Electric field distribution in glass and porcelain

pin insulators
Paul Taklaja, Ivar Kiitam, Jaan Niitsoo

Joni Klss, Petri Hyvnen

Department of Electrical Power Engineering

Tallinn University of Technology
Ehitajate tee 5, EST-19086 Tallinn, Estonia
[email protected]

Department of Electrical Engineering and Automation

Aalto University
P.O. Box 13000, FIN-00076 Aalto, Finland
[email protected]

Abstract Distribution grid reliability depends heavily on

insulation coordination of medium voltage overhead lines (OHL).
Adequate knowledge of OHL insulators is needed to improve
distribution grid performance. This paper discusses the
distribution of electrical fields in 24 kV pin-type porcelain and
glass insulators. To visualize the electric fields affecting the
insulators, computer simulations were conducted. The
simulations results were compared to previously conducted
lightning impulse puncture withstand tests. The comparison
showed that the electric stress in the insulators was not sufficient
to cause puncturing, but in the laboratory tests, puncture did
occur in some insulators.
Keywords electric field simulation; flashover; pin insulators;
puncture; volt-time characteristic

Previous research has revealed that breakdown parameters

of new porcelain pin insulators depend strongly on the polarity
of the voltage impulse. When a porcelain insulator is stressed
with a negative voltage impulse with a steep front, the
probability of puncture is rather high [2]. It is desirable to
achieve an equal breakdown strength for both negative and
positive impulses. To attain this, the electric field distribution
in porcelain insulators needs to be improved in order to reduce
the effect of polarity of steep front voltage impulses on the
insulator.
COMSOL Multiphysics software was used to analyse
electrical field distribution in pin insulators and identify the
most stressed areas. In the simulation, models of widely used
porcelain and glass insulators were used.

I. INTRODUCTION

II. DIELECTRIC PROPERTIES

Medium voltage (MV) overhead lines (OHL) are an

inseparable part of distribution grids in most countries. The
relative importance of OHL is larger in rural areas, where
consumers are scattered and the relative number of consumers
supplied by one line is small. In this case, using underground
cable lines (UGC) is not practical due to disproportionately
high building expenses. Therefore it is reasonable to use OHL
in these areas also in the future. The Estonian distribution grid
is a fine example of a distribution grid in which the proportion
of OHL is large. Presently, the distribution grid of Estonian
consists of nearly 80% OHL and 20% UGC.

Dielectric characteristics of porcelain and glass pin

insulators are influenced by multiple factors, such as the
production process of the material, dimensions of the insulator,
service time, quality of assembly etc. Compared to porcelain
pin insulators, the values of dielectric characteristics of glass
pin insulators do not vary as much.

18% of MV OHL outages in Estonia from 2007 to 2009

have been caused by insulator failures [1]. To reduce the risk of
insulator failure, it is essential to improve the insulation
coordination in distribution grids to obviate long outages for
consumers. One possibility to achieve this is to use insulators
which have sufficient dielectric strength and creepage distance.
Pin insulators are designed so that during an overvoltage, a
flashover arc occurs, rather than a puncture arc. Under some
conditions, however, puncture is more likely to occur, e.g. in
case of steep front voltage impulses caused by lightning strikes
to OHL phase conductors or near the lines. If the insulator is
punctured, it permanently loses its insulating and mechanical
properties, making it possible for a permanent earth fault to
occur, removing the line from service and causing prolonged
outages to consumers.

The dielectric strength of solid materials can vary over a

large scale of values. The dielectric strength also depends on
the type of voltage the material is subjected to. Data from
various sources on the dielectric properties of porcelain and
glass, including the dielectric strength depending on voltage
types is given in Table I.
The different dielectric strengths are defined as follows:
The dielectric strength of an isotropic insulating material in a
given physical condition is the maximum value of the electric
stress which it can withstand without breaking down [9]. The
puncture strength of insulators shows the value of AC voltage
which causes a puncture arc in the insulator. Impulse puncture
strength characterizes the insulators ability to withstand rapid
voltage impulses such as those caused by lightning. Practical
breakdown strength is an estimate of electric field strength that
most likely causes breakdown in a solid dielectric. It can be
used for theoretical estimations, but in real devices voltage
stresses only reach approximately 2% of this value for solid
dielectrics under normal operating conditions, to ensure
reliability of the insulation [5].

