SIMULATION OF A REAL HV INSULATOR IN 2D UNDER

AC VOLTAGE

Abstract: Knowledge of the electric field distribution in and around high voltage equipment is a coercive
aspect of the design, operation and performance of high voltage insulators. This could be useful in detecting
insulator faults. The work presented in this mini project, is a general view on high voltage insulators, as well
as their simulation. The specific objectives of our mini project is the modeling and simulation of a 2D HV
insulator artificially polluted to see the distribution of potential and electric field along the insulator was
studied through two-dimensional simulations that were performed with commercial software (COMSOL
Multiphysics) based on the finite element method.

Keywords: COMSOL multiphysics, Isolator, Pollution, Potential and electric field, Simulation.

1. INTRODUCTION :

High voltage equipment in overhead power transmission systems is expected to operate reliably in
all environmental conditions. In particular, insulators, which represent a relatively small percentage of the
cost of overhead lines, are an essential element in the proper operation of these lines. Their role is to
ensure electrical insulation between the parts carried at high voltage or between the high voltage parts,
and the grounded parts.[1]

Electrical power transmission systems can be exposed to the accumulation of pollution throughout
the year. The presence of pollution leads to the degradation of the electrical properties of the transmission
line insulator, and favours the appearance of arcing.

Recently, numerical models based on the finite element method [2] give better results in modeling
the bypass phenomenon of polluted insulators compared to other methods.

Numerical simulation is widely used and offers an alternative to testing, or at least a

complementary means of investigation, interesting for its flexibility and speed [2].
Among the numerical methods available and applicable to the calculations, it is the finite element method
which seems to us to be the best adapted to the problem raised. Thus, its use by means of a commercial
software Comsol multiphysics was retained to carry out the various two-dimensional simulations.

The final objective of our work is to make a numerical simulation of the real model (1512L) in 2D
configuration, in order to determine the distribution of the potential and the electric field along the
pollution surfaces by using numerical tools. A conclusion will come to end this mini project.

2. GENERAL INFORMATION ON INSULATORS:

They are found in all low, medium or high voltage electrical networks, hung on the top of each
tower (figure 1). The electrical insulators are generally brown in colour, white or green depending on the
material used ( porcelain or glass ).

1
They have two main functions (electrical insulation and mechanical support for electrical cables).

Figure.1 Overhead line and HV insulator

2.1 DEFINITION AND ROLE OF AN ISOLATOR:

Insulator is a solid insulating material that has a very high resistance to current flow and virtually
zero conductivity. It is used to insulate conductors or live parts to prevent short-circuiting, current loss
and electrocution charges.[3]
The insulator has a double role:
Ø Mechanical role: the insulator allows the conductor to be attached to the metal support structure which
is not under tension.
Ø Electrical role: to insulate the conductors from the tower.

2.2 MAIN TYPES OF INSULATORS:

Two main types of insulators can be distinguished:

2.2.1 RIGID INSULATORS :

This type of insulator provides a rigid connection between the support and the cable. It consists of one
or more insulators embedded and sealed between them, they are fixed to the pylons by fittings of different
shapes (Figure 2). They are mounted on pylons either vertically, horizontally or obliquely (inclined). But
this type of insulators is used for overhead lines that do not exceed the voltage level of 60 kV.[3]

1 2

1 Bell 2 Rod housing

Figure. 2 Cross-section of a
rigid glass insulator

Ceramic and glass are the two materials used for rigid insulators.[1]

2
2.2.2 INSULATOR CHAIN :

An insulator chain consists of several elements such as a cover and rod or other elements (Figure
3). These elements are mainly subjected to tensile forces. They are generally used in suspension and form
either vertical (alignment) or horizontal (anchorage) insulator chains[1,3].

R : Ball joint
P : step

Figure. 3 Ball joint assembly

The cap and rod insulator consists of an insulating block with a sealed malleable iron cap at the top
and a fluted steel rod with a conical head also sealed in glass (or porcelain) at the inside. The lower end of
this rod is rounded and sized to fit into the cover of the next element, where it is held by a pin. The
assembly consists of sealing the cap and dielectric with cement, and then sealing the rod and dielectric.[4]
The cross-section of the cap-stem insulator is shown in Figure 4.

C C: Cover (steel)
D: Dielectric (tempered glass or ceramic)
D T
M: Portland or aluminous cement mortar
M
T: Rod(steel)
𝜀 L: Shortest distance in air, outside the
insulator
𝜀:Length of the perforation channel, 𝜀<<

C C
D
M
D
M

T
T

Figure. 4 Insulator with cover and rod.

3
Different profiles of cap-and-rod insulators:[5]

Standard profile Fog profile

This type is widely They are

used in medium recommended for
pollution areas. areas of medium and
pollution.

