Design and construction of a pollution monitor for power line insulators

The basics of insulators' pollution processes are first reviewed, including the main physical and chemical factors involved. A novel fibre-optic-based device for measuring leakage and burst current is described, including the mechanical mounting, electronic modules and the corresponding hardware and calibration software of the equipment developed. A comparative analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of the design with similar equipment is presented. Finally, experimental results in a fog chamber are presented. Some statistical analyses, that can be useful in understanding the pollution process in electrical insulators, will be proposed.