CIGRÉ 1996 : 33-302 O

NEW APPARATUS SET UP AT ENEL TO MONITOR POLLUTION DEPOSIT

AND PILOT CLEANING OPERATIONS ON OUTDOOR INSULATORS

G. MARRONE * F. MARINONI

ENEL s.p.a. /DSR - CRE

ITALY

shank and sheds are hollow. By the inside

SUMMARY
circulation of a refrigerating fluid the surface
temperature of the insulator lowers to the dew point
Most utilities have demanded in these last years
of the surrounding air, condensation occurs and the
monito-ring systems able to survey the severity of
pollution deposit is moistened. An electronic
the pollution deposit on insulators and alert when
control leads the process, checking the surface
this parameter rea- ches a preset level. Cleaning
conductance current and stopping the insulator
operations are to be carried out at the alarm time on
cooling when no increase of this current is any more
insulators so that surface withstand is recovered and
noticed. It is therefore prevented any washing effect
flashovers are prevented.
which could alter the deposit conditions. The surface
A part of the devices built so far monitor the
conductance value determined at the stop of the
polluted condition of a sample insulator, exposed in
cooling is recorded and compared with the pre-set
the area of the electric plant whose insulators are to
alarm level.
be watched, in a position chosen as representative of
The subject apparatus offers positive advantages in
the site. In some devices the sample insulator is
comparison with the other solutions. It does not
periodically lowered in a tank where its surface
employ any washing or humidification chamber with
deposit is washed off and dissolved in a given water
the moving parts needed to put inside the sample
volume, whose conductivity is then measured. The
insulator every time the pollution measurement is to
conductivity will increase in time owing to the
be performed. Moreover cooling makes the pollution
cumulative effect of the consecutive immersions of
deposit wet in a very gradual and uniform way, just
the insulator in the same washing water. In
like dew naturally does on insulators in service. The
apparatus more recently devised the deposit, instead
process is apt to be strictly controlled so that any
of being washed off from the insulator surface is
deposit washing is prevented and the representativity
artificially wetted on it, having the insulator
of the probe insulator is maintained in time. In
periodically put into an apposite humidification
addition to these favourable characteristics the
chamber. The deposit severity is then evaluated by a
apparatus has a cost lower than the other devices'
surface conductance measurement, whose result by
even considering the more sophisticated among
means of the forced wetting is no longer dependent
them. By providing a few electric plants properly
on the natural humidity conditions.
chosen in a region with the apparatus, a sentinel net
A new monitoring apparatus designed and set up at
will be organized able to pilot the maintenance of
ENEL employs as a probe insulator a special glass
the insulators in operation in all that region. The
unit, with a post type shape and a height of 30
subject paper describes the characteristics of this
cm, whose
innovative monitoring apparatus and refers the
positive results both of the laboratory tests carried
* ENEL - Centro di Ricerca Elettrica, via Volta 1,
out on it and of a field experience in progress.
20093 Cologno Monzese - (MI).
Fig. Overall diagrammatic view of the monitoring apparatus
KEYWORDS
Pollution monitoring apparatus, probe insulator,
refrigerating fluid, Peltier modules, artificial
condensing, insulator maintenance.
1. INTRODUCTION
Monitoring devices were initially developed to
determine the highest pollution severity reached in
an area so that insulators to be applied there could
be correctly dimensioned and selected. Then
implemented monitor devices were set up to record
the evolution of the deposit severity on insulators
with the time.
A general survey on the matter is found in a recent
Electra paper [1] examining the pollution
monitoring devices now available for use according
to the information supplied by various utilities,
manufacturers and laboratories. In that paper the
devices are grouped in classes depending either on
the parameter monitored (ESDD, surface
conductance, leakage current) or on the main use the
device is intended to. As for the performance
evaluation, the devices producing the artificial
wetting of the pollution layer on a sample insulator
before measuring its surface conductance are deemed
the most apt to watch the evolution of the deposit
severity versus time.
Fig.2 Sketch and photo of the probe insulator. Internal arrangement of
the probe and flowing route of the refrigerating fluid
To the aforesaid class belongs the apparatus recently
designed and manufactured at ENEL. From the
acronym of a concise description of its functioning
and aim (Artificial Moistened Insulator for Cleaning
Organization) the apparatus is named AMICO. The
realization of this apparatus took benefit of the
experience collected by the survey carried out at
ENEL in the eighties in a number of sites of the
national territory [2] [3] [4]. At that time an
automatic device was applied measuring at pre-set
intervals the surface conductance on three sample
