Modeling of the AC arc discharge on ice surfaces

A model for predicting the flashover voltage of ice-covered insulators energized with AC voltage is presented in this paper. The model takes into account the variation of ice surface conductivity as a function of freezing water conductivity. The effects of the length of the arc on its own characteristics, as well as the AC arc reignition condition, were determined in a laboratory investigation using triangular ice samples. The model is applied to a short string of 5 IEEE standard insulator units. There is an excellent concordance between the 50% flashover voltage calculated from the mathematical model and the experimental results.