Five important power line component anomalies

摘要

During routine infrared surveys of switchyard, substation, distribution components and underground cable installations, several important anomalies have been identified. Five are reported on in this paper: (1) Moisture intrusion into high voltage polymer insulators; (2) Improper installation of a three phase service transformer set; (3) Improper tightening of a bushing connection; (4) Current transformer polyurethane coating encasement failure; (5) Underground cable and fuse enclosure insulator failure. In the first case the extremes of Florida weather, heat, humidity and moisture, contributed to the failure. In all cases, either improved manufacturing design or installation procedures could have prevented these problems. In addition to using infrared thermography as a survey tool, it is highly recommended to be used as a design and installation, baseline-checking tool.