Comparison of the Quick Flashover Voltages for RTV Pre-coated Insulators Sampled over the Years from the Italian AC Transmission Grid

This paper widens the application of a testing protocol for overhead line insulators introduced by TERNA. Testing results relevant to three groups of Room Temperature Vulcanized pre-coated cap-and-pin insulators removed from High Voltage Alternate Current and Extra-High Voltage Alternate Current Italian lines after different years of service are reported and statistically processed; the third group is treated here for the first time and new results for the other two groups are included. Among the various tests prescribed in the protocol, focus is on the Quick Flashover test, with the aim to examine and compare the flashover voltages of all three groups as a function of service time. The dependence of flashover voltage on electric field is also analyzed and a model correlating flashover voltage with field and time is proposed for the first time. It is confirmed that the flashover voltages provided by the Quick Flashover test can be considered as a diagnostic property of Room Temperature Vulcanized insulators, as they drop with the ageing time and the electric field.