insulators of different shape, exposed in a site and
submitted to not any moistening action other than
the natural ones. More than twenty units of the
subject device were used in that survey; besides the
monitoring unit after a time long enough of
recording was usually moved from one site to
another.
2. DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW
APPARATUS
An overall diagrammatic view of the apparatus is
shown in Fig. 1 in which the main components are
identified by a serial number. In the apparatus
description given below, each component is reported
together with its number.
The probe insulator (1), made of glass material,
has a
 The probe insulator is isolated from the ground by
post type shape. Its insulating length and creepage the
distance are equal to about 28 and 50 cm
respectively, while its form factor is equal to 1.3.
Shank and sheds of the unit are hollow. A tubular
body of PVC material with projections
corresponding to the ribs of the insulator is
positioned within the latter. A sketch of the
particular of the probe insulator with a photo of it are
shown in Fig. 2.
A refrigerating fluid having a high electrical
volume resistivity and a good coefficient of heat
transmission is circulated at scheduled times inside
the insulator by a pump (2) having a power of 110
W and supplied by a 220 V a.c. source. Precisely
the fluid enters the bottom side of the tubular body,
reaches the top end and then gets down, flowing
along the route between the two border walls formed
by the external contour of the PVC tube and by the
inner side of the profile of the probe insulator. The
fluid is thus driven to enter each shed of the
insulator, evenly linking the whole leakage length.
Before entering the insulator probe the fluid is
refrigerated by a non conventional thermoelectric
pump (3) that works on the ground of Peltier effect.
As known, due to such effect, at the contact surface
between two appropriate conductors (bismuth-
tellurium in the case) when passed through by direct
current, heat is generated or adsorbed depending on
the direction of the current. The pump holds twenty
Peltier modules -each made of seventy thermo
couples - connected in parallel and supplied by a 14
V d.c. source (4). This is realized by an inverter
with rated power of 3 kW, supplied by the LV
network.
The refrigerating fluid is cooled in the heat
exchanger (5), one wall of which is adjacent to the
cold walls of the Peltier modules. In this exchanger Fig.3 Climatic chamber tests on the monitoring
the temperature of the fluid can be lowered to a value apparatus. Surface conductance values recorded
even 15 °C lower than that of the ambient. The heat by the apparatus with the probe insulator
contaminated with an artificial solid layer
drawn from the fluid plus the thermal equivalent of having kaolin as an inert. Comparison of
the d.c. energy absorbed for the Peltier modules' subsequent humidification transients performed
operation, is transferred to a water stream in the heat on the same polluted deposit. a) relative
exchanger (6). The water stream flows from an humidity Ur=50%; temperature= 20°C b)
acqueduct or, as in the present realization, is relative humidity Ur=80%; temperature= 20°C
circulated in a closed pipe circuit, round tripping
from and to a tank (7) with a capacity of at least 5
m3. The tank is laid underground to protect the support (9). A fence of cylindrical shape (10), having
water volume from any heating by solar radiation. a diameter of about 60 cm, surrounds the support of
The water circulation is provided with the pump (8). the probe insulator; in its normal position this
The capacity of the tank is more than 5 times higher component does not exceed the height of the
than the larger volume of water circulated during one support. The fence is automatically raised up at the
artificial humidification process. starting of the cooling process if the wind velocity is
The refrigerating fluid lets the probe insulator cool higher than a certain treshold. Then the whole
down to a temperature at which the outside length of the probe insulator results protected by the
humidity condensates onto its external surface. fence from turbulences that may jeopardize or get
Therefore the artificial moistening of the polluted erratic the humidification process of the insulator
deposit can be achieved once or more a day at surface. After that the conductance value has been
scheduled times. The severity of the deposit is then measured, the fence is driven down back to its
evaluated through a surface conductance normal position.
measurement, whose result is significant even when By a single-phase transformer (11), having a rated
the ambient relative humidity is too low to produce power of 10 kVA and fed by the MV network, a
natural condensing. 12.5 kVrms voltage is applied between the top and
bottom electrodes of the probe insulator. This
voltage application takes no more than 4 cycles in
order to avoid any heating which may raise a surge
activity on the insulator surface. The conductance
current on the probe insulator is collected and led to
the measuring system (12).
Finally the ambient parameters (temperature, wind
direction and velocity, humidity) are checked by
additional measuring devices (13). Depending on the
measured values, the starting of the artificial cooling
