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The effect of High Temperature Conductors on

Composite Suspension Insulator performance
R. J. Hill, Member, IEEE

 Operation of conductors at these high temperatures will

Abstract--Use of high temperature conductors is being
considered by more and more electric utilities as a means to
increase transmission line capacity. This has raised questions
regarding the effect of these increased temperatures on the
performance of all components attached to the conductor,
including the insulators. This paper presents the results of
laboratory studies of several suspension insulator assemblies to
determine the temperatures reached at various locations on the
conductor attachment hardware and on the end fittings of
composite insulators. Once these temperatures were determined
for the targeted conductor temperatures, their effect on the
mechanical performance of the insulators was measured.
obviously result in higher operating temperatures for all
hardware components connected to the conductors, including
the insulators. This paper outlines a test program designed to
determine actual temperatures reached at various locations in
several typical non-ceramic insulator assemblies of interest to
utilities in the U.S. The primary objective of the work was to
measure temperatures at the insulator end fitting/rod interface,
and then to determine if these temperatures result in any
concerns about the long term mechanical performance of the
insulators.

Index Terms—Composite Insulators, High Temperature Portions of the data presented in this paper are included in
Conductors CIGRE Technical Brochure 331 [1].

I. INTRODUCTION II. EXPERIMENTAL

W hen electric utilities are faced with decisions regarding

how to increase transmission corridor capacity, a
number of factors must be considered. Re-building existing
A. Test Procedure
A high current test loop was designed to heat the conductor
for these tests. Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of the test setup.
lines to add capacity is one possibility, but is often expensive,
requiring new structures, additional right-of-way, etc.
Utilizing high temperature conductors is an alternative solution
that is being considered by many utilities. Because this
Test Conductor
approach can often utilize existing structures and right-of-way, Insulator Assembly
reconductoring is often significantly less expensive than a line
re-build.

Bus Conductor
Conventional ACSR type conductor is typically operated at 4000A Supply

temperatures up to 75°C. This conductor is comprised of

alloyed aluminum strands which are reinforced with an internal
3 meters
steel cable. The mechanical strength of the conductor is
provided by both the steel cable and the aluminum conductor,
which changes properties above about 95°C. By contrast, a
high temperature conductor such as ACSS utilizes fully Fig. 1. High Current Test Loop
annealed aluminum conductor which is very soft and does not
provide mechanical strength. In this case the steel cable Several insulator configurations were evaluated, including a
provides all of the mechanical strength, and the temperature suspension configuration, a deadend and a braced line post.
limits are based on the characteristics of the steel core rather Results on the deadend and braced post configurations are
than the aluminum conductor. ACSS conductor is rated for included in [2]. This paper focuses on the results for the
continuous operation at 200°C, with some types available for suspension insulator configuration, since it represented the
use at 250°C. worst case regarding the maximum temperatures reached at the
insulator end fitting. Fig. 2 shows the details of the tested
assembly.
R. J. Hill is with MacLean Power Systems, Franklin Park, IL 60131 USA
(bhill@macleanpower.com)

Fig. 2. Suspension Assembly
Thermocouples were mounted at various locations on the
assemblies, including each hardware component and the line
side end fittings of the insulators. The temperatures were
continuously monitored with sampling every 60 seconds.
Typically, nine locations were monitored during each run. Fig.
3 is a close up of the hardware of the suspension configuration
showing the locations of several of the thermocouples.
Fig. 3. Thermocouple Locations
B. Temperature Profiles
As expected, the drop off in temperature between the
conductor and the insulator was significant in all test cases.
The worst case (highest temperature at the insulator end
fitting) was the “I” string suspension insulator, which had the
most direct connection to the conductor. Only one piece of
2
connecting hardware, an eye-socket connection, was used
between the suspension clamp and the insulator end fitting.
Figure 4 shows that the maximum temperatures reached with
this assembly was 59°C after approximately twelve hours.
Conductor temperature was 210 - 215°C. Continuing the test
for an additional 48 hours did not result in further temperature
increase.
250
200
Temperature, Degrees C
Conductor
150
100
End Fitting
Ambient
50
0
0 5 10 Hour 15 20 25
Fig. 4 Temperature profile of conductor and end fitting
This assembly consisted of Falcon 1590 MCM conductor
and a simple aluminum suspension clamp. In practice, the
utility would typically use armor rod for conductor protection,
and a larger suspension clamp to accommodate the increased
diameter. Testing of this more typical system resulted in an
end fitting temperature of 50°C, a reduction of almost 10°C.
Insertion of an additional piece of hardware (approximately
70mm in length) between the suspension clamp and the
insulator resulted in an end fitting temperature of 38°C.
C. Insulator Testing
The temperatures measured at the insulator end fitting in the
worst case (suspension insulator assembly, without armor rod)
were only slightly in excess of the 50°C currently specified in
IEC 61109 for the thermal mechanical test [3]. This test
subjects the insulator to a thermal cycle sequence (+50°C to -
35°C) while the insulator is under tension at the RTL (Routine
Test Load) mechanical rating. To evaluate the effect of
increased end fitting temperatures on insulators under
mechanical load, the IEC 61109 cycle was conducted using
75°C as the upper temperature extreme. Destructive tensile
testing after this test procedure showed that the insulators
maintained their original mechanical strength ratings.
Mechanical strength of insulators at elevated temperatures
has also been evaluated. This data, shown in Fig. 5 for units
rated at 50,000 lb. SML (Specified Mechanical Load),
demonstrates that there is little change in strength at the
temperatures of interest in this study, which are well below the
glass transition temperature, Tg, of the resin system used in the
core rods.
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Avg Tensile Strength

60000
IV. BIOGRAPHIES
R. J. Hill (M’84) is employed by MacLean Power Systems as Materials
and Product Manager, Non-Ceramic Insulators. He is active in numerous
IEEE Insulator Working Groups, as well as NEMA and ANSI activities
related to insulator standardization. Mr. Hill also is a member of CIGRE
55000 working groups B2.03 and C4.3.03, and is active in IEC insulator
25 50 75 100 standardization activities, serving on IEC TC36WG11, TC36WG12,
TC36B/MT10 and TC36C/PT62231-1.
Test Temperature, DegreesC

Fig. 5. Elevated Temperature Mechanical Strength

Additionally, a mechanical test on the 25,000 lb SML rated

suspension insulator used for the heat run tests resulted in an
ultimate strength of 32,500 lbs., which is equivalent to values
obtained on unaged insulators of this design. This insulator
had been connected to conductors operated at 200°C -250°C
for approximately 200 hours during this investigation.

D. Conclusions

Although the data presented is valid only for the assemblies

(and insulators) tested, the following general conclusions can
be made:

1. Conductor temperatures of 215°C resulted in maximum end

fitting temperatures of 59°C on I-string suspension
configurations without armor rod. For the more typical
assembly using armor rod, 50°C was the maximum
temperature measured.

2. Addition of hardware components can significantly reduce

end fitting temperatures in any assembly.

3. The end fitting temperatures measured in this study do not

have a significant effect on the mechanical performance of the
insulators tested.

III. REFERENCES

[1] “Considerations relating to the use of high temperature

conductors”, CIGRE Technical Brochure 331, October
2007.

[2] M. R. Maroney and R. J. Hill, “High temperature

conductors and their effect on composite insulator
mechanical performance”, CIGRE Fourth Annual
Southern Africa Regional Congress, October 2001.

[3] Composite suspension and tension insulators for a.c.

systems with a nominal voltage greater than 1000V –
Definitions, test methods and acceptance criteria, IEC
61109 Ed.2, 2008.
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