ELECTRIC-FIELD COMPUTATION ON AN INSULATING SURFACE WITH DISCRETE WATER DROPLETS

Knowledge of the electric field along the external surface is a fundam ental requirement for reliable assessment of electric discharge produc ed surface changes, degradation and flashover of outdoor insulation, P resented in this paper is a method of electric field computation on an insulating surface in the presence of discrete water droplets. The co mputational method is based on the charge simulation technique. The el ectric field intensification produced by water droplets is calculated and correlated with electric discharge activity that occurs on outdoor insulators under contaminated conditions. The results are useful for analyzing the performance of outdoor insulating devices, especially no n-ceramic insulators, under contaminated conditions.