Evaluating flashover performance of insulators under fire fighting conditions

EHV and UHV high voltage transmission lines frequently pass through high vegetation areas as well as national forests where there is a significant risk of wildfire by natural or manmade causes. Firefighters use aerial vehicles to douse fires by dumping large amount of fire retardant liquid that is conductive, thus increasing the risk of insulator flashover and power interruptions. In this paper, an ammonium polyphosphate based fire retardant liquid was evaluated to understand its effect on insulator flashover properties. Composite and ceramic insulators, suitable for 115 kV transmission lines, were studied by the solid layer test method. Tests were conducted with and without external wetting by fog. Results indicate that there is a high probability of flashover if the entire insulator is coated with the fire retardant liquid. Statistical methods were applied to extend the validity of testing results to predict flashover voltages at higher voltage levels of 230, 345 and 500 kV. It is shown that standard insulator dimensions used for EHV and UHV lines in fire prone areas could be deficient and additional insulation required to improve the flashover performance to acceptable levels in such locations has been determined.