Ageing Behaviours of Superhydrophobic and Icephobic Coatings on Overhead Line Systems

The accretion of ice and pollution can lead to serious damage and failure of overhead line systems during icing events. CIGRE TB361 has detailed a family of advanced coatings which claim to be superhydrophobic or ice repellent and which can be deployed on power system equipment to reduce ice accumulation. This paper examines the performance of a commercial superhydrophobic coating NeverWet on aluminium alloy substrates. This coating achieved an average contact angle of 169.5° and the lowest sliding angle of 1.5°. A series of ageing tests were designed and conducted, including thermal ageing/cycling, corona exposure, ultraviolet exposure, and ambient outdoor exposure. The superhydrophobicity of samples was retained after all ageing tests with the exception of corona exposure.