Abstract
Surface discharges are precursors to flashover. To pre-empt the occurrence of flashover incidents, utility companies need to regularly monitor the condition of line insulators. Recent studies have shown that monitoring of UV signals emitted by surface discharges of insulators is a promising technique. In this work, the UV signals’ time and frequency components of a set of contaminated and field-aged insulator under varying contamination levels and degrees of ageing were studied. Experimental result shows that a strong correlation exists between the discharge intensity levels under varying contamination levels and degree of ageing. As the contamination level increases, the discharge level of the insulator samples also intensifies, resulting in the increase of total harmonic distortion and fundamental frequencies. Total harmonic distortion and fundamental frequencies of the UV signals were employed to develop a technique based on artificial neural networks (ANNs) to classify the flashover prediction based on the discharge intensity levels of the insulator samples. The results of the ANN simulation showed 87% accuracy in the performance index. This study illustrates that the UV pulse detection method is a potential tool to monitor insulator surface conditions during service.
Highlights
Transmission line insulators are susceptible to contamination flashover, and are a source of power system failure
The UV sensor connected to the PicoScope produces sinusoidal waveform at the output of circuit driver in the absence of any UV signal detected from surface discharges
A low voltage not high enough to produce a discharge was applied to the insulator sample
Summary
Transmission line insulators are susceptible to contamination flashover, and are a source of power system failure. The energy transferred through the transmission line is usually at its highest level to avoid losses since it is transferred over a long distance. Insulators used on transmission lines need to have adequate insulation for the particular voltage level they are operating. They have been designed for that voltage level, environmental factors need to be considered as they affect the insulators’ performance [1]. The environment is one of the main causes of insulator flashover and breakdown in power systems. Aerosols and pollutants deposited on the surface of the insulators cause reduction in insulator surface resistance, thereby leading to the flow of leakage current (LC) [2]
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