IEEE Transactions on Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation Vol. 6 No.

5, October 1999 605

RTV Silicone Rubber Coatings for Outdoor

Insulators
E. A. Cherney
EACH Engineering Inc, Canada

and R. s. Gorur
Arizona State University, USA

ABSTRACT
The paper presents a review of room temperaturevulcanized(RTV) siliconerubber high voltage
insulator coatings (HVIC). These coatings are designed to replace greasing and waterwashing
of insulators. Present day coatings are the result of nearly thirty years of development and use.
In all but a very few dirty environments,these coatings have lasted ten or more years without
maintenance and where maintenance has been found to be necessary, water washing is done
at a significantlyreducedschedule. The paper focuses on the important characteristics of these
coatings and on the rigorous attention that is required in their application in order to ensure
good performance.

1 INTRODUCTION reversion or de-polymerization, faster application, and application un-

T HE maintenance practices on outdoor insulators in polluted envi-
ronments has largely been developed through trial and error. Over
many years, different technologieshave been used with varying degrees
of success. Of the technologies, room temperature vulcanized (RTV) sil-
icone rubber coatings have become very popular [l].Silicone rubber
coatings attributesinclndegood dielectric propertiesand flexibilityover
a wide temperature range, combined with excellent resistance to ultra.
violet radiation, chemicals, thermal degradation and corona discharge,
H ~ property
~the most~ important ~ of silicone
~ ~
rubbers for, insulator
application is their retention of water repellency under outdoor weath-
ering and HV conditions, It has been demonstrated that silicone rub-
hers give water repellency to the because of two [2-41,
On clean surfaces, its low surfaceenergy does not allow wetting of the
surface,and on polluted surfaces, low molecular weight silicone fluid
that diffuses from thebulk of the coating surroundscontaminantswitha
monolayer of fluid that imparts anon-wettingproperty,or hydrophobic-
ity, to the contaminant layer. In addition, the monolayer of fluid which
surrounds the contaminantalso inhibits dissolutionof the contaminant
in water. As a resnit, the electrolytic layer that developsis weak and not
conducive to the development of leakage current and flashover.
In recent years, the liquid silicone RTV coatingshave gained
erable popularity since the first studies in 1968 on an experimental prod-
nct [5], and the first large-scale application in 1987 with a commercial
product [6]. In fact, only a few problems have been encountered with
the first generation coatings. The improvements which followedin sec-
ond and third generation coatings were in the adhesion characteristics
to insulator surfaces, their ability to resist for a longer period of time the
development of leakage current and flashover, improved immunity to
der energized conditions.
2 EARLY DEVELOPMENT
Much Of the earlydevelopmentonRTV '
tookplaceatutl les
along the west-coast of the USA. The first studies done by the Bonneville
Power Administration(BPA)in 1968 showed that while a silicone rub-
coating performance,the long term ex-
Posureofthe coating to high energy arcing could result in surface track-
ing or erosion with subsequent loss of some of the initial properties of
the coating 151. In 1974, the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E)
a RTV [TI, The exposuretest was conducted
on four- and five-unit strings of porcelain suspension insulators. Dur-
1% the Same time Period, RTV coated HVDC post insulators were a h
evaluated at the Sylmar Converter Station operated by the Los Angeles
Department Of and Power
In the PG&E tests, even though there was considerable surface con-
taminant on the RTV coating, the coating remained water repellent and
maintained its protective function. It was also found that the RTV coat-
ing could easily be cleaned with high pressure water, and if necessary
the surface could be overcoated with new material. After six years of
exposure to high contamination, no damage Or tracking was observed
On the insnlators~ even though flashovers Occurred during heavy fog,
Basedon thesuccessful trialson400 kVdcinsulatorscoated withR~v,
LADWP began coating critical insulation with RTV on an annual basis
from 1981 to 1984. Some flashoversof RTV coated bushings were expe-
rienced in 1987.
In 1983,the first commercial coating became available IS]. In the same
year, the product was applied to bushings and insulators in a 138 kV

