During the past four decades, starting with the pioneering R&D work at Westinghouse in the 1970s, considerable work has been done, especially in the USA, on the dielectric properties and long-term performance of specialized polymer concrete composites for applications in the electric power industry. Polymer concrete is now well-established as a viable technical alternative to standard electrical porcelain. Its energy efficiency, its low cost, its universal processability at ambient temperature, and its design versatility have now spawned a wide variety of successful applications world-wide. Post insulators up to and including 138 kV, pin insulators, integrally cast instrument and potential transformers, various kinds and sizes of bushings, surge arresters, bus ducts, third-rail insulators in transportation, etc, are just some of the products operating successfully in the field to-day.The full potential of polymer concrete as a dielectric material has not yet been reached. With some thoughtful and functionally directed research on the properties and processing of polymer concrete, it is felt that significant advances can be made in the capabilities of dielectric polymer concrete.These advances can revolutionize the design and operation of electric power systems in the 21st century when the demands of the environment and the constraints of cost of new Ultra High Voltage power systems will be important factors governing the choice of materials. This paper gives a brief over-view of the state-of-the-art of polymer concrete dielectrics and discusses some of the needed research to meet the new challenges facing the electric power industry.
Reserves of Generating Capacity for Perspective Planning of Development of the Unified Energy System of Russia
