Risk Probabilistic Characteristics for Contaminated Porcelain Insulator in the Egyptian Sinai Desert

Transmission lines in the desert are exposed to the desert environment, which includes sandstorms as one of its hallmarks. A conductive layer develops with prolonged sand deposition and the presence of moisture, ambient humidity, and dew. The ensuing leakage current causes surface discharge, which limits the life of the insulator and interrupting the power supply. The locations of power lines in the Egyptian Sinai desert, where sandstorms are known to occur frequently, are exposed to such a risk. In order to estimate the danger of insulator failure, this paper studies the flow of leakage current on porcelain insulators that have been contaminated with sand. This work relies on accurate data collected and published in a prior study regarding Sinai, which mainly focused on contaminating sand’s grain sizes. Porcelain insulator is simulated using finite element method to determine the leakage current that results on its contaminated surface. The probabilistic characteristics of the insulator’s leakage current are derived using Monte Carlo technique, allowing for the risk assessment of insulator failure. This assessment can be used to justify the suitability of using this kind of insulator in Sinai.