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The effect of High Temperature Conductors on Composite Suspension Insulator performance

R. J. Hill, Member, IEEE

Abstract--Use of high temperature conductors is being considered by more and more electric utilities as a means to increase transmission line capacity. This has raised questions regarding the effect of these increased temperatures on the performance of all components attached to the conductor, including the insulators. This paper presents the results of laboratory studies of several suspension insulator assemblies to determine the temperatures reached at various locations on the conductor attachment hardware and on the end fittings of composite insulators. Once these temperatures were determined for the targeted conductor temperatures, their effect on the mechanical performance of the insulators was measured. Index TermsComposite Insulators, High Temperature Conductors

Operation of conductors at these high temperatures will obviously result in higher operating temperatures for all hardware components connected to the conductors, including the insulators. This paper outlines a test program designed to determine actual temperatures reached at various locations in several typical non-ceramic insulator assemblies of interest to utilities in the U.S. The primary objective of the work was to measure temperatures at the insulator end fitting/rod interface, and then to determine if these temperatures result in any concerns about the long term mechanical performance of the insulators. Portions of the data presented in this paper are included in CIGRE Technical Brochure 331 [1].

I. INTRODUCTION

II. EXPERIMENTAL A. Test Procedure A high current test loop was designed to heat the conductor for these tests. Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of the test setup.

hen electric utilities are faced with decisions regarding how to increase transmission corridor capacity, a number of factors must be considered. Re-building existing lines to add capacity is one possibility, but is often expensive, requiring new structures, additional right-of-way, etc. Utilizing high temperature conductors is an alternative solution that is being considered by many utilities. Because this approach can often utilize existing structures and right-of-way, reconductoring is often significantly less expensive than a line re-build. Conventional ACSR type conductor is typically operated at temperatures up to 75C. This conductor is comprised of alloyed aluminum strands which are reinforced with an internal steel cable. The mechanical strength of the conductor is provided by both the steel cable and the aluminum conductor, which changes properties above about 95C. By contrast, a high temperature conductor such as ACSS utilizes fully annealed aluminum conductor which is very soft and does not provide mechanical strength. In this case the steel cable provides all of the mechanical strength, and the temperature limits are based on the characteristics of the steel core rather than the aluminum conductor. ACSS conductor is rated for continuous operation at 200C, with some types available for use at 250C.

Test Conductor Insulator Assembly

Bus Conductor

4000A Supply

3 meters

Fig. 1. High Current Test Loop Several insulator configurations were evaluated, including a suspension configuration, a deadend and a braced line post. Results on the deadend and braced post configurations are included in [2]. This paper focuses on the results for the suspension insulator configuration, since it represented the worst case regarding the maximum temperatures reached at the insulator end fitting. Fig. 2 shows the details of the tested assembly.

R. J. Hill is with MacLean Power Systems, Franklin Park, IL 60131 USA (bhill@macleanpower.com)

connecting hardware, an eye-socket connection, was used between the suspension clamp and the insulator end fitting. Figure 4 shows that the maximum temperatures reached with this assembly was 59C after approximately twelve hours. Conductor temperature was 210 - 215C. Continuing the test for an additional 48 hours did not result in further temperature increase.
250

200

Temperature, Degrees C

Conductor 150

100 Ambient 50

End Fitting

Fig. 2. Suspension Assembly Thermocouples were mounted at various locations on the assemblies, including each hardware component and the line side end fittings of the insulators. The temperatures were continuously monitored with sampling every 60 seconds. Typically, nine locations were monitored during each run. Fig. 3 is a close up of the hardware of the suspension configuration showing the locations of several of the thermocouples.

0 0 5 10

Hour

15

20

25

Fig. 4 Temperature profile of conductor and end fitting This assembly consisted of Falcon 1590 MCM conductor and a simple aluminum suspension clamp. In practice, the utility would typically use armor rod for conductor protection, and a larger suspension clamp to accommodate the increased diameter. Testing of this more typical system resulted in an end fitting temperature of 50C, a reduction of almost 10C. Insertion of an additional piece of hardware (approximately 70mm in length) between the suspension clamp and the insulator resulted in an end fitting temperature of 38C. C. Insulator Testing The temperatures measured at the insulator end fitting in the worst case (suspension insulator assembly, without armor rod) were only slightly in excess of the 50C currently specified in IEC 61109 for the thermal mechanical test [3]. This test subjects the insulator to a thermal cycle sequence (+50C to 35C) while the insulator is under tension at the RTL (Routine Test Load) mechanical rating. To evaluate the effect of increased end fitting temperatures on insulators under mechanical load, the IEC 61109 cycle was conducted using 75C as the upper temperature extreme. Destructive tensile testing after this test procedure showed that the insulators maintained their original mechanical strength ratings.

Fig. 3. Thermocouple Locations B. Temperature Profiles As expected, the drop off in temperature between the conductor and the insulator was significant in all test cases. The worst case (highest temperature at the insulator end fitting) was the I string suspension insulator, which had the most direct connection to the conductor. Only one piece of

Mechanical strength of insulators at elevated temperatures has also been evaluated. This data, shown in Fig. 5 for units rated at 50,000 lb. SML (Specified Mechanical Load), demonstrates that there is little change in strength at the temperatures of interest in this study, which are well below the glass transition temperature, Tg, of the resin system used in the core rods.

Avg Tensile Strength

60000

IV. BIOGRAPHIES
R. J. Hill (M84) is employed by MacLean Power Systems as Materials and Product Manager, Non-Ceramic Insulators. He is active in numerous IEEE Insulator Working Groups, as well as NEMA and ANSI activities related to insulator standardization. Mr. Hill also is a member of CIGRE working groups B2.03 and C4.3.03, and is active in IEC insulator standardization activities, serving on IEC TC36WG11, TC36WG12, TC36B/MT10 and TC36C/PT62231-1.

55000 25 50 75 100 Test Tem perature, DegreesC

Fig. 5. Elevated Temperature Mechanical Strength Additionally, a mechanical test on the 25,000 lb SML rated suspension insulator used for the heat run tests resulted in an ultimate strength of 32,500 lbs., which is equivalent to values obtained on unaged insulators of this design. This insulator had been connected to conductors operated at 200C -250C for approximately 200 hours during this investigation. D. Conclusions Although the data presented is valid only for the assemblies (and insulators) tested, the following general conclusions can be made: 1. Conductor temperatures of 215C resulted in maximum end fitting temperatures of 59C on I-string suspension configurations without armor rod. For the more typical assembly using armor rod, 50C was the maximum temperature measured. 2. Addition of hardware components can significantly reduce end fitting temperatures in any assembly. 3. The end fitting temperatures measured in this study do not have a significant effect on the mechanical performance of the insulators tested. . III. REFERENCES [1] Considerations relating to the use of high temperature conductors, CIGRE Technical Brochure 331, October 2007. [2] M. R. Maroney and R. J. Hill, High temperature conductors and their effect on composite insulator mechanical performance, CIGRE Fourth Annual Southern Africa Regional Congress, October 2001. [3] Composite suspension and tension insulators for a.c. systems with a nominal voltage greater than 1000V Definitions, test methods and acceptance criteria, IEC 61109 Ed.2, 2008.