1070-9878/99/$3.00 0 1999 IEEE

 606 Cherney et al.: RTV Silicone Rubber Coatingsfor Outdoor Insulators

substation that was between a phosphorus metal plant and a phosphate
fertilizer plant. In 1984, and based on the good performance of the pre-
viously year, approximately one-third of the station was coated using
-2OOkg of makrial. Later, the rest of the substation was coated cony
suming -650 kg of coating in total.
amount and type of ATH and other fillers, degree of cross-linkage, ad-
hesion promotion, and the amount of free fluid that is available in the
coating.
The-properties of adhesion to porcelain, water repellency, and the
ability to resist the development of leakage current are of paramount
~

Although there were many field test sites established throughout the importance to coating perfbrmance.
United States on the experimental coating, the first large-scale appli-
cation of HVIC was not made until late in 1987by North East Utilities 3.2 SUPPRESSION OF LEAKAGE
(NEU)at their Millstone Nuclear station 345 kV switchyard. The appli- CURRENT
cation consumed some 2500 ke of HVIC 161.
U L 1

It was also in 1987when applicators began to realize that certain im-
provements to the technology would be necessary in order to increase
user confidence and acceptance of the RTV coatings. These improve-
ments included improved adhesion to porcelain as both high pressure
water cleaning and salt laden wind erosion had removed coatings; a
user-friendly coating that could be applied with ease in the field as the
existing coatings required solvent dilution in the field, a process that
was not controlled well by applicators; improvements to formulation
for better control of leakage current, as existing coatings were found to
track; and a coating that couldbe applied to live circuits, as outages par-
ticularly in industry could not be taken at will [9, IO].
3 IMPORTANT ASPECTS OF
HVIC
Of the characteristics that are important in an RTV coating, the ability
of the coating to suppress leakage current, and therefore flashover,un-
doubtedly is the most important property. This characteristic is central
to the concept of HVIC. The suppression of leakage current is entirely
governed by the non-wetting or hydrophobic characteristics of silicone
rubber.
3.1 FORMULATION
Commercial RTV coating systems consist of a polydimethylsiloxane
Various studies on the suppression ability of RTV coatings on leak-
age current have either involved testing in a salt-fog chamber or on a
tracking wheel. In either test, the onset of leakage current (Figure1)sig-
nals the loss of hydrophobicity The loss of hydrophobicity has usually
been determined through measurement of contact angle. Fourier trans-
form infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy of the surface has provided evidence
of depletion of 'low molecular weight silicone fluid' that diffuses from
the bulk of the coating to the surface. This fluid also acts to impart the
non-wetting property to contamination layers by surrounding the par-
ticles with a monolayer of fluid. As the fluid is gradually removed from
the surface through constant wetting, the surface of the coating loses its
abilityto suppress leakage current. After a period of prolonged wetting,
silicone coating behaves as any other polymer. However, unlike other
non-siliconebased polymers, during dry periods, additional fluid forms
on the surface restoring hydrophobicity to the coating.
8
I
I -
O
Uncoaled 7 I
_/---
.' cc-
/--
Coaled

