Cost-effective solution for outdoor electrical insulation
1 min read
Huntsman has launched an hydrophobic epoxy-based shed material for composite insulators, Araldite S-HCEP, which is a semi-flexible material that has been developed for composite insulators.
Chemically, the material is a shed hydrophobic cycloaliphatic epoxy, which performs as an insulating outdoor system that can be used as housing material for the reinforced fibre core of composite insulators.
The semi-flexible nature of the material helps to absorb the stresses that occur in composite insulator applications. The system has a mix ratio of 1:1 by volume making it suitable for the same meter mix equipment as used for liquid silicone rubber, which is a significant advantage over standard epoxy applications as no stirring, degassing or pre-heating is required. This makes processing easy with only the simplest equipment. No primer treatment of the rod is necessary either as the epoxy adheres well to this.
The formulation of the system has good tracking and erosion resistance as well as good water diffusion break down strength. These advanced characteristics make Araldite S-HCEP suitable for medium to high voltage insulation applications offering manufacturers an attractive cost base with low material and processing costs.
