Leakage Current Response Mechanism of Insulator String With Ambient Humidity on Days Without Rain

The leakage current, which is influenced by the operating voltage, the surface contamination, and environmental variables, is one of the most basic online monitoring parameters for the surface contamination status of insulators. However, the impact of temperature and humidity on leakage current have not been expressed concisely nor distinguished according to sunny and rainy weather. In this paper, based on leakage current online monitoring data, the time-domain waveforms of leakage current of an insulator string in Shenzhen, China, were compared with those of the ambient temperature and humidity. Results indicate that the leakage current presents a saddle-shaped curve on days without rain, and that there is a remarkable positive correlation between leakage current and humidity as well as a negative correlation between leakage current and temperature. In a short period (several days) without rain, as long as the relative humidity keeps constant, the leakage current would vary insignificantly, whereas it may vary in a wide range at the same temperature. Moreover, the functional relation mathematical model ${I = {a\ast e}}^{b\ast RH}$ between the first harmonic component of leakage current and the relative humidity is presented, inferring that the insulator string leakage current depends mainly on the ambient relative humidity in a day without rain.