(PDMS) polymer, a reinforcing filler like fumed silica, alumina trihydrate I' Leakage Current
(ATH)filler, coloring pigment and a crosslinking agent. The coating also
may contain PDMS fluid, additional fillers, condensation catalyst and an 0
- 1
I
Suppressed
7
adhesion promoter for improved bonding to insulator surfaces, 0 40 80 im 180 200
Time. hours
These systems are dispersed in a solvent, usually naphtha although Figure 1. Suppressionof leakage current on a coated insulator tested in
chlorinated solvents are used for energized application on insulators. a salt-fog chamber (from [U]).
The solvent merely acts as a carrier medium to transfer the RTV rubber to
the insulator surface. As the solvent evaporates, moisture in the air trig- The process by which silicone fluid from the bulk coats contamina-
gers vulcanization forming a solid rubber coating. The speed at which tion layers on the surface of insulators imparting hydrophobicity to the
this process takes place depends on the type of solvent, temperature and contaminatelayer appears to function for all but very thick layers of con-
humidity The much faster drying systems permit multiple coats to be tamination; for example, a layer of cement. For such layers, the coating
applied quickly without sag or flow, thereby producing a smooth and will not perform its intended function.
uniform coating. Naphtha is highly flammableand coating systems dis- The current technical position on compounding of silicone materials
persed in this solvent are not intended for application on energized in-
for outdoor applications is that ATH filler must be added to composi-
sulators. Coating systems that are dispersed in non-flammable solvents tions to protect against erosion and tracking. Erosion and tracking is
may be applied to energized insulators by personnel knowledgeable in thought to occur during prolong periods of wetting when hydrophobic-
live-line work. ity is temporarily lost and dry band arcing results. Although this pro-
The electrical and physical properties of coatings vary considerably cess has been demonstrated in the laboratory tests, to date, this has not
depending on their formulation. These properties are dependent on the been found in actual service.
IEEE Transactions on Dielecfrics and Elecfrical Insulafion Vol. 6 No. 5, October 1999 607

Filler, when added to compositions,has a two-fold effect. First, filler moisture laden with salt to come in contact with the underlying porce-
will displace silicone rubber which results in a reduction of available lain, which created a condition for coating failure. For the same reason,
fluid. Unless this is off-set by a change in formula, this will be seen in a successful RTV applications in desert environments will require good
salt-fogchamber as having a reduced protection period against the loss adhesion of the coating to porcelain insulators.
of hydrophobicity and leakage current (Figure 2). Second, filler can be The importance of coating adhesion was brought out again in an a p
viewed as having the same effect as embedding a filter in the coating, plication adjacent to a cement plant. In this type of environment, coat-
the presence of which will slow down the diffusion of fluid to the sur- ing performance is somewhat reduced because of the rapid buildup of
face, Through measurement of the IR spectra using FTIR spectroscopy, cement. As a result, water washing on an extended cycle is necessary
increased filler in a coating formula is seen as impeding the diffusion 01 to prevent insulator flashover. As this type of contaminantdoes not ad-
fluid from the bulk of the coating to the surface and therefore, resulting here to the RTV coating,but forins a thick crust of cement engulfingthe
in a longer recovery time. insulator, high pressure water washing easily removes the contaminant.
Removable of cement on RTV coated insulators is much easier than on
uncoated insulators where physical bonding of the cement to the porce-
lain takes place and dry abrasive cleaning of the insulators is necessary
for removal. However, if the coating does not have good adhesion to the
porcelain or if the porcelain was not adequately cleaned in preparation
for theRTVcoating,maintenancecleaningusinghighpressnrewater has
removed both the cement and the coating.
These situationshave been experiencedwith the first generation type
of coating. First generation coatings were not formulatedwith adhesion
promoters and therefore, did not bond to the insulator but rather en-
veloped the insulator like a tight fitting rubber glove. Present day coat-
Figure 2. The effect of ATH filler concentration (in parts per hundred of ings contain adhesion promoters which results in excellent bonding to
formula by weight] on leakage current protection as determined in a salt- the insulator surface. Second generation coatings can be used in severe
fog chamber (frm1121). coastal areas and can alsobehigh pressure water washed at full 1200 psi
In addition, for a particular filler size distribution, there is an opti- pressure to remove contaminant if found to be necessary.
mum concentrationof filler for optimumprotection against erosion and To test for adhesion, a boiling water test has been found to be useful.
tracking (Figure3). Filler loading above the optimum level not only dis. An insulator, prepared in the prescribed way, is first coated using the
places additional siliconebut further impedes the diffusion of the fluid equipment at hand. The insulator is then immersed in water and boiled
to the surface. Clearly, hydrophobicity of a coating is dependent on the far 72 h and removed. Coating that does not adhere to the porcelain
amount of free fluid and the amount and the size distributionof the ATH will exhibit water blisters at the interfacebetween the porcelain and the
filler. coating.
6M) , I 3.4 COATING COLOR
There are several colors (white, gray and blue) of HvIC in use at
the present time. From the point of view of the applicator, color is s e
lected as a visual aid for judging coating coverage on sky-tone grey and
chocolate glazed insulators. Color also serves as a visual aid to thick-
ness. However, from the point of view of the user, white is preferred
becausecontaminationshowsup readily. Onun-coated insulators, users
have nomally associated the presence of contaminantwith the need for
L'
cleaning.
0 , I
On RT\I coatings, this association should not be made; therefore,
0 60 100 160 200 250 300
&mina Trlhydmle Filler. pph white coating may present undue concerns to users.
Figure 3. Time to failure in a salthg chamber as a function of ATH filler 3.5 SLUMP CONTROL AND FLOW
concentration and for one particular size distributionof filler (from [131).
It is desirable to have a coating such that when it is sprayed on an
3.3 ADHESION TO INSULATORS insulator, the material will flow sufficiently, amalgamating to form a
smooth continuous surface, yet not to flow too much on vertical snr-
The first application of RTV coating to porcelain insulators in a sea faces to formdrim and icicles. The latter is referred to as slump control
coast environment brought ant the importance of adhesion. It was which is accomplished through coating formulation. Although the ap-
found that wind, laden with salt, had caused erosion cutting of the coat- pearance of the coating is really not of great concern, excessive flowwill
ins. The wind eventually lifted the coating from the surface allowing undoubtedly result in reduced coverage per kg of coating.
608 Cherney et al.: RTV Silicone Rubber Coatings for Outdoor Insulators

