Sensing Method Using Dielectric Loss Factor to Evaluate Surface Conditions on Polluted Porcelain Insulator.

Insulator diagnostics is still a topical issue. No one has yet found out how to accurately determine the condition of all insulators and decide when replacement or maintenance is required. Insulators are one of the main components of a transmission and distribution system and must withstand high voltages in all weather conditions. Moisture and dirt are the main factors influencing the insulating properties of insulators. This article deals with the effect of pollution on a porcelain insulator. An Omicron MI 600 measuring system monitors the changes in the dielectric loss factor and leakage current in a wide frequency range (10 Hz to 1 kHz) to evaluate the contamination level. We applied three high voltage levels (5 kV, 7.5 kV, and 10 kV) to the porcelain insulator to monitor changes in the mentioned quantities with various frequencies. The measurement results confirmed the usability of the dielectric loss factor and leakage current for the diagnosis of insulator pollution. The dielectric loss factor showed more promising results than the leakage current.

Locomotor Activity of Ixodes ricinus Females in 900 MHz Electromagnetic Field.

Mobile telecommunications technologies have become an indispensable part of people's lives of all ages around the world. They affect personal life and social interactions and are a work tool in the work routine. Network availability requirements and the quality of the Internet connection are constantly increasing, to which telecommunications providers are responding. Humans and wildlife live in the permanent presence of electromagnetic radiation with just a minor knowledge of the impact this radiation has. The aim of our study was to investigate the effect of a 900 MHz electromagnetic field (EMF) on the locomotor behavior of female Ixodes ricinus ticks under laboratory conditions. Experiments were performed in the radiation-shielded tube (RST) test and radiation-shielded circular open-field arena placed in an anechoic chamber. Altogether, 480 female I. ricinus ticks were tested. In the RST arena, no differences in preference for irradiated and shielded parts of experimental modules were observed; in the open-field arena, the time spent and the trajectory passed was significantly longer in the part exposed to the EMF.