Aging Models and Lifetime Prediction of Thermally Aged Industrial Cable Insulation Polymers

Aging Mechanisms and Monitoring of Cable Polymers

Aging mechanisms of two polymeric insulation materials that are used widely in nuclear power plant low-voltage cables; cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) and ethylene propylene rubber/ethylene propylene diene terpolymer (EPR/EPDM), are reviewed. A summary of various nondestructive methods suitable for evaluation of cable insulation is given. A capacitive sensor capable of making local nondestruct...

Lightning Impulse Ageing of Hv Cable Insulation

Lightning impulses can lead to accelerated ageing of extruded cables. Electrical behaviour of a dielectric material when experiencing a lightning impulse is different to that for DC or power frequency applied voltages. Pre-designed shaped HDPE material samples have been manufactured using a mould tool. The samples then have been electrically aged using an impulse generator. A real-time software...

Improved Lead-Free Wire and Cable Insulation Performance Using Nanocomposites

Claisen thermally rearranged (CTR) polymers

Thermally rearranged (TR) polymers, which are considered the next-generation of membrane materials because of their excellent transport properties and high thermal and chemical stability, are proven to have significant drawbacks because of the high temperature required for the rearrangement and low degree of conversion during this process. We demonstrate that using a [3,3]-sigmatropic rearrange...

The Conduction Characteristics of Electrical Trees in XLPE Cable Insulation

Depending on the morphology of the material and applied voltage frequency, three kinds of electrical trees can exist in cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) cable insulation, which are conducting, non-conducting, and mixed trees with different growth mechanisms. It is suggested that when the needle is inserted into large spherulites, conducting trees will form in those spherulites; when it is inser...