3.6 FILM BUILD Before coating important equipment, it is a good idea to have a few
training and practice sessions. Generally speaking,a high-gloss surface
Film build properties of a coating dictate themaximum thickness that finish, at least as good as enamel paint, should be achieved, Coating
can be attained in a single Pass Using spray equipment and therefore, thickness should he measured. Coating adhesion integrity should also
will have a major impact on the time spent on a project. As a rule of be verified,
thumb, the cost of a coating project is roughly 20% material and 80%
labor. Therefore, film build will have a significant impact on the cost 4.1 INSULATOR PREPARATION
of a coating project, Material viscosity sag characteristics and the sur-
Insulators to be coated must be thoroughlycleaned and dry In most
face finish of the substrate will affect film build. Sag is also somewhat
instances while insulatorsare in situ, for example transformer bushings,
affected by the adhesion and skinning characteristics of the coating.
the insulators need only be high pressure water washed. If high pres-
3.7 COATING THICKNESS sure water wash equipment is unavailable, insulators may he washed
by hand using water and a liquid household soap, and then thoroughly
The nominal thickness that has been suggested by several manufac- rinsed.
turers is 0.5 mm. This thickness is a practical 'rule of thumb guide' that Insulatorscontaminated with materials be cleaned
has been in the maintenance coating industry and as such using a dry abrasive cleaner such as crushed corn cob or walnut shells
has little significance to coating of electrical insulators. The experience
mixed with limestone, Hand cleaning involves the use of an abra-
up to now suggests that coating thickness is not acritical factorin either sive pad, rubbing the surface with the pad until the bare glaze shoM,s
the performance or the lifeof the coating. Coating thickness in the range by a thorough rinsing with
through, cleaning is
of 0.1 to 0.7 mm have been applied in the field with equal success.
Previously greased insulators are very difficult to clean. Once the
mere are non-destructive tests that can be performed On RTV hulk ofthegreasehasbeen removed using a dry abrasivecleaner or sim-
to verify thickness, These are the wet gauge and an 'Itra- ply by hand wiping, the surfacemust be hand wiped clean using a sol-
sonic thickness gauge. Wet film gauges give a reading on thickness as vent to remove the residual film of grease. isopropanol is recommended
applied. To determine the dry film thickness, the percentage of solvent for the finalwipe and coating can once the insulators are dry.
must be subtracted from the wet film thickness. For example, 0.5 mm
of wet material at 70% solids would provide 0.35 mm of cured coating. 4.2 MATERIAL PREPARATION
Applicators typically take frequent wet film readings.
Much like any high solids paint, material preparation refers to mix-
Ultrasonic thickness gauges will read the thickness of cured silicone ing of settled solids prior to its use, which is necessary if the coating
coating on porcelain surfaces. These gauges must be calibrated for RTV has been kept in storage for some time. Thick coatings must be thinned
on porcelain and checked prior to use. with a solvent in the field to facilitate spray application. In the field,
3.8 COVERAGE thinning is time consuming and requires the use of solventsat the work
place. Furthermore, field application is not very conducive to careful
Coatingcoverage depends upon the thickness tn be achieved, solids measurement of additives, which means that every pot of coating has
content of the HVIC and on waste. Although several manufacturersof the potential of having a different consistency Therefore, it is best to
~ v ~ r e c o m m e n thicknessof
da 0.5mm,inactualpractice,coating thick- specify a coating which comes ready-to-useafter simple mixing.
ness tends to be on the high side. In addition, all HVlC that is available
today is offered as a solvent suspensionin which case the solids content 4.3 EQUIPMENT TYPE
is always less than 100%. Usually, a solids content of 70% is available RTV silicone rubber coatings can be applied with conventional air
while higher solids content coatings will require dilution with solvent spray or airless spray equipnieiit. One commonly used type of system
in the field. is a steel pressure pot fitted with an air-poweredagitator and with dual
Loss of material comes about largely through spray application, air regulators, one for coating and one for air. The steel pressure pot
which unfortunately,is the only practical way of coatinga complete sub- does not need to be stainless. The agitator ensures that the solids stay
station. Some spray systems have very little overspray and are recom- in suspensionthroughout the spray application.The mixer is also quite
mended to minimize waste. In liveapplicationofHVIC, oversprayusing useful in dispersing filler which has settled-out during storage as the
airless equipmentcan be quite significant. However, in de-energized ap- filler can quite simply be scooped out of the can and added to the liquid
plications a high volume, low pressure spray gun is normally used and in the pressure pot. Disposable plastic liners for the pressure pot will
is one that minimizes waste. certainly reduce clean-up time.
4 APPLICATION GUIDELINES h order to minimize averspray and therefore material loss, a hi@
volume low pressure (HVLP) spray gun is normally used. An air fil-
After performance, the ease of applicationis the second most impor- ter which removes oil and other contaminants from the compressed air
tant characteristic of an RTV coating. Application considerations include supply is highly recommended. In very humid environments,a drier
insulator preparation, material preparation, equipment and energized to remove moisture from the air supply will reduce the formation of
application. These conditionshave a significant impact on the cost of an skins in the pressure pot and spray gun. The manufacturer's speciiica-
application project. tion as to the orifice of the spray head will be required. This is normally
 IEEE Transactions on Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation Vol. 6 No. 5,October1999 609

