Investigation of Insulation Characteristics of GFRP Crossarm Subjected to Lightning Transient

Muhammad Syahmi Abd Rahman, Mohd Zainal Abidin Ab Kadir, Muhamad Safwan Abd Rahman, Miszaina Osman, Shamsul Fahmi Mohd Nor and Noorlina Mohd Zainuddin
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Muhammad Syahmi Abd Rahman: Institute of Power Engineering, Universiti Tenaga Nasional, Kajang 43000, Selangor, Malaysia
Mohd Zainal Abidin Ab Kadir: Centre for Electromagnetic and Lightning Protection Research (CELP), Advanced Lightning, Power and Energy Research (ALPER), Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor, Malaysia
Muhamad Safwan Abd Rahman: Institute of Power Engineering, Universiti Tenaga Nasional, Kajang 43000, Selangor, Malaysia
Miszaina Osman: Institute of Power Engineering, Universiti Tenaga Nasional, Kajang 43000, Selangor, Malaysia
Shamsul Fahmi Mohd Nor: Institute of Power Engineering, Universiti Tenaga Nasional, Kajang 43000, Selangor, Malaysia
Noorlina Mohd Zainuddin: Institute of Power Engineering, Universiti Tenaga Nasional, Kajang 43000, Selangor, Malaysia

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 14, 1-16

Abstract: The advancement of material technology has contributed to the variation of high-performance composites with good electrical insulation and mechanical properties. Their usage in electrical applications has grown since then. In Malaysia, the composite made of Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) has been adopted for crossarm manufacturing and has successfully served 275 kV lines for a few decades. However, the combination of extreme conditions such as lightning transient and tropical climate can impose threats to the material. These issues have become major topics of discussion among the utilities in the Southeast Asian (SEA) region, and also in previous research. In Malaysia, more than 50% of total interruptions were caused by lightning. Limited studies can be found on the composite crossarm, especially on the square tube GFRP filled crossarm used in Malaysia. Therefore, this paper proposes to study the behavior of the particular GFRP crossarm, by means of its insulation characteristics. Experimental and simulation approaches are used. Throughout the study, the GFRP specimen is known to have an average breakdown strength at 7.2 kV/mm. In addition, the CFO voltages of the crossarm at different lengths are presented, whereby the behavior under dry and wet conditions is comparably discussed. At the same time, the polarity effect on the CFO voltages is highlighted. The maximum E-fields at the immediate moment before breakdown are analyzed by adopting the finite element method (FEM). Non-uniform distribution of E-fields is witnessed at different parts of the crossarm structure. Simultaneously, the maximum field localized on the crossarm immediately before the breakdown is also presented.

Keywords: GFRP composite crossarm; fiberglass; electric field; CFO; lightning impulse voltage; FEM (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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