Development of self-cleaning/ice phobic insulators

在气候寒冷的国家，绝缘子上的冰积聚对电力系统造成许多严重的问题，正如在许多地区所目睹的那样，包括魁北克南部和安大略、纽芬兰以及美国北方的一些州。覆冰绝缘子的闪络是这些地区经常观察到的现象。污闪的另一个主要原因是污染。 防止冰和污染物在高压绝缘体的表面上的积聚的替代手段将是生产具有减少冰和污染物粘附的性质的超疏水绝缘体。** 该项目旨在改善加拿大和世界各地寒冷气候和/或污染地区的高压户外绝缘子的性能。本项目的主要目标是通过两种策略，使用有效的方法制造自清洁户外绝缘体：**1）在绝缘体模具的表面上使用多种方法，如化学蚀刻，阳极氧化，等离子体和激光处理，以创建各种微米和纳米图案化模板。然后将这些模板用于直接复制工艺中，其中硅橡胶的表面形态将在注射工艺期间复制。**2）将微米和纳米颗粒结合到硅橡胶基质中，以产生适当的微米和纳米纹理。这些颗粒的类型，尺寸和丰度以及注入工艺参数将被优化，以实现真正的超疏水绝缘体。** 将进行模拟研究，以研究微米和纳米尺度特征内聚合物熔体的复制能力和流动行为。此后，开发的超疏水绝缘体将被评估在其憎冰性和自清洁性能时，放置在结冰以及污染条件升高。******************

In cold climate countries, ice accumulation on insulators causes numerous serious problems for power systems, as has been witnessed in many regions including southern Quebec and Ontario, Newfoundland, as well as some northern US states. Flashover on ice-covered insulators is a phenomenon that has been frequently observed in these regions. Another main cause of flashover is pollution. An alternative means of preventing the accretion of ice and pollution on the surface of high voltage insulators would be to produce superhydrophobic insulators having properties that reduce ice and pollution adhesion. ** This project aims to improve the performance of high voltage outdoor insulators in cold climates and/or in polluted regions in Canada and around the world. The main objective of this project is to use an effective approach to fabricate a self-cleaning outdoor insulator through two strategies:**1) Use of multiple methods such as chemical etching, anodization, plasma, and laser treatment on the surface of the insulator mold in order to create various micro- and nano-patterned templates. These templates will then be used within the direct replication process in which the surface morphology of silicone rubber will be replicated during the injection process. **2) Incorporation of micro- and nanoparticles into the silicone rubber matrix in order to create the appropriate micro-and nano-texture. The type, size, and abundance of these particles as well as the injection process parameters will be optimized in order to achieve a truly superhydrophobic insulator. **Simulation study will be carried out to investigate the replication capability and flow behaviour of polymeric melt inside the micro- and nano-scale features. Thereafter, the developed superhydrophobic insulators will be assessed in terms of their ice phobicity and their self-cleaning properties when placed in icing as well as elevated pollution conditions. ******************