-1.0 mm. Also, a recommendation as to the pressure settings on the It was concluded that the blackened regions of the RTV coating are
coating andon thegunmustcomefrom themanufacturer of thecoating. very likely related to corona near the HV terminals of the post insula-
Cleaning of equipment can be done using a number of different sol- tors. In addition, the black sections are hydrophilic and most certainly
vents, including, naphtha and mineral spirits. Simply substitutesolvent would reduce the insulationstrength to that of uncoated porcelain. Un-
for coating and spray into an empty can to clean the coating line and til a more permanent solution comes about, the top half of a select num-
spray gun. If a plastic liner is used, no cleaning of the pot is necessary ber of posts in the switchyardwere recoated with RTV.
as the liner can simply be removed and discarded. It is important to 5.2 NORTH EAST UTILITIES
ensure that the equipment used remain dedicated for silicone coating.
Other coatings may leave residues which may contaminate silicone. In September 1985, a hurricane accompanied by high winds and
blowing salt from Long Island Sound struck the Millstone 345 kV
4.4 ENERGIZED APPLICATION switchvard, which is located ~ 7 5 m0 from the station. Flashovers oc-
Coating systems dispersed in non-flammablesolvents may be ap. curreiin the switchyard and on the transmission lines that exit the
plied to energized equipment using an airless spray system and a hot- switchyard, Concern was expressed by the Nuclear Regulatory Com-
stick. This must be done under strict supervision and performed onlv mission asked to come up with a bothe Problem.
bv crews experienced in live-line work. Tests were conducted bv EPRI’s HV TransmissionResearch Center on
’ Airless s~rayequipmentavoidsthe problems associatedwith pot life porcelain insulators coathd with RTV. The tests indicated that the RTV

