PROD UCT GUIDE

Composite hollow core insulators

Material specification
2 PRO D U CT G U ID E COMP OS I TE H OLLOW CORE INSU L ATORS

Composite insulator technology

Meeting the needs of the most demanding
power transmission applications

Developing various types of composite insu- Seamless helical extrusion process for conti-
lators for the most demanding applications nuous outer silicone housing
known today requires not only in-depth ma- The fiberglass tubes are equipped with HTV
terial and design know-how, it also requires silicone rubber weather sheds using a void-free
an absolute understanding of the production helical extrusion process. Even the longest in-
processes. sulators are manufactured in one step, resul-
ting in continuous silicone housings without
We are very knowledgeable of the requirements molding lines (where dirt and salt can accumu-
for high voltage applications and the essence late) or other potential weak joints.
of being a reliable business partner with the
highest quality standards. Optimized shed profiles with large shed tip
radius and high protective creepage distance
Available for all high voltage applications Major development efforts have been carried
ABB provides hollow composite insulators for out to achieve our optimized shed profiles.
all high voltage applications including high vol- Both the bottom surface and top surface of the
tage breakers, instrument transformers, surge sheds are angled. This ensures optimal creepa-
arresters, cable terminations and bushings ge distance and protected areas, resulting in
from 72 kV up to 1200 kV AC and 1100 kV DC. the lowest possible leakage currents, even in
Our product range is wide with more than 300 severe environments.
different composite insulators in production.
The tip of each shed is well-rounded with a ra-
In-house production of one-piece fiberglass dius of ≥2.3 mm to minimize the electrical field
composite tubes and the risk of flashover.
The load bearing insulator tubes are made of
epoxy resin reinforced with electrical grade Routine testing
fiberglass using a wet filament winding tech- Each insulator is visually inspected and mecha-
nique. The whole process ensures high grade nically tested in bending and over pressured
insulator tubes with low manufacturing tole- followed by a helium tightness test with the
rances and superb mechanical and dielectrical whole insulator enclosed in a vacuum chamber.
properties. All ABB insulator tubes are made
in-house and as one continuous piece. ABB High strength flange design
Composites manufactures the world largest The fiberglass tubes are fitted into high
one-piece insulators in lengths up to over 15 m. strength and high resistant aluminum alloy
casted flanges using a special process, which
High temperature vulcanized silicone rubber results in a combined shrink fit and adhesive
for best long-term performance bond. The result is an extremely strong and
We use only high quality, high temperature gas-tight joint. Anodized flange solutions are
vulcanized (HTV) silicone rubber to ensure the available for extreme environments and special
highest possible durability of sheds, as well as applications.
outstanding tracking and erosion resistance.
It is well documented that HTV silicone rubber
enriched with ATH filler outperforms low vis-
cosity silicone rubbers, such as liquid silicone
rubber (LSR), regarding long-term performan-
ce. The superior silicone material involves an
ATH level of more than 45% in weight.
 COMPOSITE HOLLOW CORE INSU L ATORS PR ODUC T GUIDE 3

Advantages of the technology

Composite insulators with silicone rubber insulation possess unique properties and
are installed all over the world. ABB offers a wide range of insulators, and together
with our flexible production method can deliver composite insulators that will meet
your requirements.

Benefits:

• More than 50 years of experience with electrically insulating structural composites

• More than 20 years of field experience with apparatus insulators

• Verified safe failure mode in case of vandalism or internal fault (explosion proof)

• Non-brittle material with reduced risk of handling damages

• Leakage current control due to hydrophobicity

• xcellent insulation for reduced creepage requirements

• Flashover resistance

• Outstanding seismic performance provides safety and reliability

• Low weight for cost savings

• Maintenance-free and outstanding pollution performance

• UV stability

• For high voltage applications and substations

• Helium tightness testing including whole insulators

• Cost effective and fast tailoring of project articles

• Minimum creep deformation of long insulators

01 Aluminum end fitting

02 Glass fiber roving

4 PRO D U CT G U ID E COMP OS I TE H OLLOW CORE INSU L ATORS

Design guide
We offer a wide range of composite insulators with hundreds of different types in
production. Together with flexible production methods, we can deliver composite
insulators that will meet and exceed your requirements.

Upon request we send you standard values of tube, shed profile and flange designs.
If none of our standard designs match your needs, other designs can be easily
developed on request.