978-1-4799-7993-6/15/$31.00 2015 IEEE

The homogeneity of electric fields also contributes to the

dielectric strength of insulating materials. The dielectric
strength characteristics of porcelain and glass in homogeneous
and inhomogeneous fields are presented in Fig. 1. The figure
shows that the dielectric strength of porcelain is not affected by
the homogeneity of electrical field (Fig. 1, lines 2 and 3) as
much as the dielectric strength of glass (Fig. 1, lines 1 and 4).
As nonuniform fields require a lower value of voltage for
breakdown to occur at any distance between electrodes, the
main task while designing an insulator is to keep the shape of
the electric field in the insulator as homogeneous as possible,
especially when the insulator is subjected to exceptionally
strong electric fields, as in case of lightning strikes.
TABLE I.

DIELECTRIC CHARACTERISTICS OF PORCELAIN AND GLASS

[3,4,5,6,7,8]

Porcelain

Toughened Glass

Dielectric strength
kV/mm

35-160

140-200

Puncture strength
kV/mm (AC 50-60 Hz)

6-30

16-25

Impulse puncture
strength kV/mm (1/5 s)

40-50

170-220

Practical breakdown
strength kV/mm

125

Relative permittivity
(AC 50-60 Hz)

5,0-7,5

Puncture in insulators usually leads to a permanent ground

fault or short circuit via the puncture propagation path.
Toughened glass insulators are designed to shatter during
puncture and annealed glass is less likely to shatter when
punctured. Puncture, however, is generally uncommon in glass
insulators due to the higher dielectric strength of insulator
glass. When puncture occurs in a porcelain insulator, it cannot
always be detected by visual inspection. The breakdown
propagation path in porcelain insulators might be hidden by
conductors, making detection of the faulty insulator difficult.
Mechanical imperfections related to the manufacturing of
porcelain insulators may originate from any of the process
steps, e.g. blending the raw materials, dehydrating the cake,
hot-pressing or glazing and may lead to premature failure in
service. Therefore it is essential to test the dielectric durability
of the insulator after manufacturing. Throughout service life,
aging and contamination of the insulators takes place, gradually
degrading the insulators properties. Regarding the structure of
insulators, it must be considered that they are not mounted
directly onto the rod on the supporting beam. A less than
perfect fit would cause mechanical stresses that would break
the porcelain or glass upon installation or afterwards. An
intermediate connecting substance is used to fit the insulator
onto the rod. In the simulation those materials are hemp
cellulose paper (for simplification assuming that hemp
cellulose paper and hemp fibers electric properties are similar)
for the glass insulator and nylon for the porcelain insulator.
III. ELECTRIC FIELD SIMULATION

3,8-10,0

Electric field distribution simulation was implemented to

two widespread types of glass and porcelain pin insulators in
Estonia. 3D models of insulators, the attached conductors and
supporting beams are presented in Fig. 2. The conductor line is
side-tied to insulators.

Fig. 2. 3D figure of simulated insulators. Porcelain insulator on the left and

glass insulator on the right.

Fig. 1. Breakdown voltages of glass (line 1 and curve 4) and porcelain (line 2
and curve 3) relative to the thickness of material in homogeneous (lines 1 and
2) and inhomogeneous field (curves 3 and 4) [11].

The static models of electric field distribution were

simulated to examine the results of previously conducted tests
on insulators [2, 12]. In the previous tests, the volt-time
characteristics of porcelain pin insulators were determined and
several porcelain insulators were punctured in the process.

