Comparative Performance of 11kV Silicone Rubber Polymeric Insulators with HVAC and HVDC Excitations using the Rotating Wheel Dip Test

This paper presents an experimental study of silicone rubber polymeric insulators for 11kV systems using a Rotating Wheel Dip Test (RWDT) based on IEC 62730:2012. The main purpose of this study is to compare the aging performance of polymeric insulators under AC and positive DC excitations. The procedures of the Standards were adopted to perform AC and positive DC tests on different insulator designs. A conventional polymeric insulator design has been selected and compared with insulators having textured surfaces. Textured surfaces have been developed by Cardiff University to increase the creepage distance and enhance tracking/erosion performance. The results of long term testing are obtained, and both voltage and leakage current signals were measured and digitized through a computerized…