Optimized Design of Shed Parameters for Polluted Hollow Porcelain Insulators at High Altitude

The pollution flashover problem of hollow insulators, one of the primary faults in substations, can be improved by optimizing the shed parameters. Combining the artificial pollution test and electric field simulation, this paper studies the optimal shed parameters for 220 kV hollow porcelain insulators at high altitudes. The AC artificial pollution flashover test was conducted by solid-layer and up-and-down methods in the artificial climate chamber to analyze the pollution flashover characteristics of the 220 kV hollow porcelain insulator at various altitudes and pollution degrees. After the validity of the artificial pollution flashover test and the direction of optimization of the shed parameters were clarified, electric field simulation was implemented on a two-dimensional axisymmetric model to analyze the effects of shed spacing and large shed overhang on the electric field distribution of the insulator. Based on the pollution flashover characteristics and the simulation analysis results, we find that appropriately increasing the shed spacing and reducing the large shed overhang can improve the surface electric field distribution of the hollow porcelain insulator, thereby improving its pollution flashover characteristics.