in conventional air spray equipment. However, as deposition rates are coating would prevent flashovers from occurring, and EPRI made this
generally higher than withconventionalair spray equipment,overspray recommendation to Northeast Utilities. The utility followed the recom-
is generally somewhat greater. mendation and all the insulators in the switchyard were coated. The
insulators have been coated since early spring of 1988. No flashovers
It should be noted that energized application does not Permit thick- have occurred to date although degradation of the coating was observed
meawement and material loss is much higher than with mnven- in 1994. In late 1994, Northeast Utilities contracted the Electrical Insu-
tional application lation Research Center at the University of Connecticut to investigate
the degradation of the RTV at Millstone. The tests showed that the coat-
5 OPERATIONAL EXPERIENCE ing had depolymerized to the point that properties normally associated
Throughout the world, numerous transformer and switchyard insu- with RTV coatings had been lost. The coating showed putty-like charac-
lators as well as overhead line insulatorshave been coated with RTV sil- teristics and most of the intermediate molecular weight species which
icone rubber coating. The majority of the applications have been at or provide hydrophobicity had been reduced to lower molecular weight
below 230 kV. The experience to date has been exceptionally good with species which ace volatile and soluble in water. The coating was found
few problems reported. In a few situations,because of the type and ex- to wet appreciably within five minutes, in contrast to virgin material
treme conditionsof contamination, RTV coatings require regular water which withstands wetting for several hours. Along with depolymeriza-
washing inorder tomaintain their hydrophobic surface. However, there tion, crackingof thecoating wasobservedand insomecases,right down
are a few noteworthy examples which are discussed in this Section 114- to the porcelain 1171.
161. The study concluded the service life of the coating would be substan-
tially less than the life indicated by the supplier. Recoating of the ex-
5.1 BOSTON EDISON isting layer was not recommended and removal of the putty-like layer
The Pilgrim 345 kV substation is situated 0150 m from the Atlantic would be necessary in the near future. It was suggested that the degra-
Ocean. Prior to theapplication O ~ R T Vcoating totheswitchyard posts in dation of the coating at Millstone is probably due to acid rain [l7],
1987, this substation experienced between one and two flashovers per 5.3 FLORIDA POWER
year. After coating, no flashovers attributed to contamination occurred CORPORATION
at the substationfrom 1987to 1990. In 1991, one flashover occurred dur-
ing a storm. After the flashover, part of the switchyard was cleaned in Prior to coating with RTV rubber in 1987, the Oxy#2 and #3 substa-
order to prevent further outages. However, the switchyardexperienced tions experienced three to four outages a year due to phosphate con-
multiple flashovers in 1992 and in 1993. After the flashovers in 1992, all tamination. Two different suppliers of RTV coating was applied to new
of the insulators in the switchyardwere washed. insulators as per instructions provided by the suppliers. All contam-
An investigation into the flashovers showed that the RTV surface cov- inated and previously greased insulators were changed out with the
ering the first two or three sheds from the energized end were black in newly mated RTV insulators.
color. 011posts that were fitted with a corona ring, the discoloration In IW, flashovers occurred on equipment in one of the substations
was not as severe. The blackening on the longer leakagepost insulators where RTV coating had been applied. Uponinvestigating the problem,
generally had less blackening than those with shorter leakage distance. the coating was found to be peeling off the insulators. In 1991,the coat-
Furthermore, the coating in this region no longer exhibited hydropho- ing was removed by dry cleaning with lime under high pressure. The
bicity However, the hydrophobicnature of the coating on the rest of the posts were then coated with another product. These substations have
insulator was very evident, been in service since with no flashovers recorded to date,
610 Cherney et al.: RTVSilicone Rubber Coatings for Outdoorlnsulators

