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Comparing Methodologies to Detect Damaged

Composite Insulators
Insulators
September 3, 2021  11 min read

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As the rate of application of composite insulators on overhead lines continues to spiral

upward, accurate methods to monitor them for critical damage have taken on prime
importance. Apart from the obvious impact on reliability of networks, trustworthy
condition assessment is also important to assure the safety of maintenance personnel
prior to live-line work. Unfortunately, no single diagnostic technique has emerged that
can identify all possible types of damage in a composite insulator. A variety of
complementary tools and procedures must therefore be employed. Those that can be
applied in-service are of greatest interest to power system operators since inspections

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 can be conducted with lines energized. This edited past contribution to INMR by Dr. Igor
Gutman, now with Independent Insulation Group in Sweden, reviewed and compared
alternative techniques.

PFISTERER
Germany

Dalian Insulator Group

T&D Co., Ltd
China

See more suppliers of Insulators for Substation Equipment

Visual Inspection
Visual inspection is probably the most common technique for assessing the state of
composite insulators. It is generally e!ective since many types of surface damage are
easily observed during climbing inspections – or even from the ground, a helicopter or
bucket truck using binoculars. A number of practical guides have emerged to assist
maintenance sta! by providing detailed descriptions of typical defects that can occur
along with selected photos of what specifically to look for.

During visual inspection, utility maintenance sta! must examine the full length of the
installed insulator. To make the process easier, the basic design of a composite

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 insulator is divided into ‘regions of interest’ (see Fig. 1). Reference tables and profile
diagrams are also included so that photos and definitions of interest can be located
quickly with respect to any visible deterioration or damage. Examples of such photos
are shown in Fig. 2. To perform visual inspection, the inspector should ideally be as
close to the insulator as possible or, alternatively, employ binoculars or a telescope.

Fig. 1: Basic design schematic of composite insulator assists field personnel during
visual inspection.

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 Fig. 2: Examples of damage that can be detected visually.

Instrument Based Diagnostics

IR thermography from helicopters is commonly used to verify the condition of
conductor joints along an overhead line. It therefore seems logical to also inspect
composite insulators during the same flyover. In fact, experience has demonstrated
that IR inspection generally results in a higher detection rate of incipient problems than
do other instrument techniques such as UV, acoustic or E-field detection.

Extensive research has been conducted in past years that combined laboratory, field
and in-service inspection of composite insulators with known internal defects. This work
resulted in practical guidelines for IR helicopter inspections that were later verified
under real operating conditions. Nevertheless, there is a need to continue accumulating
information and guidelines recommended: “any polymeric unit showing an internal
temperature rise should be replaced and sliced open to verify the extent of internal
defects”.

The e!ectiveness of IR detection has been confirmed during another program where 39

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 composite line insulators with deliberately placed internal defects were tested under
switching impulses (SI). Preliminary investigation had shown that 11 of these insulators
‘ran hot’, i.e. displayed elevated temperatures during IR inspection. Subsequent
diagnostics using positive SI then confirmed that most were indeed damaged (see Fig.
3). On the other hand, all 22 insulators that ‘ran cold’ successfully passed the SI tests.
Based on this work, it was concluded that, for the specific types of defects investigated,
IR thermal detection is superior to visual inspection or other techniques.

Fig. 3: Evaluation of composite line insulators containing intentionally placed defects by

switching impulse.

Moreover, it has also been demonstrated that helicopter-based IR inspection of

composite insulators is e!ective even under cold and windy conditions. This correlates
with past experiments conducted on defective insulators, presented in Fig. 4 (left). Such
defects had been basically ‘invisible’ to corona cameras as well as image intensifiers, yet
their heat was clearly detectible. Still, experience with IR detection has not always been
consistent. One explanation is that the relative success in detecting an internal problem
may relate to the specific type of defect being investigated. For example, some testing
involved defects intended to simulate conductive or semi-conductive tracking marks or

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 moisture ingress (as in Fig. 4). In other investigations, however, di!erent internal
defects were created through deliberate cracks in the rod or by placing channels
between the rod and the rubber that were filled with lightly conductive moisture.
Another method to simulate internal defect involved placing a semi-conductive strip of
RTV material between the rod and rubber sheath.