Flat profile Spherical profile

The spherical shape makes it

This type of insulator
more resistant to vandalism
is highly recommended
and cleaning becomes easy
for desert areas.
and efficient.

Figure. 5 Different profiles of cap and rod insulators

3. SELECTION OF INSULATORS :

Insulators account for a very modest percentage of the price of a medium-voltage overhead line,
around 7%. However, they are an essential element on which operating safety, quality and continuity of
service depend.

The most suitable insulators for a given environment are those that retain the lowest level of
pollutant deposits, i.e. insulators with the best self-cleaning properties. Even when well chosen, an
insulation is never safe from an incident:
• The severity of pollution at a site can change,
• The appearance of a new factory near a post ,
• The construction of a nearby road structure or, more simply, an exceptional meteorological event
can increase, permanently or temporarily, the pollution of a site, while a substation or a line is already in
operation there.[6]

4
4. POLLUTION PHENOMENA :
Pollution is a serious problem for the insulation of high-voltage structures, which must be taken
into account when designing the insulation of high-voltage lines.
Pollution causes a layer to form on the surface of insulators. These pollution layers, when wetted,
significantly reduce the resistivity of the insulators which leads to the decrease in their withstand
voltage.[3]

5. SOURCES OF POLLUTION :

We distinguish three kinds of pollution:

• Natural pollution,
Ø marine pollution,
Ø desert pollution,
• Industrial pollution,
• Mixed pollution.[1]

6. CONSEQUENCES OF POLLUTION :

The contaminant layers that accumulate on the surface of the insulators cause surface electrical
conductivity. This changes the potential distribution along the creepage distance. Depending on the
atmospheric conditions (light rain, fog, etc.), the dielectric breakdown voltage of the air can be reached
between two points on the insulating surface, leading to the initiation of an electric arc which short-
circuits part of the creepage distance. Four cases can occur depending on the stresses to which the
insulator is subjected [5]:

6.1 POLLUTION DEPOSIT :

The deposit particles are carried by the wind and concentrate between the ribs or around the hood
(Figure 6).

zoom

Figure. 6 Deposition and evolution of the

pollutant.

6.2 HUMIDIFICATION OF THE POLLUTION :

Fog and condensation from light rain gradually change the surface of the polluted insulator
without washing. These conditions are called critical (figure 7). During the wetting cycle, the
leakage current increases to a maximum value, but decreases if drying takes place.

5
 i

Figure 7 Moistening of the pollutant deposit

and creation of a leakage current.

6.3 DEVELOPMENT OF DRY AREAS AND THE APPEARANCE OF ARCHES :

The leakage current density is much higher near the insulator fittings. By Joule effect, the
temperature rises, the water evaporates and the deposit becomes less conductive. The current is then
greatly reduced in amplitude by the presence of a "dry band".
The distribution of the potential on the insulator is modified by this dry band, because the largest
portion of the electrical potential is transferred to the terminals of this dry band. If the width of the dry
band is insufficient to support the corresponding potential, an arc is created (Figure.8), [5].

Figure 8 Arc and dry band.

6.4 ARC BEHAVIOR:

The resistance of the wetted deposit R, in series with the arc, limits the current and the length of
the arc (Figure 8). If the current is too low, the arc will be extinguished, the dry strip will moisten again
and the mechanism will repeat itself. As long as the leakage current does not exceed the so-called "critical
current" corresponding to a "critical length" of the arc, this situation remains stable (Figure 9). Otherwise,
bypassing of the insulator may occur. [5]

Figure. 9 Arc regime under pollution.

6
7. SIMULATION OF THE REAL MODEL :

COMSOL Multiphysics is a widely used tool in various research areas [7], as it facilitates the
modeling and simulation steps: definition of geometry, physical properties of the materials present and
boundary conditions, meshing, solving and displaying the results. Moreover, the software does not require
extensive knowledge in mathematics or numerical analysis.

It is then sufficient to specify in which domain (electromagnetism, heat transfer, acoustics, ...) and
in which regime (stationary, temporal, ...), the model must be built. This software uses the finite element
method, the simulation of the 1512L cap and rod insulator which is used in desert areas by SONELGAZ
for high voltage lines (220 kV) can be summarized in the following four successive steps:

• The first step is to define the entire two-dimensional geometry of the isolator through a FEMM 4.2
program which will then be taken to COMSOL and in two dimensions. (Figure 10).

Leakage line (polluted case)

Hood

Portland
Glass
Pollution areas

Cement
Stem
Creepage (clean case)
292mm+14mm (cement)

Figure.10 Isolator 1512L in Comsol 2D

software

• The second step is to define the electrical properties of the materials present. This consists in defining
the relative permittivities and the volume conductivities for each part of the insulator (cap, rod,..... etc). In
addition, the boundary conditions must be defined, which are expressed by the potential imposed on each
electrode (Dirichlet conditions) (figure 10).
• The third step is devoted to solving the problem by applying the numerical method and constructing
the system of equations(∇# 𝑉 = 0), introducing the factors of each part of the equation.
• The last step consists in displaying the results as electric potential and field with their moduli as a
function of creepage distance. (Figure 10).