The easiest way to design an insulator is as Material properties

follows: Only the highest quality materials from well-
Specify the inner diameter and length of the tube. known suppliers are used in products.
Choose a shed design and creepage factor to
match your installation preferences. Material specifications, fiberglass tubes
Composite tubes, filament-wound with fiber-
Fiberglass tubes glass roving impregnated with epoxy resin.
ABB Composites can offer composite insulators The inner surface is coated with non-woven
with cylindrical, conical and combinations of polyester.
cylindrical and conical sections. Lengths up to
over 15 m can be manufactured as a single tube Material specifications, high temperature
without adhesive joints. All of our tubes are vulcanized silicone rubber
customized (wall thickness and winding angles) Platina curing, solid high temperature vulcani-
to meet customers’ mechanical requirements zed (HTV) silicone rubber based on polydimet-
(pressure and bending). hylsiloxane (PDMS) with aluminum trihydrate
(ATH) filler.
Shed profiles
The required creepage distance and type of Material specification, aluminum alloys
voltage (AC or DC) for your apparatus will Aluminum alloys according to customer specifi-
determine which shed profile is suitable for your cation. Preferred alloy description as per
design and that will meet your requirements. EN 1706: EN AC-42100 T6 [EN AC-AlSi7Mg0.3 T6].
ABB Composites has a wide range of standard
shed profiles, see table below. Our standard
shed profiles comply with IEC 60815-3. Other
shed profiles can be arranged quickly and cost-
efficiently on request. Shed tip radius ≥ 2.3 mm.

Flanges
The flange design is critical for the fit of the
insulator on the apparatus to which it will be
attached. ABB offers a wide range of standard
flange designs. If none of the standard flanges
meets your requirements, other designs are
available on request.
 COMPOSITE HOLLOW CORE INSU L ATORS PR ODUC T GUIDE 5

Tube dimensions
Conical

L, max

D1 D2

L1 L2 L3

Diameter 1 D1 (mm) Diameter 2 D2 (mm) Length 1 L1 (mm) Length 2 L2 (mm) Length 3 L3 (mm) Full length Lmax (mm)

200 100 300 898 100 1298

210 180 2000 6000 4000 12000
250 219 680 855 470 2005
260 180 7230 3500 1070 11800
270 130 300 1100 500 1900
270 130 380 1270 160 1810
270 230 2900 8000 2900 13800
280 210 935 2150 720 3805
296 219 770 1595 700 3065
311 210 920 2200 710 3830
321 120 770 1970 190 2930
326 219 780 1965 700 3445
355 130 750 1776 420 2946
358 210 825 2700 860 4385
373 190 1070 1485 140 2695
394 286 990 2300 990 4280
394 286 1200 2400 1450 5050
400 260 2050 6000 2050 10100
402 205 580 1570 750 2900
485 385 1860 1615 2090 5565
517 245 3170 2567 730 6467
550 400 4050 1400 920 6370
630 480 1950 1100 3200 6250
740 580 3550 1000 5650 10200
740 580 5150 1530 1450 8130
740 580 3000 1530 8000 12530
983 725 5240 2448 3500 11188
983 725 3120 2448 6700 12268

Other profiles upon request

6 PRO D U CT G U ID E COMP OS I TE H OLLOW CORE INSU L ATORS

Tube dimensions
Cylindrical

L, max

Inner diameter
130 150 160 180 210 258 311 335 358 420 486
D, (mm)

Maximum length;
4100 3200 4750 10000 10000 10000 10 000 10000 4950 4300 10000
L, max (mm)
 COMPOSITE HOLLOW CORE INSU L ATORS PR ODUC T GUIDE 7

Shed profiles

S R

P1

S (mm) P (mm) P1 (mm) Cf Shed pair creep ratio

55 27 27 2,65
55 47 30 3,44
55 50 33 3,63
55 55 38 4,01
55 60 43 4,33
55 63 45 4,52
60 70 50 4,49
70 57 37 3,33
70 66 46 3,86
70 75 55 4,25

To estimate the creepage distance from the shed pair creep ratio,
the following equation can be used:
Cd = Cr x ( ad - 300)+300
Where:
Cd = Creepage distance*
ad = Arcing distance**
Cr = Shed pair creep ratio

Explanatory text from IEC 61462

*/ Creepage distance
Shortest distance or the sum of the shortest distances along the
surface on an insulator between two conductive parts which
normally have the operating voltage between them.
**/ Arcing distance
Shortest distance in the air external to the insulator between the
metallic parts which normally have the operating voltage
between them.
ABB Power Grids Sweden AB
Box 273
941 26 Piteå
SWEDEN
E-mail: OrderComposites@se.abb.com

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Specifications subject to change without notice.