Electric field simulation for uniform and FGM cone type spacer with adhering spherical conducting particle in GIS

Small spherical conducting particles which may be generated due to mechanical abrasion or arcing during switching of isolators and circuit breakers strongly affect the distribution of the electric field especially if they are very adjacent or adhering to the spacer surface. The simulation of the electric field depends on the location, the size of the contaminating particle and the spacer relative permittivity. This paper studies the effect of the presence of the adhering spherical conducting particles with different sizes and locations on the electric field distribution at solid/gas interface surface and around the spacer. Cone type spacer model with uniform and function grading material (FGM) permittivity distributions has been introduced to study the effect of the presence of the spherical conducting particles on the characteristics of the electric field along and around the spacer surface. The effect of the FGM spacer with its different arrangements on the insulation characteristics along and around the spacer surface will be discussed. The electric field simulation is performed by the concept of Finite Element Method (FEM) using three-dimension simulation model.