The 1512L insulator consists of three parts with different properties: glass with a relative
permittivity of 6, aluminium electrodes with a relative permittivity of 1000000 and a conductivity of
369000, attached to alternating polluted layers with a relative permittivity of 80 (representing a saline
solution), and whose conductivity we will vary. The air surrounding the insulator has a permittivity of
1.0005.

Concerning the mesh, the density of the finite elements is important for the critical regions (close
to the insulator surface) where a higher accuracy is required, because the electrical properties of the
materials are very changeable. Indeed, we considered 15668 elements and after refining the mesh has
62672 elements, with a computation time of 7.722 s in the case of a clean and dry insulator, and 62688
elements after refining when it is polluted.

7
 Clean case Polluted case

Figure. 11 Mesh size of the 1512L isolator

7.1. ELECTRICAL POTENTIAL STUDY :

We were interested in the determination of the potential distribution along the real 1512L model, as
a function of the conductivity. For this purpose, we introduced in the software, in addition to the values of
conductivity already considered in the reference [7] during the tests (70, 3000 µS/cm) the case in which
the pollution is concentrated in the parts protected against self-cleaning factors (ribs). To illustrate the
impact of a conductivity parameter (δ), we plot the potential versus leakage line of the real model for
different conductivities.
The voltage was kept constant and equal to 30 kV. This allows to simulate the behaviour of a 220 kV line
insulator string.
Figures 12 and 13 show the variation of the electric potential on the leakage line and the electric
potential distribution for different conductivities.
Electrical potential (V)

Trailing line (cm)

Figure. 12 Electrical potential as a function of the leakage

distance of for different conductivities.

The potential is high for the high voltage electrode and then decreases as one moves away from the
ground electrode (0V). In the case of the clean and polluted model, 30kV is the maximum value of the
voltage, shown around the active electrode, and then decreases linearly as it moves away from this
electrode towards the ground electrode where the potential is cancelled. For a σ = 70, 3000 µs/cm,
8
the curves of the potential are confused. In the clean case, the potential curves are closer to that of σ = 70,
3000 µs/cm. we note that the variation of the conductivity of the polluted layer has no effect on the
potential along the insulator's creepage distance. No difference was observed comparing the potential
obtained for two cases: clean and polluted insulator.

In figure 12, a slight variation of the potential due to the appearance o f a polluting layer inside the
ribs which reduces the length of the creepage distance.

Clean case

70 µS/cm

3000 µS/cm

Figure. 13 Distribution of the electric potential

for different conductivities
9
7.2. ELECTRIC FIELD STUDY :

Many researchers have studied the electric field [7-9].

For a constant voltage of 30 kV, Figures 14 and 15 illustrate the distribution of current variation
along the insulator's electric field creepage distance for different conductivities.

field vector

Clean case

70 µS/cm

3000 µS/cm

Figure 14 Electric field distribution for different

conductivities.

We have some results:

• The electric field is not affected by the surface conditions (dirty or clean) of the insulator.
10
• The electric field lines diverge from the active electrode (directed from the HV electrode to the ends of
the insulator and converge towards the ground electrode), the system becomes less rigid and the
conductivity of the insulator surface increases.
• In the vicinity of the active electrode, the electric field is intense and decreases as it moves away from
the active electrode and towards the ground electrode. In addition, the electric field lines diverge (from
the HV (active) electrode to the ground electrode). In the area near the active electrode, the electric field
isstrong and almost zero in the clean areas shown in Figure 14.
• The electric field intensity is very high, especially when the model is polluted, in the insulator cover
(figure 15).
• The change in conductivity (70.3000 µS/cm) has a slight influence on the electric field strength, the
shape remains the same.
Electric field (V/cm)

Trailing line (cm)

Figure.15 Electric field as a function of the creepage distance of

for different conductivities.

8. CONCLUSION:

This study allowed us to acquire knowledge on the phenomena of conduction and electrical
discharges on insulating surfaces.

Our work focused on the study of the electric potential and field distribution along the 1512L
insulator leakage line. To do so, we used the COMSOL Multiphysics software, based on the finite
element method. This study allowed us to conclude that:

• We can say that the conductivity of the pollutant layer has practically no effect on the distributions of
the electric potential and field. On the other hand, the surface condition of the insulator influences the
electric field distribution. The latter is higher when the insulator is polluted.
• The maximum value of the field is obtained when the insulator is polluted.
• The electrodes of a real insulator model are equipotential and the potential value is always fixed.

11