Defects were clearly detectable from a distance of about 30m and the resulting
overheating was between 2°C and 40°C, depending on type of defect. In other research,
the defects introduced during manufacture were tracking marks, created by 5-10 mA
currents on the surface of the rods without primer under humid conditions. These
types of defects were also easily detected in the laboratory but the overheating in this
case was about 8°C. Basically, as long as a defect is hidden inside the insulator and
produces heating, IR can be considered the most e!ective diagnostic method. However,
once the internal defect ‘opens’ and starts to produce corona activity (see Fig. 5), ultra-
violet diagnostics become preferable.

Fig. 4: Examples of deliberate internal defects used to investigate e!ectiveness of IR

detection (left: tracking mark/right: channel with conductive moisture).

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 Fig. 5: Example of visible outer crack, originating from deliberate internal semi-conductive
defect after about 2 years in service.

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Light Amplification Devices

Night Vision

Observations of insulators at night with an image intensifier (normally having a light

gain of at least 20,000X) can reveal surface discharges or corona activity. But
development of these devices was only a first step in light-amplification diagnostics
since power companies prefer to conduct insulator testing during the day. Such devices
later appeared on the market as daylight UV cameras or simpler commercially available

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 day or night cameras used for inspecting insulators. A past example came from Eskom
in South Africa, where a camera originally intended for observation of creatures was
used to detect discharge activity along insulators. This camera, equipped with motion
and infrared detectors, automatically starts recording and can therefore also be used to
investigate bird-induced outages (see Fig. 6).

Fig. 6: Example of night/day camera intended to observe animals and birds. Capture of
discharge activity by this device.

Daylight Vision (UV)

Daylight UV cameras allow corona to be identified during the day as well as at night by
blocking out sunlight and then superimposing an image of the corona over the object
being inspected. Although corona discharges can be seen in daylight, it is impossible to
determine their exact location without the ability to overlay the image of the corona
over that of the a!ected insulator or structure. Such cameras therefore employ bi-
spectral imaging using a UV beam splitter to divide the incoming image into two. One
image is sent through the solar blind filter to eliminate sunlight, then through an image
intensifier and a charge-coupled device. The other is sent through a standard video
camera. The two are then processed and combined in a mixer, resulting in an image of
the corona exactly as it appears on the structure or component under investigation.
This makes it possible for maintenance personnel to pinpoint the exact location of
corona and take corrective action (see Fig. 8).

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 Fig. 7: Principle of operation of daylight UV camera.

Fig. 8: Example of detection of defect by daylight

UV camera.

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 Combined UV & IR Vision (Multi-Camera)

The multi-camera allows studying electromagnetic radiation emitted in the visual,

infrared (IR) and ultraviolet (UV) wavelengths. Together with its low weight (2.6 kg) and
portability, the main benefit is the possibility to easily combine UV/visual or UV/IR
images. The device resembles a standard video camera (as in Fig. 9 left) and operates
with three 2D light sensors having di!erent spectral sensitivities (IR, UV and visual light)
– all combined with electronics for control and suitable optics. Signals recorded are
presented as video or still images after processing. The visible and UV channels have a
common line of sight, while the IR channel has a separate aperture. UV mirrors are
used to split and deflect light onto the UV detector. To allow the high level of
amplification needed, collected light is filtered to extinguish wavelengths outside the
band of direct interest.

Fig. 9: View and principle of operation (right) of multi-camera (UV/IR).

The capabilities of the camera for practical measurements in service were confirmed
during field tests performed in Sweden. From these, it was obvious that the camera is a
flexible tool facilitating identification of problems that give rise to corona detectable by
emitted UV radiation. At the same time, the IR channel allows identifying problems
resulting in an abnormal temperature increase. Such a camera is recommended more
for use from the ground (e.g. for inspecting substations) since helicopter fly-by
inspection would likely require more sensitive techniques.

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 Fig. 10: Examples of detection by multi-camera (UV/IR). Left: porcelain cap & pin insulator
with crack near cap; Middle: UV detection; Right: IR detection.