Fig. 3. Insulator cross-section with field strength in kV/mm for insulator test voltage (125 kV) simulation. Left: porcelain insulator, right: glass insulator.

Fig. 4. Porcelain insulator cross-section with field strength for 270 kV

simulation.

Fig. 5. Glass insulator cross-section with field strength for

290 kV simulation.

The precise process of a puncture arc is relatively difficult

to simulate due to electrodynamic phenomena which
accompany rapid changes in electric fields such as those which
accompany ionization processes. Using the static model to
simulate dynamic electric fields is not fully accurate, because
the processes that precede a disruptive discharge in a dielectric
medium distort the initial field resulting from the voltage
impulse. Therefore the shape of the cumulative electric field is
different than the initial field. Static simulation can, however,
help determine the areas under most electric stress in the
insulator.
TABLE II.

RELATIVE PERMITTIVITY OF MEDIUMS USED IN THE

SIMULATION

Medium

Relative permittivity
1
6
6
4
3

Air
Porcelain
Glass
Nylon
Hemp
TABLE III.

ELECTRIC FIELD STRENGTH IN VARIOUS LOCATIONS ACROSS

THE GLASS INSULATOR AT 125 KV (FIG. 3. RIGHT INSULATOR)

Location
A Conductor tie
(inner)
B Conductor tie
(outer)
C Pin connection
D Sheds
E Pin entrance
F Sheds
(line-side)
G Pin connection
(line-side)
H Conductor
(outer)
I Conductor
(inner)
J Connector

Electric field,
kV/mm

Impulse withstand
strength, kV/mm

4.7

170

6.5

3.0

5.5
1.6
3.6

170
3.0
3.0

1.8

3.0

5.8

170

4.9

3.0

4.4

170

19

14

TABLE IV.
ELECTRIC FIELD STRENGTH IN VARIOUS LOCATIONS ACROSS
THE PORCELAIN INSULATOR AT 125 KV (FIG. 3. LEFT INSULATOR)

Location

Electric field,
kV/mm

Impulse withstand
strength, kV/mm

A Conductor tie
(inner)
B Conductor tie
(outer)
C Pin connection
D Sheds
E Pin entrance
F Sheds
(line-side)
G Pin connection
(line-side)
H Conductor
(outer)

4.3

40

5.0

3.0

4.5
1.7
5.4

40
3.0
3.0

2.0

3.0

5.4

40

6.0

3.0

I Conductor
(inner)
J Connector
K Air gap

3.7

40

12
8.5

14
3.0

TABLE V.

ELECTRIC FIELD STRENGTH IN VARIOUS LOCATIONS ACROSS

THE PORCELAIN INSULATOR AT 2U50 (270 KV) (FIG. 4.)

Location

Electric field,
kV/mm

Impulse withstand
strength, kV/mm

A Conductor tie
(inner)
B Conductor tie
(outer)
C Pin connection
D Sheds
E Pin entrance
F Sheds
(line-side)
G Pin connection
(line-side)
H Conductor
(outer)
I Conductor
(inner)
J Connector
K Air gap

9.6

40

11

3.0

14.3
3.8
16

40
3.0
3.0

4.4

3.0

13

40

3.0

40

26
19

14
3.0

TABLE VI.

ELECTRIC FIELD STRENGTH IN VARIOUS LOCATIONS ACROSS

THE GLASS INSULATOR AT 2U50 (290 KV) (FIG. 5.)

