Research on the Operating Characteristics of Composite Insulators in Extreme Climate Areas

With the changes of global climate, the operation stability of power system is facing severe test. Composite insulators are crucial for ensuring the operation safety of the power grid. Here, composite insulators that have been in operation for nearly 5 years on transmission lines in extreme warmth and humidity areas were sampled. This paper tested the overall mechanical and electrical performance of these composite insulators, as well as the microstructure of silicone rubber sheds. The results indicated that after nearly 5 years of operation, the overall mechanical and electrical performance of these composite insulators are consistent with the new products, and the microstructure tests confirms that silicone rubber sheds maintained stable structure and anti-aging performance. This paper demonstrates the long-term operational stability of these composite insulators in extreme warmth and humidity areas, which proves that these kind of composite insulators can meet the designed over 30-year service life.