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Insulators

Installation of insulator

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Malik Khurram Shehzad
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18 views

Insulators

Installation of insulator

Uploaded by

Malik Khurram Shehzad
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Electrical Power Transmission

Insulators

Dr Muhammad Shahzad
Insulators
• The overhead line conductors should be supported on the poles or
towers in such a way that currents from conductors do not flow to
earth through supports i.e., line conductors must be properly insulated
from supports.
• This is achieved by securing line conductors to supports with the help
of insulators.
• The insulators provide necessary insulation between line conductors
and supports and thus prevent any leakage current from conductors to
earth.
Insulators
• In general, the insulators should have the following desirable
properties :
a. High mechanical strength in order to withstand conductor load, wind
load etc.
b. High electrical resistance of insulator material in order to avoid
leakage currents to earth.
c. High relative permittivity of insulator material in order that dielectric
strength is high.
d. The insulator material should be non-porous, free from impurities
and cracks otherwise the permittivity will be lowered.
e. High ratio of puncture strength to flashover.
Insulators
• The most commonly used material for insulators of overhead line is
porcelain but glass, steatite and special composition materials are also
used to a limited extent.
• Porcelain is produced by firing at a high temperature a mixture of
kaolin, feldspar and quartz.
• It is stronger mechanically than glass, gives less trouble from leakage
and is less effected by changes of temperature.
Types of Insulators
• The successful operation of an overhead line depends to a
considerable extent upon the proper selection of insulators.
• There are several types of insulators but the most commonly used are
pin type, suspension type, strain insulator and shackle insulator.
• Pin type insulators: The part section of a pin type insulator is shown
in Fig. 8.5 (i). As the name suggests, the pin type insulator is secured
to the cross-arm on the pole.
Types of Insulators
• Pin type insulators:
• There is a groove on the upper end of the insulator for housing the
conductor.
• The conductor passes through this groove and is bound by the
annealed wire of the same material as the conductor [See Fig. 8.5 (ii)].
• Pin type insulators are used for transmission and distribution of
electric power at voltages up to 33 kV.
• Beyond operating voltage of 33 kV, the pin type insulators become too
bulky and hence uneconomical..
Types of Insulators
• Causes of insulator failure.:
• Insulators are required to withstand both mechanical and electrical
stresses.
• The latter type is primarily due to line voltage and may cause the
breakdown of the insulator.
• The electrical breakdown of the insulator can occur either by flash-
over or puncture.
Types of Insulators
• Causes of insulator failure.:
• Fig. 8.6 shows the arcing distance (i.e. a + b + c) for the insulator.
• In case of flash-over, the insulator will continue to act in its proper
capacity unless extreme heat produced by the arc destroys the
insulator.

• In case of puncture, the discharge occurs from conductor to pin


through the body of the insulator
Types of Insulators
• Causes of insulator failure.:
• When such breakdown is involved, the insulator is permanently
destroyed due to excessive heat.
• In practice, sufficient thickness of porcelain is provided in the
insulator to avoid puncture by the line voltage.
• The ratio of puncture strength to flashover voltage is known as safety
factor i.e.,

• It is desirable that the value of safety factor is high so that flash-over


takes place before the insulator gets punctured. For pin type
insulators, the value of safety factor is about 10.
Types of Insulators
• Suspension type insulators:
• The cost of pin type insulator increases rapidly as the working voltage
is increased.
• Therefore, this type of insulator is not economical beyond 33 kV.
• For high voltages (>33 kV), it is a usual practice to use suspension
type insulators shown in Fig. 8.7.
Types of Insulators
• Suspension type insulators:
• They consist of a number of porcelain discs connected in series by
metal links in the form of a string.
• The conductor is suspended at the bottom end of this string while the
other end of the string is secured to the cross-arm of the tower.
• Each unit or disc is designed for low voltage, say 11 kV. The number
of discs in series would obviously depend upon the working voltage.
• For instance, if the working voltage is 66 kV, then six discs in series
will be provided on the string.
Types of Insulators
Suspension type insulators (Advantages):
• Each unit or disc of suspension type insulator is designed for low voltage,
usually 11 kV. Depending upon the working voltage, the desired number
of discs can be connected in series.
• If any one disc is damaged, the whole string does not become useless
because the damaged disc can be replaced by the sound one.
• The suspension arrangement provides greater flexibility to the line. The
connection at the cross arm is such that insulator string is free to swing
in any direction and can take up the position where mechanical stresses
are minimum.
Types of Insulators
Suspension type insulators (Advantages):
• Suspension type insulators are cheaper than pin type insulators for
voltages beyond 33 kV.
• In case of increased demand on the transmission line, it is found more
satisfactory to supply the greater demand by raising the line voltage than
to provide another set of conductors. The additional insulation required
for the raised voltage can be easily obtained in the suspension
arrangement by adding the desired number of discs.
Types of Insulators
Strain insulators.
• When there is a dead end of the line or there is corner or sharp curve, the
line is subjected to greater tension. In order to relieve the line of excessive
tension, strain insulators are used.
• For low voltage lines (< 11 kV), shackle insulators are used as strain
insulators.
• However, for high voltage transmission lines, strain insulator consists of
an assembly of suspension insulators as shown in Fig. 8.8.
Types of Insulators
Strain insulators.
• The discs of strain insulators are used in the vertical plane. When the
tension in lines is exceedingly high, as at long river spans, two or more
strings are used in parallel.
Types of Insulators
Shackle insulators.
• In early days, the shackle insulators were used as strain
insulators.
• But now a days, they are frequently used for low voltage
distribution lines.
• Such insulators can be used either in a horizontal position or
in a vertical position.
• They can be directly fixed to the pole with a bolt or to the
cross arm. Fig. 8.9 shows a shackle insulator fixed to the
pole.
• The conductor in the groove is fixed with a soft binding wire.

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