Condition assessment of 12- and 24-kV XLPE cables installed during the 80s. Results from a joint Norwegian/Swedish research project

This paper reports the results from the condition assessment of 12- and 24-kV cross-linked polyethylene (XPLE) cables using a technique based on dielectric spectroscopy initially developed at KTH in Sweden. The work aims to examine whether the method could detect water tree degradation for the second generation medium voltage (MV) cables with long, but not bridging, water trees. While the overall cable condition was better than expected for second generation XPLE cables, water trees were found in most of the selected cables. The diagnostic method based on the measurement of the dielectric response could only detect water tree degradation in the examined second generation cables when the water trees bridged the insulation wall. Condition assessment above service stress may, in some cases, be required to detect bridging water trees. The results indicate that there is a correlation between the voltage level and the breakdown voltage of the cable. This can be used as a diagnostic criterion for this group of cables.     

Application of dielectric response measurement on power cable systems

Water treeing is one of the factors leading to failure of medium voltage XLPE cables in long-term service. Increased moisture content inside oil-paper insulated cable is not desirable. To identify water tree degraded XLPE cables or oil-paper cables with high moisture content, diagnostic tests based on dielectric response (DR) measurement in time and frequency domain are used. Review of individual DR measurement techniques in the time and frequency domains indicates that measurement of one parameter in either domain may not be sufficient to reveal the status of the cable insulation. But a combination of several DR parameters can improve diagnostic results with respect to water trees present in XLPE cables or increased moisture content in oil-paper cables. DR measurement is a very useful tool that reveals average condition of cable systems. However, it is unlikely that DR measurement will detect few, but long water trees. In addition, DR cannot locate the defect or water tree site within the cable system. Combination of DR and partial discharge (PD) measurements can improve diagnostic results with respect to global and local defects. However, it is doubtful whether PD test can identify the presence of water trees inside a cable in a nondestructive manner. Further research is needed for more detailed conclusions regarding the status of a particular insulation and for predicting the remaining life of the insulation system.     

Dielectric response studies on insulating system of high voltage rotating machines

A significant method to characterize the electrical properties of materials and to evaluate the condition of the insulating systems is the dielectric response study which can be done in the time or frequency domain. The dielectric response measuring results can be affected by different parameters like measuring voltage, temperature, water content and aging condition of insulating system. In this work numerous measurements are presented, thus to understand, how the dielectric response measurement results at the insulating system of high voltage rotating machines can be affected by these parameters in the time and frequency domain. Because of the importance of the dielectric response application as a non-destructive diagnostic method the possibilities and limitations of this method to reflect the deterioration processes due to thermal and electrical stress were also investigated. In addition the possibility to transfer the measuring data from the time to frequency domain was investigated and the calculated and measured data were compared. For the test object actual stator bars were used that were manufactured with epoxy VPI technology.     

信号注入法在中压电缆绝缘在线监测中的应用

为了提高电力系统运行的可靠性,实现电缆绝缘的在线监测以替代传统的停电定期检修是其发展的必然趋势。已有的在线监测方法都有一定的局限性,因此在已有研究的基础上提出结合信号注入法和介质损耗法的低频介损在线监测方法,并分别通过仿真和实验对其原理和效果进行了研究。仿真部分包括热老化和水树老化2种老化方式电缆绝缘的监测,以及考虑噪声、低频频率波动和谐波对仿真结果的影响。实验部分包括分别制作热老化和水树老化电缆样本,设计实验电路对仿真结果进行验证。最后通过样本微观测试,对实验原理进行机理分析。仿真和实验结果表明,对于不同类型的老化电缆,以及绝缘的不同故障,都可以通过注入低频信号响应的低频介损判断电缆老化程度。     

Condition Evaluation for Aging State of Transformer Oil-paper Insulation Based on Time-frequency Domain Dielectric Characteristics

