Evaluation of leakage current pulse data of polymer insulator aging tests

Non-ceramic (polymer) insulators have been employed by the electric utility industry for the last three decades. The electrical and material tests for polymer insulators over the years has become more sophisticated, and their ranges have become broader. The purpose of such tests is to investigate the performance of polymer insulating materials and insulator designs, and to estimate the service life of a specific polymer insulator. One of the preferred tests is the salt fog chamber application, together with flashover tests and various material diagnostic techniques. This paper analyzes the cumulative number of leakage pulse data taken in the course of fog chamber aging tests, for both low and high salinity fog conditions.