Introduction Of Different Insulators

An electric insulator is a material that restricts the free flow of electric current. There is nothing called a perfect insulator, however, there are materials such as glass, paper, teflon, etc. which come with high resistivity against electrical current. Other materials like rubber and most plastics also act as insulators and easily resist moderate to low voltages.

Different Types Of Insulators

Though there are several types of insulators, yet the most common ones include:

• Pin Type Insulator
• Suspension Type Insulator
• Strain Insulator

Pin Type Insulator: Pin Type Insulator is amongst the earliest developed overhead insulator. As the name suggests, a pin type insulator is secured around the cross-arm of a pole. There is usually a groove on the upper end of the insulator, which is used for housing the conductor. The conductor is passed through this groove and is placed intact with an annealed wire of a similar material as that of a conductor.

When an insulator gets wet, the outer surface may become more conducting, this may decrease the flash distance in an insulator. The design of an electrical insulator therefore plays an important role, the upper most shed of an insulator provides a shield to the rest of the part of an insulator. The upper base is inclined to a degree that helps in maintaining maximum flashover voltage during rain. The sheds keep the inner side of an insulator dry and do not hamper voltage distribution, thereby allowing perfect distribution of voltage.

Suspension Type Insulator: For higher voltages,>33 kV, a suspension type insulator is used. A suspension type insulator consists of a number of porcelain discs that connect in series through a metal link. The conductor is usually suspended at the bottom end, while the other string is attached to the cross arm of the tower.

Advantages of Suspension Type Insulator

• Suspension type insulators are generally cheaper than pin type insulator when we talk about voltage beyond 33 kV.
• In case a disk becomes damaged, the whole string does not become useless; the damaged disk can easily be replaced.
• The suspension arrangement provides tactile strength and increased flexibility to the power line.
• Suspension type insulators are generally used with steel towers. The arrangement of the conductors is such that it offers protection from lightning to some extent.

Strain Insulator: A strain insulator is nothing but a suspension string that is used to sustain an extraordinary tensile load of conductor. When the power line finishes, or there appears to be a sharp turn in the transmission line, the line sustains great tensile conductor or strain.

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