Design Solutions for Contaminated Environments
Electric power networks operate in a wide range of environmental conditions, from clean regions with natural washing to harsh, highly polluted areas. In contaminated environments, insulators are exposed to salt, industrial pollution, desert dust, and other deposits that can lead to Radio Influence Voltage, corona discharge, dry-band arcing, and ultimately flashovers caused by uncontrolled leakage currents.
The study compares traditional high-creepage porcelain insulators with resistive-graded (RG) semiconductive glaze technology, a long-term solution designed to stabilize electrical performance under severe contamination. RG glaze enables controlled current flow through the insulator surface, producing electric field grading, mild heating, and prevention of dry-band arcing—three mechanisms that significantly improve performance in polluted conditions.
Learn more in the attached study, which was presented at the INMR World Congress 2025 by Tim Van Remmen, Engineering Manager LAPP Insulators
