WACKER’s POWERSIL® portfolio of insulation materials for the transmission and distribution sector includes silicone coatings for porcelain and glass insulators. When conventional insulators are coated with POWERSIL®, beneficial electrical properties are conferred on them thanks to the coating’s water-repellent action (hydrophobicity).
To assess the long-term stability of such coatings, WACKER performs accelerated weathering tests as per ISO 4892. For over 3,000 hours, the coated test samples are irradiated with UV light and exposed to moisture. The state of the insulator coating is then determined by evaluating its water-repellent properties. The tests provide conclusive findings on the material’s durability – data that could otherwise only be obtained from field tests spanning several years.
WACKER studies now prove that test samples coated with POWERSIL® repel water even after 3,000 hours of extreme weathering in a simulator. “Our tests show that samples coated with POWERSIL® 567 retain their excellent hydrophobicity even after lengthy periods of artificial weathering,” says Martin Grunwald, a silicones expert at WACKER, who explained the results during the colloquium.
Endurance tests carried out by WACKER in Sweden and Germany confirm these results. “Based on the tests we’ve been running in Sweden for the last 15 years, we can say that insulators coated with POWERSIL® function smoothly for many years without needing to be cleaned, even in regions with high air pollution,” added Grunwald. Alongside its own field tests, WACKER regularly analyzes coated insulators used by several of its customers. Grunwald discussed applications in China, Spain and Germany. “The results are very positive and prove that POWERSIL® coatings exhibit superior durability.”
Some 100 customers and scientists took part in the WACKER colloquium. Besides WACKER’s own service engineers and researchers, renowned experts such as Ernst Gockenbach and Hossein Borsi (University of Hannover), Albert Claudi (University of Kassel), and Roland Bärsch and Ronny Paulick (University of Zittau/Görlitz) gave presentations on the latest developments and research findings regarding the use of silicones as electrical insulation materials. The event is to take place again.