Development of a pollution flashover model for 11 kV porcelain and silicon rubber insulator by using COMSOL multiphysics

The reliable operation of transmission line depends on the condition of insulators. The condition of the insulator depends on the pollutants deposited on the surface of the insulator. Prediction of flashover voltage at different conditions is an important task in order to judge the health condition of insulators. Investigating the performance of insulator at every contamination level by experimental process is time consuming. So development of a precise simulation model is very important to predict various flashover performances. In this paper, a finite element method based approach has been proposed to develop a simulation model, which is mainly based on arc Obenaus model and Hapmton criteria. Finite element method analysis has been done by using COMSOL multiphysics software and MATLAB. To conduct the experimental and simulation study, two different types of insulator are used. Different temperature, pollution levels and hydrophobic classes are considered during flashover simulation technique. With the help of AR model leakage current, the residual resistance of the porcelain insulator has been determined. It has been found that arc constants are the most important factors for different types of insulator. Arc constants for the silicon rubber insulator are also determined in the present work to facilitate the simulation model. To validate the model simulation, results are compared with practical results obtained from laboratory experiment.