at the scheduled time can be inhibited and shifted to
another more fitting time in the day.
An electronic control unit, not indicated in the
diagrammatic view in Fig. 1, leads the whole
process. In particular the transient of the surface
conductance during the artificial moistening is
controlled by measuring at short intervals the
conductance current.
Fig.4 Outdoor surface conductance measurements
carried out by the apparatus contamined with an
artificial solid layer having clay powder as an
inert.
Comparison of subsequent humidifications tran-
sients performed on the same pollution deposit.
When no increase of this conductance any more
occurs, its stabilized value is recorded as
representative of the actual severity of the pollution
deposit and compared with the pre-set alarm level.
At the same time cooling is stopped. The alarm
level is calibrated in relation to the withstand to
pollution of the insulators of the watched plant.
Cleaning operations shall be carried out when the
measured value of surface conductance reaches the
alarm level.
It deserves to note that the apparatus is able to carry
out additional surface conductance measurements far
from those mentioned, which are not preceded by
any forced humidification of the probe insulator.
With the obvious exclusion of the probe insulator,
the main components of the apparatus are set up
inside a box to be protected by ambient agents.
Considering its innovative aspects and application
advantages, the realization has been protected by
ENEL patents in European countries [5] and in
America. They have already been licensed in some
countries like Italy [6] and the USA [7], while in
others are pending.
3. CHARACTERIZATION BY LABORATORY
TESTS
The present solution of the monitoring apparatus,
reached through the improvement of prototypes
previously build up, was submitted to a systematic
series of tests in climatic chamber at CESI
laboratory. Then checks were performed outside in
the area of ENEL Brugherio laboratory.
In most tests the probe insulator was artificially
contaminated by solid layer methods at different
severity degrees, expressed in terms of SDD. Few
tests were also applied after replacing the envelope of
the probe insulator with another identical, which had
been exposed in a coastal site for a time long enough
to become naturally polluted and then brought back
to the laboratory, taking care not to alter the surface
deposit.
3.1 Surface conductance measurements carried
out on the probe insulator
Figs. 3a) and b) show examples of surface
conductance transients recorded by the apparatus
during the cooling process of the probe insulator
contaminated with an artificial solid layer, having
Kaolin as an inert. The curves in the figures are
relevant to two different severity degrees of
pollution. In all the conductance transients the
temperature in the climatic chamber was equal to 20
°C, while the relative humidity was maintained
equal to 50% and to 80% respectively for the tests in
Figs. a) and b).
At each severity degree, the condensing process on
the pollution deposit was performed and the surface
conductance transient recorded. Afterwards the probe
insulator was maintained in dry conditions for a
time long enough to have the pollution deposit
practically dried again. Then a second condensing
process was performed on this deposit with
recording of the resulting surface conductance
transient.
Fig.4 shows measurements of surface conductance
performed in the open with the probe insulator
artificially contaminated by a solid layer having clay
powder as an inert. Three subsequent condensing
processes were carried out on such pollution deposit
applying the same previously mentioned procedure.
During these measurements the ambient temperature
rested in the interval 10-13 °C, while the relative
humidity in the range 57-61%.
Finally Fig. 5 shows surface conductance values
recorded in laboratory on the probe insulator
naturally contaminated; an envelope exposed for
several months
Fig.5 S urface conductance values recorded in
laboratory by the apparatus with the probe
insulator naturally contaminated (envelope
exposed for several months in a coastal site.
Comparison of subsequent humidifications
transients performed on the same polluted
deposit.
in a coastal site was used in this test. Three
subsequent condensing processes were carried out on
the same deposit with the usual procedure. The
ESDD of the natural pollution deposit, measured
after the test, resulted equal to 0.07 mg/cm2.
The analysis of the diagrams shown and of similar
others not reported here leads to the conclusions
given in the following.
• The apparatus has proved to be effective to
humidify both artificial and natural
contamination deposits on the probe insulator.
The nature of the inert material in the pollution
deposit seems not to affect significantly the
development of the process.
• The lower is the ambient humidity level, the
longer is the time needed by the cooling and
condensing processes to make the stabilized
value of surface conductance reached. This
behaviour is enhanced by rising the severity of
the pollution deposit.
• The stabilized value of surface conductance is not
significantly influenced by parameters other than
the deposit severity, expressed in terms of SDD
(or ESDD).
