Global experience of HVDC composite insulators in outdoor and indoor environment

Abstract High-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission is known as green-energy transfer technology and has recently become an attractive alternative of high-voltage alternating current (HVAC) due to its high-power transmission capability and lower power loss. Use of composite insulators on direct current (DC) transmission lines experienced rapid growth in recent years due to their high hydrophobicity and better performance in contaminated environment than conventional ceramic insulators. During their service operation on DC lines, insulators are prone to more accumulation of contaminants due to unidirectional electric field. The contaminants under wet conditions allow leakage current to flow on the insulator surface. Being organic in nature, polymeric insulators have a tendency to age under the combined effects of electrical and environmental stresses. To fully understand the long-term aging performance of DC composite insulators, a detailed survey was considered necessary. Towards that end, this paper critically summarizes worldwide experience of aging performance of composite insulators in the field as well as in laboratory conditions.