Location

Electric field,
kV/mm

Impulse withstand
strength, kV/mm

A Conductor tie
(inner)
B Conductor tie
(outer)
C Pin connection
D Sheds
E Pin entrance
F Sheds
(line-side)
G Pin connection
(line-side)
H Conductor
(outer)
I Conductor
(inner)
J Connector

11.3

170

15

3.0

15
3.8
8.5

170
3.0
3.0

4.1

3.0

15

170

11.5

3.0

10.4

170

22

14

A characteristic quantity used in studying the volt-time

characteristics of insulators, U50, is the voltage level where the
probability of flashover for an impulse is 50%. It may be
considered the inception voltage of flashover. If the U50
voltages vary notably for impulses of positive and negative
polarity, it can be concluded that the electric field in the
insulator is unevenly distributed. A voltage level on 2U50 is
required for testing the puncture withstand of pin insulators
[10].

The simulations were carried out with three different

voltages: 1) peak line voltage (34 kV), 2) insulator testing
voltage (125 kV) and 3) puncture test voltage (2U50).The
values of relative permittivity used in the simulation are
presented in Table II. The impulse withstand strength of
connecting mediums of both the porcelain and glass insulators
is 14 kV/mm. The impulse puncture strengths are the minimal
values given in Table I.
The values of electric stress attained in the simulations for
125 kV and 2U50 tests are given in Tables III-VI. The values
are sampled from locations of most interest (Fig. 3-5.) where
the electric field stress was largest. These are referenced with
characters A to J for glass insulator and A to K for porcelain
insulator. The locations where the electric stress exceeds the
impulse voltage withstand strength are marked in bold in the
tables.
It can be ascertained that in the 125 kV test, the electric
field is strong enough to cause breakdown in the air
surrounding the insulator at various locations, the air gap near
the connector of the porcelain insulator and the nylon buffer
used for fitting the insulators onto the support rod.
In the puncture voltage tests, the electric field is strong
enough to cause breakdown of air around the insulator, as well
as the hemp and nylon around the support rod.
None of the simulations, however, indicated that the
electric stress is high enough to cause puncture in the porcelain
or glass insulators. The most critical parts in the porcelain were
stressed at 14.3 kV/mm, which is approximately 36% of the
minimum theoretical impulse puncture strength. The ratio is
lower for the glass insulator, where the largest recorded stress
was 15 kV/mm, reaching 9% of the minimum puncture
withstand strength. Relying only on simulation results,
puncture shouldnt occur at all in either type of insulator. The
following reasons may be proposed as to why a number of
porcelain insulators in previous experiments punctured:
1) The
puncturing.

electrodynamic

processes

that

accompany

Considering that the air gap K would break down as the

voltage impulse approaches its peak value, a significant
amount of electrical stress would be transferred to the porcelain
part between A and C, greatly increasing field strength
compared to the static model. Breakdown and charge
accumulation at other locations near the conductor and support
pin would also contribute to distortion of the electric field, so it
is probable that at some locations the impulse puncture strength
is exceeded, resulting in a puncture arc.
2) The porcelain was of inferior quality or had
preexisting defects
If a number of new insulators puncture, it would indicate a
problem with the manufacturing quality of the insulator.
Further tests to determine any problems with the material of the
insulators should be carried out.

3) The actual permittivity of the materials is different

than specified in the simulation.
It is widely known that permittivity of the dielectric
materials can vary greatly depending on component mixture of
raw materials and also applied frequency of voltage.
The actual permittivity of the given insulators was not
measured, so it likely differs somewhat from the approximate
values used in the simulation.
IV. CONCLUSION
To examine results from previous lightning impulse
puncture tests on MV pin insulators, a computer simulation of
static electric field distribution was conducted. It indicated that
the electric stress relative to puncture strength was higher in the
porcelain insulator than the glass insulator, but not high enough
to cause puncturing. The computer model does not take into
account the dynamics of the electric field as puncture develops,
but these changes are relevant to actual puncturing processes. It
should be further investigated how the electric field changes
and what are the actual voltage stresses that the insulators are
subjected to during voltage impulses.
It is also possible that the design of the porcelain insulators
and/or the quality of the materials is not sufficient for
withstanding the required tests. Further examination of the
punctured insulators should reveal any deficiencies in the
insulator material.
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