• A surface conductance value substantially equal
to the first measured is observed when a second
humidification process is carried out on the
same pollution deposit, after an interval long
enough to have the polluted layer on the probe
insulator dried again. This is especially verified
for the highly polluted deposits which are those
of most interest for the purpose of the apparatus.
3.2 Extent of the effective working of the
apparatus
Tests were performed in the climatic chamber to
define the extreme values of ambient temperature and
relative humidity at which the monitor apparatus is
able to produce the artificial condensing on the
insulator. It has been found that when the ambient
temperature is equal to 35 °C, condensing is still
generated at a minimum value of relative humidity
equal to 40%.
At temperature values lower than 10 °C on the
other hand, the artificial cooling may lead to a frost
formation on the probe insulator. The border
between the dew and
the frost zone of the working area of the apparatus is
shown in the diagram of Fig. 6. In case of frost
formation, after that water starts to melt from the ice
coating, a sudden jump of the surface conductance
was recorded on the probe insulator followed by a
marked washing out of the polluted deposit.
Precisely in those conditions surface conductance
peaks resulted at least 3 times higher than the
stabilized value which would be reached on the
same polluted deposit through a humidification
without frost generation.
Therefore the control unit was arranged and
calibrated
Fig.6 Border between the dew and the frost
zone in the functioning area of the apparatus.
in order to prevent frost formation on the probe
insulator during its artificial cooling. In the cases
where this event is pending, the cooling process is
not started or it is stopped while running.
By the way it deserves to mention that the frost
formation capability of the apparatus can be
advantageously applied in laboratory investigations
intended to reproduce and analyze the drop of surface
withstand of insulators covered by ice build-up,
clean or with pollution content, as those noticed in
some regions in winter. In particular it can be
exhaustively examined the most crucial condition for
the insulator withstand, i.e. while ice build-up is
melting.
4. EXPERIENCE CARRIED OUT IN FIELD
The laboratory experience reported at the previous
point 3 have confirmed the expectations on the
apparatus, suggesting also the introduction of some
adjustment and complement. Afterwards the
monitoring apparatus was submitted to a definitive
experience in field in the substation of Rumianca
near Cagliari (Sardinia). Such experience was
planned with the agreement of the Production and
Transmission Department of ENEL and carried out
with the co-operation of local personnel of this
Department. In that site the apparatus was made
fully operative in late 1993.
Fig.7 View of the monitoring apparatus installed in
the Rumianca substation near Cagliari
(Sardinia)
Fig. 7 shows the apparatus placed on the flat roof of
a small building in the substation area, with the
probe insulator exposed at a height of about 4 m
from the ground. This position was chosen
because open to the
environmental agents and representative of those of
the substation insulators to be watched. However a
support platform of adequate size and height has
been designed to be applied in the cases where the
apparatus cannot be installed on an existing
structure. The Rumianca site, close to saline
lagoons, was reported to be subjected in the past to
pollution events of high severity, although
characterized by a quite low frequency. More recently
a few industrial pollution sources existing in the area
were removed or mitigated. It was deemed of interest
to achieve update information in order to decide
whether and when maintenance operations shall be
carried out on insulators in that site.
For comparison purposes at the time of installation
of the monitoring apparatus, three envelopes
identical to those of the probe insulator were also
exposed close to the last. These envelopes are not
subjected to any humidification other than that
caused by natural agents.
Periodical visual inspections, integrated with few
ESDD measurements both on the probe insulator
and on one of the envelopes, have shown no
significative difference of pollution deposit between
the two objects.
The apparatus performs each day one surface
conductance measurement on the probe insulator
artificially humidified plus other measurements
far
Fig.8 Example of surface conductance recording
carried out by the apparatus in the Rumianca
substation. Measurements on the probe
insulator:
- in balance with the ambient conditions (
........
)
- artificially humidified ( )
from the former whith the probe in balance with the
natural ambient conditions. Fig. 8 shows as an
example all the conductance values recorded on the
probe insulator in a period of 4 days in
January 1995. An
ESDD measurement carried out in the same days on
one of the envelopes exposed close to the probe
resulted equal to 0.04 mg/cm2.
In the period covered by the investigation - more
than two years - deposit severities were recorded not
exceeding the light-medium level.
During this field experience the apparatus has proved
to be resistent and reliable not demanding any
