HVDC transmission line insulator performance

This report describes research conducted to determine the influence of different parameters on the HVDC performance of insulators in contaminated environments. The development of test procedures which simulate the three aspects of contamination phenomena, namely contaminant deposition, natural washing, and flashover under humidification, are considered. The large volume of data using one type of artificial contamination test method in use at the EPRI High Voltage Transmission Research Facility are analyzed to determine the effect of variables including polarity of applied voltage, insulator string length, nonuniformity of contaminant, type of salt, amount and type of nonsoluble material, and insulator design. Data from tests conducted with natural wetting conditions are also presented.