Numerical Investigation of the Electrical Performance of Broken Skirt Glass Insulators in Suspension Strings

Muhammad Aliff Zamri; Nordiana Azlin Othman; Md Aris Nor Asyidi Md Nadzir; Rahisham Abd Rahman; Zuraimy Adzis

doi:10.56532/mjsat.v6iS2.812

Authors

Muhammad Aliff Zamri Department of Electrical Power Engineering, Faculty of Electrical & Electronic Engineering, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, 86400 Batu Pahat, Malaysia
Nordiana Azlin Othman Department of Electrical Power Engineering, Faculty of Electrical & Electronic Engineering, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, 86400 Batu Pahat, Malaysia
Md Aris Nor Asyidi Md Nadzir APD Global Sdn Bhd, Level 23, Ilham Tower, No.8, Jalan Binjai, 50450 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Rahisham Abd Rahman Department of Electrical Power Engineering, Faculty of Electrical & Electronic Engineering, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, 86400 Batu Pahat, Malaysia
Zuraimy Adzis School of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), 81310 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.56532/mjsat.v6iS2.812

Keywords:

Broken skirt insulator, Glass suspension insulator, Finite element analysis, Voltage distribution, Surface charge distribution

Abstract

Broken skirt glass insulators are commonly encountered in overhead transmission systems due to mechanical damage while remaining in service because their metallic cap and pin continue to provide mechanical support. However, the influence of broken skirt insulators on the electrical performance of an insulator string remains insufficiently understood. This study numerically investigates the effects of broken skirt insulators on the voltage distribution, surface charge distribution, and string efficiency of a glass suspension insulator string using Finite Element Method Magnetics (FEMM). A comparison with QuickField was first performed to verify the consistency of the numerical results before subsequent analyses were conducted using FEMM. In addition, the electrical behaviour of a broken skirt insulator was compared with that of a smaller intact disc insulator to evaluate the influence of the reduced insulating profile. The results show that the presence and location of the broken skirt significantly affect the voltage distribution, surface charge distribution, and string efficiency of the insulator string. The lowest string efficiency was observed when the broken skirt was located nearest to the high-voltage conductor, whereas the small disc insulator exhibited electrical characteristics that were much closer to those of the healthy insulator string. The findings provide useful insight into the electrical behaviour of damaged glass insulators and contribute to a better understanding of their influence on transmission line insulation performance.

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