Insulator Design for High Altitude Lines

August 24, 2018June 25, 2019 publisher min read

Transmission lines the world over often have to traverse mountain ranges or plateaus situated at
least 1000 m above sea level. In China, for example, it is estimated that some 60% of the country
lies at this altitude or higher. In such cases, design of transmission and distribution systems has
to take into account the fundamental changes in insulation performance that are associated with
high altitude. This past INMR article, contributed by Professor Guan Zhicheng, recently retired
from Tsinghua University’s Shenzhen Campus, discussed these changes as well as research on
this topic conducted in China.

Areas with low air pressure and thin air impact the operation of electrical lines since voltage
decreases with altitude – whether air gap discharge voltage, corona inception voltage or pollution
flashover voltage. Moreover, the higher the altitude, the more problematic this will become in
terms of the performance of line insulators, or indeed any high voltage insulation.  

It is well known that, as altitude increases, changes in air pressure, temperature and humidity will
all exert some influence on discharge voltage. However, it is the change in air pressure that is the
most significant as well as the most consistent of these variables in terms of its effect.

When it comes to evaluating insulator performance, pollution flashover voltage is obtained when
the humidity surrounding the test object reaches saturation. The influence of atmospheric
humidity can therefore be ignored. Similarly, the regularity of temperature change as altitude
increases is not always obvious. Pollution flashover testing is performed in a fog chamber where
temperature is often different from ambient. Accounting for the influence of temperature on
pollution flashover of insulators is relatively complex and remains a subject of debate. Indeed, no
temperature correction factor is presently applied when it comes to insulator pollution flashover
voltage.

Given the above, current research on how altitude impacts insulator performance tends to focus
on the influence of air pressure – not humidity or temperature. The correlation between altitude
and this parameter is shown in Table 1 below (obtained from actual measurements).

Table 1: Changes in Air Pressure & Relative Density with Altitude

Altitude Sea Level 1000 m 2000 m 3000 m

Average Air
Pressure 0.1013 0.0897 0.0794 0.0704
(MPa)

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 Ave. Air
Pressure 760 673 596 528
(mmHg*)

Average
Relative Air 1.0 0.901 0.812 0.732
Density

*1 mmHg = 133.3224 Pa

Experts from a variety of countries, including Japan, Russia, and Canada have studied the
influence of air pressure on insulator pollution flashover voltage and proposed that the correction
for air pressure be expressed using an equation. In it, the parameter, n, reflecting the value of the
air pressure correction, is obtained by testing. Most agree with an n value of 0.5 for a normal
design of insulator and 0.6 for an anti-pollution design under AC voltage or 0.35 in the case of
DC.

U(p)=U(p )(p/P )
0 0
n

As early as the beginning of the 1980s, Tsinghua University and Chongqing University began
research into insulator pollution flashover characteristics under high altitude conditions of low air
pressure. Utilizing relatively small-scale tanks, pollution flashover tests were conducted to better
understand and evaluate the influence of air pressure (altitude) on the pollution flashover
characteristics of a variety of different types of insulators.

Recent UHV transmission projects in China have only accelerated research into how best to
select external insulation at high altitude. Along with this has come rapid improvement in the
facilities available for this purpose. For example, two large-scale air pressure tanks have been
built and put into service in Beijing and in the central city of Wuhan. In the case of the Beijing
facility, the tank body (consisting of a circular metallic structure of 20 m diameter and 25 m
height) can simulate an altitude of up to 5500 m. Moreover, it is capable of performing not only
icing and melting tests on insulators but also full-scale UHV pollution flashover tests under both
AC and DC. The new facility in Wuhan, which has the same tank dimensions but is made of
reinforced concrete, has also conducted numerous insulator pollution and icing flashover tests at
simulated high altitudes.

China Southern Power Grid – one of the two major Chinese grid operators – set up a pollution
laboratory in the southern city of Kunming at an altitude of 2100 m. The hall there measures 26 m
x 28 m x 30 m and can carry out flashover testing at up to ± 1000 kV DC and 800 kV AC. In fact,
Tsinghua University and the China Southern Power Grid’s Technical Centre have recently begun
a joint research project at this facility to study the pollution flashover characteristics of ± 800 kV
full-size suspension as well as station post insulators having different materials and profiles.

For its part, the State Grid Corp. of China built a test base in Yangbajing, Tibet, where the
altitude is more than 4000 m. This facility includes a pollution laboratory and fog chamber of 9 m
x 9 m x 11m and can do testing for ± 200 kV in DC and 200 kV in AC. The air pressure tanks in

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Beijing and Wuhan as well as the new high altitude test bases in Kunming and Tibet serve to
complement one another. For example, the air pressure tanks artificially simulate high altitude
and low air pressure to evaluate its influence on insulator pollution flashover behavior. Test
results from the two high-altitude test sites can then verify these findings. At the same time,
insulator pollution flashover experience under the high altitude conditions of the test bases can be
directly applied during project design.

In China, universities, research institutes and power grid operators have all conducted tests on the
tendency of insulator pollution flashover voltage to decrease as altitude increases. Pollution
severity during the course of these tests has ranged from low to high, including both AC and DC
flashover tests. A lot of test data has been obtained in the process and, while the actual figures
may differ somewhat from one test to the next, basic tendencies have been the same. For
example, all these tests have confirmed that the value of the exponent n, (quantifying the
influence of air pressure on pollution flashover voltage) depends not only on the voltage being
applied, but also on type of insulator (whether porcelain, glass or composite), its shed profile and
the severity of the pollution.

