Performance of high voltage insulators under heavy natural pollution conditions

Insulator contamination is the most important factor for the selection of power transmission line insulators in the coastal areas of the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. SCECO-East has overcome the problem by increasing the specific creepage distance of insulators, using different insulator designs and materials and high pressure live line washing. Contamination flashovers have been significantly reduced. This paper describes SCECO-East's experience and evaluation of insulator performance.