RTV SILICONE COATING · ANTI-POLLUTION FLASHOVER · LAPEM-APPROVED
Silidriel®
RTV silicone coating for high-voltage insulators.
Water rolls off. Flashover doesn’t happen. Silidriel is an anti-pollution flashover coating (HVIC): its hydrophobicity makes water bead and roll off, eliminating the leakage current behind flashover. Applied live-line, without de-energizing.
NEW GENERATION · 3RD GEN
Introducing the new Silidriel Lotus.
The evolution of the lotus effect. An even more hydrophobic surface that takes protection to the next level: more hydrophobicity, more insulation, more durability.
<5°
98.9%
+26
— THE INVISIBLE ENEMY
Pollution causes flashover — and takes you offline.
Salt, industrial dust, humidity. Combined on an insulator, they form a conductive layer that triggers a flashover (disruptive discharge): electric arc, protection tripping and line outage — the #1 cause of pollution failures in high voltage.
STEP 01
Contamination builds up
Conductive particles accumulate on the insulator surface.
STEP 02
Humidity activates it
Fog or dew form a wet, conductive film over the contaminated layer.
STEP 03
Flashover and outage
The arc tracks across the surface: tripping, interruption, risk and penalties.
200,000+
pollution failures already prevented with Silidriel in the field. The cascade above has a solution — and it’s physics, not luck.
— THE SOLUTION
Silidriel changes the surface physics.
It’s a super-hydrophobic RTV silicone elastomeric coating (room-temperature vulcanizing). It mimics the microscopic structure of the lotus leaf: water doesn’t spread — it beads and rolls, carrying contaminants away. With no conductive wet film, leakage current disappears and there’s no path for flashover.
— HOW IT WORKS
Three steps. Zero flashovers.
01
The coating is applied
RTV silicone over the insulator — even energized, with no outages or interruptions.
02
The surface turns hydrophobic
It gains lotus-effect super-hydrophobicity: water no longer adheres or spreads.
03
Water beads and rolls off
With no conductive wet layer, the flashover mechanism disappears. The line keeps operating.
— THE TEST · HI-POT 2024
We don’t promise it. We prove it.
High-potential (Hi-Pot) lab test: two identical insulators, the same applied voltage. One coated with Silidriel, one uncoated. Watch which one flashes over.
● Uncoated · gray insulator (left)
The contaminated, wet layer conducts: electric arc, flashover and outage.
● With Silidriel · orange insulators (right)
The hydrophobic surface cuts leakage current. No arc, no flashover — the line keeps operating.
— FIELD-PROVEN RESULTS
— TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
The numbers an engineer cares about.
Data from the Silidriel technical sheet — evaluated by LAPEM® and independent labs.
>25 kV/mm
98.9%
>110°
Undetectable
— TRACK RECORD
Not a promise. It’s 42 years protecting critical infrastructure.
Silidriel is developed and manufactured in-house by GrupoDriel (Querétaro, Mexico) — own R&D, LAPEM-approved, with international presence.
3,000+
500+
12+
TRUSTED BY
CFE · CEMEX · IBERDROLA · AHMSA · ArcelorMittal · TREMEC · CRYOINFRA
— FAQ
What engineers ask.
An RTV coating (room-temperature vulcanizing silicone), also called an anti-pollution flashover coating or HVIC, is an elastomeric layer applied over the insulator to make it hydrophobic and prevent pollution flashover in high voltage.
It makes the surface hydrophobic: water beads and rolls off instead of forming a conductive film, eliminating the leakage current that causes flashover.
Yes. Silidriel is applied without de-energizing the substation — zero downtime, no outages or service interruptions.
Silidriel offers a 20-year service life, backed by installations with over 26 years of proven real-world field performance.
In high-pollution areas: coastal and saline, industrial, cement and agricultural — where insulator washing is frequent and costly.
Explore the Silidriel line
Choose the right RTV coating variant for your need.
— TALK TO AN ENGINEER
Protect your grid before the next flashover.
Tell us about your substation or line and we’ll show you how to apply Silidriel — even energized, without taking you offline.