In this regard, tests were conducted by Tsinghua University on four different designs of
suspension insulators, with findings for the resulting exponent n values for the different profiles
shown below. Designs of these insulators were classified as: (a) XS-4.5, (b) XP-16, (c) XP3-16
and (d) XWP2-16.

Test results showed that the n value for the type a insulator (with a relatively simple profile and
no edges on the lower surface) is comparatively small. Moreover, n values for this insulator vary
quite a bit under different pollution severities. It was also found that the n value of the anti-
pollution type d is not necessarily higher than for the common type b and type c insulators.

Fig. 1: Results of high altitude performance tests on four different suspension

Chongqing University, China EPRI, China Southern Grid, and the Xi’an High Voltage Apparatus
Research Institute all performed separate statistical analyses of the n values obtained from these
tests measuring influence of air pressure on pollution flashover voltage (and which included an
AC pollution flashover test as well as a negative polarity DC pollution flashover test). There were
a total of 80 test samples of AC suspension insulators, and the distribution of n values obtained is
shown in the histogram of Fig. 2. These n values follow a normal distribution, with the average
being 0.49.

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A similar approach was then applied to AC post insulators and here the average n value was 0.48
(i.e. very close to that for suspension insulators). The average n value for DC suspension
insulators, however, was 0.27, which is significantly lower than for AC.

Fig. 2: Distribution of n values obtained from

The influence of altitude (air pressure) on pollution flashover voltage is usually expressed using
the formula referred to earlier, which is basically an empirical formula to statistically process test
data. The physical meaning of n is not that clear. Tsinghua University has therefore proposed that
the equation below be used instead.

U(p)=(1-Kh)U(p ) 0

The physical meaning of K in this case is to show the percentage of pollution flashover voltage
decrease for every increase of 1000 m in altitude, while h expresses the relevant multiple of 1000
m. Comparing the two formulas, the following correlation between K and n can then be obtained:

K= {1-(p/p ) }/h
0
n

Based on the data from Table 1, the correlation between K and n can be calculated as per this
formula and is shown in Fig. 3.

Fig. 3: Correlation between K and n.

For example, given the n value is 0.5, compared with flat areas (near sea level), the pollution
flashover voltage of insulators at altitudes of 1000 m and 2000m will be reduced by 5.7%
and 11.4% respectively. The diagram also assigns a more direct picture of the physical
meaning of an n value.

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Research at Tsinghua University has found that there are two basic reasons behind change of
pollution flashover voltage as air pressure changes. One is that the volt-ampere characteristic of
an electric arc changes with air pressure and second is the influence of the electric arc bridge
flashover across the insulator’s profile, or sheds.

Research measuring the influence of shed profile on insulator pollution flashover characteristics
at the high altitude test base in Tibet found that electric arc bridging the insulator profile has two
distinct components: stable electric arc bridges and also electric arc breakdown in air. The first
type – stable bridging electric arcs – are not easily extinguished and move due to external forces
such as electromagnetism and thermal buoyancy. As the arc root moves, there is increased risk of
a shortage of enough discharge distance, leading to flashover.  

The second type is a ‘span bridge’. In this case, the passage of the arc is not the result of partial
discharge but rather caused by breakdown of the air gap outside the insulator profile. This arc
span bridge leads to a growing shortage of sufficient discharge distance and therefore a decrease
in flashover voltage. Research found that the more shed profiles protruded and the shorter the
distance between them, the higher the probability of the arc span bridge and the more significant
the decrease in flashover voltage.

In high altitude areas, this ‘span bridge’ between insulator sheds is the type more likely to
occur and therefore this imposes a more demanding requirement in terms of ideal insulator
profile. In other words, those insulators that perform well near sea level are not necessarily
equally suitable for service in mountainous areas.

how to choose the right insulators (high altitude) 

Foru SearchFAQsLink MVPs

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https://www.eng-tips.com/

how to choose the right insulators (high altitude)

29 Oct 04 11:40

A question.

How do I specify the correct number or characteristic of insulators for a transmission line, at 3700 meters
(12200 feets) over the sea, working at 69 kV.

The catalogs of insulators show the Critical FlashOver and not the BIL.

I understand that, to specify the insulation of the line I choose 350 kV of BIL at sea level and correct it at
the actual atmospheric conditions, but the catalog do not show the BIL, just CFO.

Thanks.

cuky2000 (Electrical) 29 Oct 04 13:08

practice.

Beware that most electrical apparatus derating start after 1000 m (~3000 ft). However, for insulator some
literature suggests start at sea level while others suggest start at 1500 ft.
Some of the most popular recommendations for altitude correction factors for insulators are described
below:

a)Empirical Rule    For Disk Insulators, a practical rule a 3% increases in clearance or insulator strings’
length per 1000 ft as elevation increase.

b)    IEEE Std 1312: "Standard for Preferred Voltage Ratings for Alternating-Current Electrical Systems
and Equipment Operating at Voltages Above 230 kV Nominal."
              
                                   ACF = e-Ht/8600
Where: ACF= Altitude correction Factor; Ht = the altitude in meters.

c)     DIN EN 60071-1 (VDE 0111Part 1):

                                   Ka = em.H/8150

 Where: Ka= Altitude correction factor, H =altitude in meters and m= factor for contamination (1=clean insulator, 0.5<m<0.8 for contaminated insulator) .