Performance of polymeric insulators under multistress conditions

The purpose of this paper is to report the ongoing research on multistress environmental aging of polymeric insulators at ASU East. Polymeric materials are replacing ceramic materials used for insulators on high voltage outdoor insulation. Their long term performance and reliability are a major concern for users. Manufacturers are eager to find the best material at the lowest cost while users desire long lasting, reliable insulators to reduce operating costs and increase reliability. This makes it worthwhile to investigate the performance of insulators in various environmental conditions that realistically simulate the conditions where they will be installed. Various stresses applied include UV radiation, thermal, rain, clear mist and contamination, and electrical. Presented in this paper are the results of Arizona summer and winter cycle aging performed on polymeric insulators for one year. Both lab and field aging of the insulators are being performed for different locations. Correlation between the field and lab aging will be obtained using electrical and material techniques.