Kinetic Characteristic of the Dust Particles around the Insulators

Abstract

Contamination accumulation characteristic of the insulators depends on the kinetic characteristic of the particles moving around the insulators to a great degree. There are many forces acting on the particles due to the combined influence of the electric field, the air fluid field and the gravitational field. The main four forces, which are the polarization force, the electric field force, the steady-state drag force and the gravitational force, were analyzed. Their effects on the moving particles’ trajectories were studied by both experiments and numerical calculation. The results indicate that the polarization force acts where the strength of the electric field changes strongly. Once the particles are charged, the electric field force acts and can drive the particles moving along the electric field lines. When there is a strong wind, the steady-state drag force is dominant and the particles move with the wind. These results can better explain the contamination accumulation characteristic of different insulators under different operating conditions.