Analysis of Natural Pollution Accumulation Characteristics of Insulators for Railroads in High-Altitude Environment

Zhijin Zhang (), Siyi Chen, Xingliang Jiang, Jianlin Hu and Qin Hu
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Zhijin Zhang: Xuefeng Mountain Energy Equipment Safety National Observation and Research Station, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, China
Siyi Chen: Xuefeng Mountain Energy Equipment Safety National Observation and Research Station, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, China
Xingliang Jiang: Xuefeng Mountain Energy Equipment Safety National Observation and Research Station, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, China
Jianlin Hu: Xuefeng Mountain Energy Equipment Safety National Observation and Research Station, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, China
Qin Hu: Xuefeng Mountain Energy Equipment Safety National Observation and Research Station, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, China

Energies, 2023, vol. 16, issue 15, 1-14

Abstract: Railway system insulators are affected by pollution, altitude, and other environmental situations during operation, which causes reduced electrical performance or even flashover accidents. These factors threaten the safety of railway operations in high-altitude areas. However, the natural contamination characteristics of a railroad in a plateau area is still unclear. In this study, a natural pollution accumulation test for railway insulators in a high-altitude area was carried out, and the distribution rules of nonsoluble deposit density ( NSDD ), equivalent salt deposit density ( ESDD ), NSDD/ESDD ratio, and nonuniformity ( T/B ) of the pollution distribution of the tested insulators were calculated. Meanwhile, the chemical compositions of the pollution from different test sites were analyzed. The differences of pollution accumulation between railway insulators and suspended insulators of a power system and the influencing factors were compared and analyzed by combining with a numerical simulation. The results show that the pollution level of railroad insulators is mainly distributed in level b and above. A pollution sample is mainly composed of sodium chloride, while the NSDD/ESDD ratio of pollution is mostly distributed from 0 to 5, with T/B value ranges from 1/0.62 to 1/1.76. The amount of insulator contamination is influenced by the location inside and outside the tunnel. Additionally, the pollution amount is influenced by the structure and type of insulators. Finally, this paper studies the creepage distance and structural height required by railway insulators in a plateau area according to the natural pollution accumulation characteristics of railway insulators, which can provide a reference for a railway electrical external insulation configuration in a high-altitude area.

Keywords: insulator; high-altitude area; pollution accumulation characteristics; natural pollution; nonuniform distribution (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: 2023
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