A More Uniform Electric Field Distribution on Surge Arresters through the Optimal Design of Spacer and Fiber Glass Layer

In this study, the optimal design of spacers and fiber glass layer of a metal oxide surge arrester is presented in order to achieve a more uniform electric field distribution, inside and outside the arrester. This is done by using intelligent algorithms and numerical analysis, i.e., Finite Element Method (FEM). The introduced method can be used in order to determine the optimal dimensions of spacers and fiber glass layer so that the electric field distribution is optimized and the lifetime of highly stressed ZnO blocks in the vicinity of HV electrode is increased. In order to verify the results, Differential Evolution (DE) and Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithms are used.