Abstract
Surface pollution deposition in a high voltage surface can reduce the surface flashover voltage, which is considered to be a serious accident in the transmission of electric power for the high conductivity of pollution in wet weather, such as rain or fog. Accordingly, a rapid and accurate online pollution detection method is of great importance for monitoring the safe status of transmission lines. Usually, to detect the equivalent salt deposit density (ESDD) and non-soluble deposit density (NSDD), the pollution should be collected when power cut off and bring back to lab, time-consuming, low accuracy and unable to meet the online detection. Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) shows the highest potential for achieving online pollution detection, but its application in high voltage electrical engineering has only just begun to be examined. In this study, a LIBS method for quantitatively detecting the compositions of pollutions on the insulators was investigated, and the spectral characteristics of a natural pollution sample were examined. The energy spectra and LIBS analysis results were compared. LIBS was shown to detect pollution elements that were not detected by conventional energy spectroscopy and had an improved capacity to determine pollution composition. Furthermore, the effects of parameters, such as laser energy intensity and delay time, were investigated for artificial pollutions. Increasing the laser energy intensity and selecting a suitable delay time could enhance the precision and relative spectral intensities of the elements. Additionally, reducing the particle size and increasing the density achieved the same results.
Highlights
The insulators were key equipment in transmission lines, in order to mechanically support conductor and give enough insulation space between conductor and tower
The process by which natural pollutions were adhered to the surface of an insulator is affected by the air flow in the environment
The results showed that the typical characteristic elements (e.g., Na, Mg and Ti) were not detected in these samples by EDS
Summary
The insulators were key equipment in transmission lines, in order to mechanically support conductor and give enough insulation space between conductor and tower. After being in operation for in a transmission line, an insulator (ceramic, glass or composite insulator) can accumulate a thick layer of pollutants on its surface due to different environmental factors. Soluble pollutants can be dissolved in water, forming a conductive water film on the surface of an insulator; this process results in the formation of conductive channels on the surface of the insulator, and in turn, reduces the pollution flashover voltage (PFV), thereby causing partial discharge, arc and even flash-over incidents [1]. Methods for detecting the pollution characteristics and pollution level of insulators have been studied for a long time. The Working Group 04 of Study Committee 33 (Over-voltage and Insulation Coordination) of the International Council on Large Electric Systems has recommended
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