5.4 ONTARIO HYDRO fields. Prior to coating, the 345 kV switchyard experienced approxi-
mately one flashover every three months. The utility coated the insu-
Hamilton Beach transformer station (TS) is located right in the cen- lators in 1990 and have not had any flashovers in the station since that
ter of one of the most polluted sites in Ontario. The 230 kV transformer time.
station has a history of operating problems caused by dirty insulators.
Extra long leakage insulators are installed there. The staff at this station 6 USER CONCERNS
lead the rest of OntarioHydro in their aggressive use of power washing Of the concerns that users have in using RTV silicone rubber HVIC,
to keep these insulators clean. However, their efforts were frustrated surely the greatest one evolves around on how long the solution will
when one of the important customers served from Hamilton Beach TS last. As the labor cost to simply clean the insulators and apply the coat-
lost considerableproduction after winter-fog weather in January and ing is quite high, users must look for a long performance lifetime in or-
February, 1994. der to recover their costs. Other concerns dealing with the removal of
About four times a year in southern Ontario, cold spells end with a the coating, reapplication and possible damage to equipment are rela-
warm front that brings fog or freezing rain, The moisture freezes any tively minor.
surface pollution to the insulator, leaving a thin, dirty layer of ice. On
warming, the insulators start to scintillate and flashover becomes im- 6.1 LIFE
minent. During long cold spells, insulators are not washed naturally The end-of-life of a coating has been defined by some as its ability
Contaminationbuilds up rapidly, sometimes reaching flashover levels to prevent flashover. This definition does not refer to life but to coating
within one week. As yet, it is not possible to wash a large station that performance.
often, and procedures have not yet been developed to wash in freezing
weather. There are a few applications where coating performance has been
less than desirable because of the high rate of contamination build-up
The winter-fog chamber at Ontario Hydro Technologieswas used to and insufficientnatural washing. These applicationsare generallyquite
verify the problemwithHamilton Beach TS insulators. Insulatorscoated close to the source. In theseapplications,coatingperformancecanbe ex-
with HVIC was evaluated a possible solution. The coating was found to tended by maintenance cleaning which obviously will not be required
improve the electric strength to levels comparableto new silicone rub- as often as on uncoated insulators. In these applications, the contam-
ber insulators and it was found that the coating also protects the brittle inant is generally cement-like in form and readily forms a thick crust
glazed surfaces from mechanical damage during flashovers. on coated insulators. This type of contaminant layer does not bond to
In August of 1994, the insulators at Hamilton Beach TS were coated. the rubber layer and is easily removed by high pressure water wash-
Over the winter months during weather conditionsconducive to flash- ing. On uncoated insulators, contaminant of this type readily bonds to
over, the station remained quiet with no signs of discharge activity To the surface of the insulators and cannot be removed by water washing.
date, no flashovers have been recorded on coated insulators. Removal on uncoated insulators is normally done by high pressure dry
blast techniques at considerablecost.
5.5 WASHINGTON PUBLIC POWER Coating life is more accurately defined as the condition in which hy-
drophobicityis no longer transferred to deposited layers or where main-
The WPN-2 nuclear power plant has been in operation since 1984. tenance becomes no different from uncoated insulators.
One flashover occurred in the 500 kV switchyardin 1989; the event was
attributed to over spray from the generating station’s cooling tower. Various studieshave been conductedon silicone materialsin order to
The coolant used is river water which has a high concentration of cal- elucidate the question of life. However, to-date no answers have been
cium carbonate. Prior to the flashover, insulator contaminationfrom this offered. Some commercial coatings have been in service for 10 years or
