Naturally Polluted Insulator Test Stations: Complement or Alternative to Standardized Artificial Ageing Testing
IEC TCs have been working to update standards relating to test procedures for insulators under very harsh desert, industrial and marine conditions, particularly Artificial Pollution Tests for ceramic insulators and Ageing Tests for composite insulators. But no single laboratory test procedure can simulate the combination of many different environmental parameters. Rather, assessing relative performance of different insulator designs and materials at energized naturally polluted test stations has become increasingly accepted. This presentation, based on years of 25 years experience at outdoor test stations in Tunisia, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Pakistan, compares the ‘pros’ and ‘cons’ of insulator testing based on artificial laboratory tests and at naturally polluted insulator test stations.