Composite Insulators

Composite Insulators

Trench is a recognized world-wide insulation medium for its whole a housing made of silicone rubber
leader in design and manufacture product range. to withstand various environmen-
of high voltage equipment for tal conditions.
electrical and industrial systems. In 1980, Trench Germany intro-
duced composite technology for Today, more than 10,000 units
In its long history — while utilizing hollow composite insulators. with ratings up to 800 kV are in
several insulation mediums, e. g. service worldwide, operating
epoxy resin, traditional oil-paper- This type of insulator consists of a successfully under varying environ-
insulation — Trench Germany tube of filament reinforced plastic mental conditions.
decided to focus on SF6-gas as an (FRP) for mechanical support, with

Basic Structure of
Hollow Composite
Insulators

Flange

FRP-tube

Silicone Housing

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Application

The main use of hollow composite Due to the increased demand • Instrument Transformers
insulators at Trench Germany is for for composite technology in high
• Circuit Breakers
free-standing SF6-gas-insulated voltage devices, Trench Germany
instrument transformers and also manufactures the composite • Disconnectors
bushings. insulators for a wide range of high
• Post Insulators
voltage applications such as:
• Lightning Arrestors
• Bushings
• Cable Terminations

Application of 420 kV
Current Transformers under
different environmental
conditions

A location with less pollution accumulation on the A location with heavy pollution:
insulator surface The insulator (originally grey) is covered totally
with a layer of high conductive minerals.
Nevertheless, the insulator surface shows excellent
hydrophobicity.

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 Features

Hydrophobicity
If the surface of a high voltage This silicone provides not only a A cleaning process is not necessary.
insulator is hydrophobic, the leak- hydrophobic surface when it is Tests on Trench Germany insulators
age currents as well as the surface clean; it also transfers its hydropho- that have been in service under
discharge activities will be reduced bicity quickly into and onto pollution severe conditions for many years
significantly. layers which may accumulate on prove that the transfer properties
the surface. remain unchanged.
In co-operation with its sub-
supplier, Trench Germany has Therefore — even under the worst
developed a special high quality pollution conditions — the insula-
silicone for its insulator sheds. tor provides excellent performance
without any failures.

Clean Insulator Surfaces:

The degree of water repellency on hydrophobic silicone rubber is much higher when compared to
hydrophilic porcelain.

Polluted Insulator Surfaces:

On a porcelain surface, water penetrates totally into the hydrophilic pollution layers; however, insulators with
silicone sheds still have a very good water repellency due to the hydrophobicity transfer.

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Creepage Distance
As there are no standards for mea- surfaces and the transfer of Trench Germany measures the
suring creepage distance for com- hydrophobicity under pollution. creepage distance based on
posite insulators, the IEC 815 for 20 years experience, considering
ceramic and glass insulators often is Due to these hydrophobic proper- the individual electric and climatic
applied. However, this standard ties it is possible to reduce creep- conditions of the operation location.
does not refer to hydrophobic age distances according to the
customer’s requirements.

Mechanical Strength
The mechanical strength of a The Trench insulator is:
composite insulator is met by
the FRP-tube. • earthquake resistant
• resistant against vandalism
The tube data (winding angle,
• explosion proof
wall thickness etc.) are calculated
carefully – based on many • easy to handle during transport
years’ of know-how – and a and installation
special software program.
This results in outstanding me-
chanical strength.

The porcelain insulates after the Los Angeles earthquake in 1994.

While porcelain equipment was destroyed almost totally, Trench

current transformers were still ready for operation.

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 Unique Single Mould Method

Trench uses a unique method to With the single mould method the
assemble the silicone sheds: seamless insulator can be designed
for to different shed geometry or
One shed is moulded on top of shed distances without requiring
the other. The mould rotates, special tools. This provides the
putting an inclination also on the highest flexibility in meeting the
lower side of the shed. customers’ requirements.
There are no moulding lines on
the silicone surfaces which might
effect the pollution and erosion
performance.

Moulding Equipment

Moulding Principle

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Typical FRP-Tube/ Shed Data

Internal diameter 120 150 174 190 190 240 248 250 288 300 340 350 500 756 762 770
I.D. (mm)
Outer diameter 130 180 198 206 257 272 312 308 362 516 790
O.D. (mm)
Insulator length one stack up to 4620, cascading possible
L (mm)

Preferred types are printed in bold. Additional data on request.

Lifetime
Trench Germany was one of the Trench Germany has years of No deterioriation ageing of our
first manufacturers to use com- experience with electrical and me- composite insulators has been
posite materials for high voltage chanical design, material selection, reported.
hollow composite insulators. production and testing. Having
Now, the hollow insulator is a installed more than 10000 units, With this background, Trench
well-established product in the we have experience in different cli- is in a position to guaranteelong
high voltage industry world-wide. matic zones and at all high voltage life for all its composite insulators.
levels.

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 Trench Austria GmbH
Paschinger Strasse 49, Postfach 13
A-4060 Linz-Leonding/Austria
Phone +43.732.6793-0
Fax +43.732.6713 41
E-Mail sales@TrenchAustria.at

Trench Brasil LTDA

Via Expressa de Contagem, 2685
CEP: 32370-485
Cpmtagem, MG - Brasil
Phone 55. 31. 391-5959
Fax 55. 31. 391-1828
E-Mail
trenchbrasil@ca.trenchgroup.com

Trench Limited
Coil Product Division
71 Maybrook Drive, Scarborough
Ontario, Canada M1V 4B6
Phone (416) 298-8108
Fax (416) 298-2209
E-Mail sales@ca.trenchgroup.com

Trench Limited
Instrument Transformer Division
390 Midwest Road, Scarborough
Ontario, Canada M1P 3B5
Phone (416) 751-8570
Fax (416) 751-6952
E-Mail sales@ca.trenchgroup.com

Trench France S.A.

16, rue du Général Cassagnou
B.P. 70
F - 68302 St-Louis Cedex/France
Phone +33.3.89 70 23 23
Fax +33.3.89 67 26 63
E-Mail sales@trench-france.com

Trench Germany GmbH

Nürnberger Strasse 199
96050 Bamberg/Germany
Phone +49.951.1803-0
Fax +49.951.1803-224
E-Mail sales@trench.de

Trench Switzerland AG
Lehenmattstrasse 353
CH - 4028 Basel/Switzerland
www.trenchgroup.com Phone +41.61.315 51 11
Fax +41.61.315 59 00
E-Mail sales@trench.ch

Subject to change without notice

04.2000

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