source was not perceived to be a problem. The decision was made to more withlittle or no evidence of showing “end-of-life”.There are how-
clean the insulators annually Shortly after the water washing program ever, special conditions that must be considered and these are corona
got underway a second flashover took place only three months after wa- degradation and coating reversion.
ter washing. 6.2 CORONA DEGRADATION
In response to these two flashovers, a research program to investigate
In some designs of station posts, corona discharge occurs from the
possible solutions was initiated at the Bonneville Power Administration hardware at the energized ends of the insulators. This corona is in air
Ross Complex H v Laboratories. Tests were done on various coatings. and sometimes may impinge on the porcelain glaze. However, as the
The decision to coat all of the insulators with HVlC was made on the energy is quite low, the porcelain glaze is not affected. This is not the
basis of this coating showing the best performance in the artificial con-case when the porcelain has been coated with RTV and the coating can
tamination tests that were performed by BPA.
be expected to age.
5.6 HOUSTON LIGHTING & POWER The aging mechanism is one in which heat from corona discharges
results in splitting off of organic groups and in the presence of ozone,
The nuclear generating station, South Texas Project, is located in a leads to an ever increasing degree of cross linking which manifests it-
rural area approximatelythirty miles from the Gulf of Mexico. The con- self by increased coating hardness. In time, the coating becomes brit-
tamination in the area is road dirt and agricultural fertilizer from the tle in the affected area and prone to crack resembling dried mud which
IEEE Transactions on Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation
extends below to unexposed coating. Although diffusion of free fluid
is the mechanism of hydrophobicrecovery, prolonged corona exposure
will eventually form a wettable silica layer on the surface. When this
occurs, the coating has reached its useful life and should be removed,
but only in the affected area.
This problem can be avoided by the use of properly selected corona
rings at the line end of porcelain station post insulators.
6.3 COATING REVERSION
The polysiloxane chain is generally considered to be hydrolytically
stable but there does seem to be evidence that the weathering of the
polymer is best accounted for by a slow depolymerizationthat occurs
in the presence of moisture and accelerated by the presence of acid rain
Hydrolysis causes random scission of the polymer chain leading to a
rapid decrease of molecular mass. Temperature is a factor and electri-
cal stress could possibly also contribute to speed up the process. The
reduction of the polymer to a sticky mass is called reversion.
For reversion of a coating to take place, moisture must reside within
the coating. In other words, the coating must be porous stemmingfrom
improper application, the use of certain types of fillers that increase
moisture up-take or a problem in the coating formulation.
A simple test for reversion of a coating applied to porcelain is a boil-
ingwater test. AfterboilinginwaterforlOOh,mostcoatingswillexhibit
some softening,but they should not reduce to a mass that resembles or-
dinary putty
6.4 RE-APPLICATION
Coatings that do not show reversion may be re-coated after water
cleaning. However, in some applications,a detergent will be necessary
to aid in the cleaning. A coating that has lost its life may be removed us-
ing conventionalmethods for dry cleaning of porcelain insulators. Once
thecoating hasbeenremoved,new materialmayheapplied without any
further preparation.
7 STATUS OF STANDARDS
Currently, there are no standards committees involved in the writing
of standards for RTV silicone rubber coatings. The only group that is
looking at preparing a guide is the IEEE Dielectrics and ElectricalInsu-
lation Society's Outdoor Service Environment Committee 5-32-3. This Manuscript was received on 26January1999, in revised lorm 14 April 1999.
committee is in the process of drafting an application,maintenance and
Vol. 6 No. 5, October 1999 611
evaluation guide for RTV silicone rubber coatings for outdoor ceramic
insulators. A draft guide (P 1523) has been submitted.
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