E-Field Measurement
When a composite insulator is electrically defective, the electric field changes in the
vicinity of the defect. A portable, manually operated diagnostic apparatus has been
designed for this purpose and is used with the insulator still in service. The principle of
operation is based on the AC axial electric field along the insulator. The measurement
and recording unit is U-shaped with a mounted field probe. Faulty regions of the
insulator are recognized by noticeable decrease in AC electric field.

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Comparison of Ground/Air Applications

As shown in Table 1, most diagnostic methods discussed above can be performed
either from the ground or from the air.

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 Table 1: Practical Application of Alternative Diagnostic Techniques in Service.

Normally, most aerial inspections of overhead lines are performed by helicopters

moving at speeds of at least 20-30 km/h. Di!erent power companies employ di!erent
techniques, from only fly-by to hovering at the tower. Other flying apparatus, such as
small planes, gyroplanes or even dirigibles can also be considered.

Comparison of On-Line/O!-Line Applications

In order to generate heat (detectable by IR) or corona (observable by UV), the insulator
being inspected should be energized. In the case of certain defects, such as flashunder,
the line might be switched o! and not be able to be re-energized due to the failed
insulator. In such a case, only visual inspection can and should be performed (see Table
2).

A theoretical alternative, as proposed by some in the industry, is to equip insulators

with some kind of flashover indicator, e.g. a bright red colored glass insulator with
special properties so that it would explode if the E-field along the ‘protected’ composite
insulator increases between 20 and 50%.

Table 2: Practical Application of Alternative Diagnostic Techniques – On-Line/O!-Line

Diagnostics Before Live-Line Work

A specific of all live-line work (LLW) is that the critical defect size depends on the
configuration and maximum slow front voltage value assumed during LLW.
 ARTICLES
Investigations BY CATEGORY
have $type defects of up to about a third of the
⌄ conductive
indicated that
insulator length are still acceptable in this regard. Moreover, even if such defects were
ONLINE LECTURES BUYERS GUIDE

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 originally internal, they would most likely induce some visible surface deterioration (as
LABORATORY GUIDE WORLD CONGRESS
in Fig. 5). Therefore visual inspection should always be the first option, even if it could
lead to rather conservative conclusions. Quantitative condition assessment of
CONTACT US GALLERY
composite insulators can be performed using UV/IR cameras while E-field
measurements can serve to increase the level of information in specific cases. Given
this, it should be possible to safely carry out LLW on overhead lines, whether equipped
with ceramic or composite insulators.

Applicability Diagnostic Methods to Di!erent Types of

Insulators
Diagnostics of glass cap & pin insulators is relatively easy since insulators usually fail by
shattering and the damaged stubs can be identified by visual inspection using
binoculars. The matter is more complicated for porcelain cap & pin insulator strings. In
this case pinholes through the porcelain shell and/or between the cap and the pin
cannot be visually identified. Detection of defective units requires diagnostics, such as
so-called ‘buzz testing’, E-field measurement, UV or IR detection. Taking into account
that ‘buzz testing’ is no longer in use at many utilities, the same diagnostic methods are
generally applied for porcelain as for composite insulators.

Summary
The main diagnostic techniques for detecting defective insulators (especially
protected by reCAPTCHAcomposite
type) have not changed appreciably and include: visual inspection
-
and hydrophobicity
Privacy - Terms
assessment; IR detection; UV detection; and E-field measurement. While visual
inspection and hydrophobicity assessment are already quite well standardized, the
other methods rely on experienced professionals, especially when it comes to
interpreting results.

There is no single optimal method for the diagnostics of insulators. IR thermography

and UV detect principally di!erent physical properties (i.e. heat and enhancement of
electric field in the form of corona). A combination of the two or use of a multi-camera
will therefore provide maximum data for the remote inspection of composite
insulators.

Most of these diagnostic methods are applicable from the ground or from a helicopter
used for aerial inspections or indeed a variety of aircraft. All methods should be
performed when the line is energized, however, in cases where this is not possible,

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 special self-destructive devices can be considered. Damaged glass insulators can be
easily detected visually, while in the case of porcelain insulators the same basic
diagnostic techniques are valid as used for composite insulators.

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 FEATURED SUPPLIER: INMR LABORATORY GUIDE

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