

(1 + 1.2 + 1.64 + 2.41)𝑉1

= × 100 = 63.8%
4 × 2.41𝑉1
Methods of Equalizing the Potential
 Methods to improve string efficiency
 Selection of m
 Grading of units
 Static shielding or guard rings
 Semiconducting high resistance glaze layer on surface of
insulator
Selection of m
 If the value of m is increased, which can
be achieved by increasing the cross-arm
length.
 Increased cross-arm length decreases the
capacitance between earth and metallic
connections.
 However increasing cross-arm length is
not economical after certain distance.
 Theoretically, one can achieve equal
voltage distribution when m is infinity.
 It is found that value of m greater than
10 is not economical.
Grading of Units
 Voltage across capacitor is
inversely proportional to the
capacitance for given current.
 By correct grading of
capacitances complete equal
voltage can be achieved.
 We have,
𝐼2 = 𝐼𝐶1 + 𝐼1
𝜔𝐶2 𝑉 = 𝜔𝐶𝑉 + 𝜔𝐶1 𝑉
𝐶2 = 𝐶 + 𝐶1
Grading of Units
𝐼3 = 𝐼𝐶2 + 𝐼2
𝜔𝐶3 𝑉 = 2𝜔𝐶𝑉 + 𝜔𝐶2 𝑉

𝐵𝑢𝑡, 𝐶2 = 𝐶 + 𝐶1
𝜔𝐶3 𝑉 = 2𝜔𝐶𝑉 + 𝜔 𝐶 + 𝐶1 𝑉
𝐶3 = 3𝐶 + 𝐶1
𝐶3 = 𝐶1 + 1 + 2 𝐶

Generalized case:
𝐶𝑛 = 𝐶1 + 1 + 2 + 3 + ⋯ + 𝑛 − 1 𝐶

For example, if 𝐶1 = 5𝐶,

then

𝐶2 = 6𝐶, 𝐶3 = 8𝐶, 𝐶4 = 11𝐶, and so on

Grading of Units
 Thus if capacitance of one unit is
fixed other capacitances can be
easily determined.
 This requires units of different
capacities, which is uneconomical
and impractical.
 Therefore this method is usually
not employed except for very high
voltage lines.
 In that case, string is graded in
groups, may be two/three.
Static Shielding
 In practice, it is very difficult to
achieve the condition of equal voltages.

 However the partial advantage can be

gained by this method using grading
ring (guard ring) and used normally.

 Further, when the horn gap is also used,

it also protect the insulator from the
flashover.
Static Shielding
𝐼2 + 𝐼𝑥 = 𝐼1 + 𝐼𝐶1
𝐼3 + 𝐼𝑦 = 𝐼2 + 𝐼𝐶2
𝐼4 + 𝐼𝑧 = 𝐼3 + 𝐼𝐶3

Voltages can be equal if

𝐼𝑥 = 𝐼𝐶1
𝜔𝐶𝑥 (𝑛 − 1)𝑉 = 𝜔𝐶𝑉
𝐶
𝐶𝑥 =
𝑛−1

Also, 𝐼𝑦 = 𝐼𝐶2
𝜔𝐶𝑦 (𝑛 − 2)𝑉 = 2𝜔𝐶𝑉
2𝐶
𝐶𝑦 =
𝑛−2

3𝐶 𝑝𝐶
Similarly, 𝐶𝑍 = and 𝐶𝑝 =
𝑛−3 𝑛−𝑝
Static Shielding: Corona Ring
Semiconducting Glaze
 The method is based on fact that
insulator achieve resistor voltage divider
effect.

 Each mutual capacitance is shunted by a

resistance of such magnitude that the
capacitance current is swamped by effect
of leakage current through the resistor.

 The leakage current becomes same for

all units and no more only dependent on
capacitance.

 The method is restricted due to risk of

thermal instability and difficult to
produce glaze of longer life.
Summary of the Chapter
Mechanical Electrical
 Factors affecting mechanical  Insulator Characteristics
design  Materials used
 Calculation of Sag, Tension,  Type of insulators: Pin, Suspension,
Conductor Length strain, shackle, post
 Additional loading  Potential Distribution Over an Insulator
 Ice loading String
 Wind loading  String Efficiency
 Stringing Charts  Methods to improve string efficiency
 Sag Template  Selection of m
 Types of tower  Grading of units
 Equivalent or Ruling Span  Static shielding or guard rings
 Vibrations in conductors  Semiconducting Glaze