Analysis of polymeric insulators

Industry has adapted from porcelain to polymers when the opportunity has presented itself with a lower cost, lighter weight, and superior contamination performance. When new, nonceramic insulators (NCIs) generally have excellent contamination performance compared to ceramic insulators. However, in the field, NCIs are more susceptible to changes in their surface properties due to environmental aging. Some insulators have operated for many years, while others have failed after a few months. This wide variation of performance of NCI causes concerns for users about their aging and life expectancy. The aim of this work is to study the surface characteristics of in-service NCIs and simulate the same. Presented in this paper is the analysis of field flashed and field aged NCIs.