TITLE:
The Investigation of Replacing Ceramic Bushings with Silicon Bushings in the Distribution Transformers
AUTHORS:
Maryam Amirbandeh, Abdol Amir Yaghoti, Gholam-Reza Sharifi-Tameh
KEYWORDS:
Ceramic Bushing, Silicon Bushing, Distribution Transformer, Insulator Pollution
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Surface Engineered Materials and Advanced Technology,
Vol.4 No.6,
October
6,
2014
ABSTRACT: In recent years, the deficiencies of ceramic insulators along with their high maintenance costs have resulted in the replacement of ceramic insulators with silicon type in the pollution area. This idea has been employed for more than two decades in the polluted areas. Humidity of the weather in the south of Iran and the presence of pollutants in the air have made special conditions for construction and maintenance of some equipment including transformer bushings. Usual ceramic bushings, due to their ability in absorbing pollution and the rapid reduction of creepage distance (in a limited time period), have reduced transformer disconnection severely as a result of earth fault. Additionally, they are costly to be washed regularly. Therefore, using intelligent materials in designing bushing can increase the reliability of network and consequently reduction of costs. In this regard, this paper investigates the use of silicon bushings in the distribution systems and proposes operational ideas for the optimal operation of these devices in the polluted areas. The sample bushing was evaluated based on the IEC60137 standard test.