AC DISCHARGE CURRENT CHARACTERISTICS AND LI FLASHOVER FIELD INTENSITY OF WATER DROPLETS ON INSULATED SOLID SURFACE

Adolphe Moukengué Imano

   Discharges between water droplets caused by distortion of these droplets are relevant in the processes leading to flashover of hydrophobic insulators. This paper investigates discharge activities between two water droplets on an insulator surface, when a constant AC voltage is applied through an experimental electrode arrangement. The results of the investigations show typical discharge current characteristics during the discharge inception and development with water filaments. Furthermore, this paper presents an experimental study of the flashover behaviour of single and multiple water droplets placed on the surface of a solid insulator. The influence of the number and location of aligned droplets on the flashover field intensity of the surface model is also evidenced. This was done by measuring the flashover voltage for negative and positive lightning impulse application. We regard only a horizontal surface position of the insulator.

Keywords: sessile droplet, droplet distortion, outdoor insulation, flashover field intensity, discharge current

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