Condition Assessment of Composite Insulators Based on Thermally Stimulated Current Method

In order to study the health of composite insulators and to perform a quantitative characterisation and comprehensive assessment, a test method based on the thermally stimulated current method (thermally stimulated current method usually refers to the test method used to evaluate the performance of electrical insulating materials, also known as the ‘‘thermal ageing test’’.) was utilised. The method of evaluating silicone rubber materials for composite insulators was used to quantitatively characterise the silicone rubber material at the microscopic level. The results show that during the electrical ageing of the polymer, the microstructure of the material changes and more traps appear. As traps or defects in polymer materials are very closely related to space charge, the degree of electrical ageing of a polymer material can be determined by measuring the charge of the traps.