Date of Award

Spring 2010

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Electrical & Computer Engineering

Program/Concentration

Electrical Engineering

Committee Director

Vishnu K. Lakdawala

Committee Member

Prathap Basappa

Committee Member

Linda Vahala

Call Number for Print

Special Collections LD4331.E55 S257 2010

Abstract

High voltage outdoor insulators form the backbone of modem power systems and therefore play a pivotal role in reliable supply of power. The presence of water droplets/films due to rain, fog, etc. enhances the electric field intensity and leads to electrical breakdown subsequently affecting the longevity of the insulator. The magnitude of surface E-fields necessary for initiation of electrical breakdown is a function of water repellent characteristic of an insulator called hydrophobicity. Thus, knowledge of field distribution around water droplets/films at various hydrophobic levels is significant in designing a better insulating material.

The current research analyzed electric field distributions on wet insulating surfaces under three different scenarios. In the first scenario, a single water droplet on a model insulator is considered with a variation of its contact angle and the insulating material. The second set studied the effect on field distribution in presence of multiple droplets by varying the number, relative positioning and contact angle of the water droplets at extreme levels of hydrophobicity. The last case explored the behavior of water droplets and water films on a practical insulator. Simulation results from Coulomb, a Boundary Element Method based 3-D software, indicated that hydrophobicity is crucial in determining formation of water droplets or water films and hence the stress enhancements that ultimately decide initiation and progression of surface flashover.

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DOI

10.25777/94pt-2w78

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