Dynamic model to predict the characteristics of the electric arc around a polluted insulator

This study presents a dynamic arc model of a polluted insulator based on the formulation of the Obenaus model and the Hampton criterion for discharge propagation. An experiment was conducted on a practical glass insulator installed in the Algerian network for the purpose of measuring the flashover voltage and estimating the arc parameters (A and N) using a genetic optimisation algorithm. The parameters used in the dynamic model were the arc current, arc length, and arc resistance calculated using MATLAB. Moreover, an attempt was made with finite element software to calculate the voltage and electric-field throughout the insulator surface with and without the presence of contaminants. Finally, the obtained simulation and experimental results showed high performances under operational conditions and respect IEC 60060-1 standard recommendations.