important intervention for repair or revision. Only
two Peltier modules failed after a two years working
life and were replaced .
5. EVALUATION OF THE APPARATUS
PERFORMANCE AND CONCLUSIONS
The characteristics of the monitoring apparatus
AMICO supported by the results of the available
laboratory and field experience permit the below
evaluation.
• The apparatus is relatively simple, compact and
reliable. Neither washing nor steam chambers are
employed differently from other monitoring
devices. Accordingly no equipments are needed
for putting the probe insulator into the chamber
every time the pollution measurement is to be
carried out. The only moving part is the
cylindrical fence which is raised in case of wind
to protect the condensing process on the
insulator from turbulence.
• The maintenance of the apparatus in field was
proved to be easy and not expensive. The failure
rate of components, Peltier modules included, is
very low. However these modules, once failed,
are easily detected and replaced. Besides the fluid
used for the cooling action is not harmful, being
other than the fluids employed by conventional
refrigerators, currently accused for ecological
reasons.
• Cooling produced by the thermoelectric pump
makes the pollution deposit humidified in a very
gradual and uniform way, just as dew does in
service where it causes a large part of insulator
flashovers. Therefore the applied wetting is more
representative of the real than others processes'
using water spray or steam.
• The control of the humidification takes benefit of
inventions, not detailed here, effective to stop the
cooling at the right time and even to reverse it
shortly, if needed. Therefore no washing out of
deposit occurs on the probe which fully
maintains in time its representativity in respect
of the insulators of the watched plant.
• Because of its extended functioning area the
apparatus is fit for application in the various
environments. In fact, even in hot and dry sites a
daily measurement of the surface conductance can
be successfully carried out at dawn time, i.e. in
the hours of the day when relative humidity is
naturally higher. On the other hand during cold
periods occurring in some areas, the
measurement shall be scheduled in the warmest
hours of the day, when risks are lower that the
frost zone is reached on applying the artificial
cooling to the probe.
• The cost of the apparatus manufactured in a small
series is of about U.S. $ 70,000 . It is definitely
competitive when compared with the cost of
other monitoring devices, considering the most
sophisti-cated among them.
The aforesaid positive aspects support the extensive
and systematic application of the apparatus. As an
indication a sentinel net covering a more or less
wide area can be organized by providing with the
monitoring apparatus few electric plants appositely
selected among those in operation in the area. This
optimized net will watch in real time the evolution
of the polluted conditions on all the insulators in
service in the considered area, piloting the
maintenance operations they can need.
With the support of the nationwide pollution map
recently drawn at ENEL [8] the zones to watch are
found out, then few electric plants are selected in
each zone to make up the local sentinel net.
In a similar way the monitoring apparatus AMICO
is able to give an effective and advantageous aid to
every Utility which has to prevent outages of service
due to pollution faults in its electric system.
Positively this aid is implied also in the name of the
apparatus.
6. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
A grateful appreciation is expressed to Mr E.
Mannelli of ENEL-CRE for his skilful collaboration
in setting up the control system of the monitoring
device as well as in conducting laboratory and field
tests on the apparatus.
7. REFERENCES
[1] Task Force 33.04.03 "Insulator Pollution Moni-
toring" ELECTRA No. 152, February 1994,
pags. 78-90
[2] R.Cortina, E.Dabusti, G.Marrone "ENEL
method for the evaluation of the site pollution
severity" PAN-ARAB Seminar on Pollution
Problems on High Voltage Insulators, Cairo,
Egypt, November 25-29, 1978
[3] R.Cortina, G.Marrone, M.Sforzini "A statistical
approach for insulator design in polluted areas"
IEEE Transactions on Power Apparatus and
Systems, Vol. PAS-102, No. 9, September
1983

[4] A.Mantini, F.Marinoni, G.Marrone, A.Porrino

"Mesures du niveau de pollution des isolateurs
en Italie et leur utilisation pour un projet
statistique de l'isolement superficiel" Séminaire
sur la Pollution des Isolements, Casablanca,
Maroc , 15-17 mars 1989

[5] G.Marrone "Domanda di Brevetto per

Invenzione Industriale a Nome ENEL:
Apparecchiatura per controllare lo stato di
contaminazione di isolatori elettrici" PCT/
EP92/ 02062, Sept. 7, 1992

[6] Ufficio Italiano Brevetti e Marchi "Brevetto per

Invenzione Industriale N. 01251318" rilasciato
in data 8 maggio 1995

[7] United States Patent No. 5,386,192

"Apparatus for Checking the Contamination
Conditions of Electric Insulators" licensed on
Jan. 31, 1995

[8] F. Marinoni, G. Marrone, L. Sartore, E.A.

Sena, G. Gagliardi, A Pigini "Nationwide
mapping of environmental contamination in
relation to the surface withstand of outdoors
insulators" CIRED, 13th International
Conference, Brussels, May 8-11, 1995.