Design of insulators for severe contamination

Under severe contamination, typified either by sand dust storm or heavy salt fog ceramic insulators experience problems such as high leakage current, burning of crossarms and flashover. Several years of field tests in heavily polluted areas around the world have demonstrated that hybrid insulators with highly protected creepage designs are very effective. In this paper mainly the Taiwan's problem and its solution are addressed. Special insulator designs, along with excellent material properties, are required to reduce leakage current and prevent flashover. The manufacturing of such protected creepage designs requires polymeric materials with good processibility in addition to good tracking and erosion resistance and hydrophobicity.