Simulation of Voltage Distribution Characteristics of High-Voltage Insulator Strings with Multiple Pieces of Zero Resistance Insulators

High-voltage porcelain insulator has higher permittivity and better electrical erosion resistance when compared with composite insulator, and has been widely used in 220-1000kV power transmission lines for years. In this paper, the three-dimensional finite-element method (FEM) models of insulator strings were built in parallel with the equivalent circuit models. Simulations have been carried out by both of the two methods, with respect to the potential and electric field distributions on the whole insulator string as well as the influence of the number of zero resistance insulators. This study is a stepping stone to the multi-physics simulation on porcelain insulator strings with multiple pieces of zero resistance insulators, which is necessary for the online fault diagnosis by thermal imaging technology.