For the oil-impregnated power transformers in service, the condition of the main insulation system is very important. This article reports a non-destructive evaluation technique based on time-frequency domain dielectric characteristics. First, the polarization/depolarization current and frequency-domain spectroscopy were well measured under controlled laboratory conditions. Then, the recovery voltage curves and recovery voltage polarization spectroscopy were also obtained by using the conversion method between polarization/depolarization current and recovery voltage based on the extended Debye model. After that, the time-domain dielectric characteristics, which can represent oil-paper insulation aging, were extracted from the polarization/depolarization current curves, recovery voltage curves and recovery voltage polarization spectroscopy. In addition, the frequency-domain dielectric characteristics, which can represent the oil-paper insulation aging, were also proposed in terms of frequency domain spectroscopy. Finally, the change rules of time-frequency domain dielectric characteristics under different aging times were investigated in depth. Results show that the time-frequency domain dielectric characteristics are sensitive to the aging states of power transformers, which could be utilized to diagnose the aging state of oil-paper insulation in field power transformers.     

压力注入电压稳定剂对热氧老化电缆绝缘性能的增强机理

为了研究压力注入电压稳定剂对热氧老化电缆的修复效果,通过配置修复液对电缆样本进行注入修复,研究修复液对电缆绝缘性能的增强效果及作用机理。选取抗氧剂300和二茂铁配置不同添加浓度的7种硅氧烷修复液,对热氧老化电缆样本进行注入式修复,测试修复前后XLPE绝缘的电树引发电压、直流电导率和介质损耗因数,对部分样本进行二次老化,并测试不同老化时间的氧化诱导期和电树引发电压。结果表明,注入2种类型的电压稳定剂均能够大幅提高热氧老化电缆的电树引发电压,但也会在一定程度上增大电导率和介质损耗因数;注入抗氧剂300能够提高热氧老化电缆的氧化诱导时间,并在较长时间内提升其抗热氧老化和抗电树能力。由扩散公式与实验结果可知,通过增大注入压力,升高扩散温度,选择有效浓度区间更大的电压稳定剂,选取较为保守的添加含量等措施,使电压稳定剂在绝缘层中的浓度分布处于有效浓度区域,是保证修复效果的有效措施。     

交联聚乙烯电缆水树缺陷的修复方法研究

采用硅氧烷修复液修复交联聚乙烯电缆老化试样中的水树,进而分析修复效果及机理。将介质损耗因数为4%～6%,绝缘电阻7 500～10 000 MΩ的短电缆在7.5 kV 450 Hz交流电压下老化至介质损耗因数达到20%左右,绝缘电阻3 500～5 000 MΩ。然后用压力注入式修复装置把修复液注入缆芯对水树缺陷进行修复。以介质损耗因数、绝缘电阻和击穿电压为指标对修复效果进行评判;通过显微镜切片观察修复前后水树微观形态;通过仿真修复前后水树附近电场分布来分析和验证水树的修复机理。实验结果证明,修复液可以充分与电缆水树中的水发生反应生成胶状聚合物填充水树通道;修复后电缆介质损耗因数、绝缘电阻和击穿电压恢复到新电缆水平;改善了绝缘层电场分布;有效地抑制了水树生长。实验表明,该修复液可有效修复电缆中的水树缺陷,提高电缆绝缘水平。     

Condition assessment of distribution PILC cables from electrical, chemical, and dielectric measurements

A study was conducted to evaluate some new diagnostic techniques enabling users to effectively manage their paper-insulated, lead-covered (PILC) cable assets. The objective is to present the results obtained with four diagnostic techniques designed for use on in-service cables, but used only to a limited extent on PILC cables. These techniques are LIpATEST leakage current test method, isothermal relaxation current (IRC), return voltage method (RVM), and dielectric spectroscopy. In addition, the AC breakdown strength of the cable was also measured. The differences between the titration measurements and the predictions made by AC breakdown and the non-destructive techniques, such as RVM and dielectric spectroscopy, were noted with specific reference to moisture content in the cables. The different diagnostic techniques used in the study gave a reasonably consistent and coherent evaluation of the insulation condition of several field-aged PILC cables. The moisture content deduced from RVM and dielectric spectroscopy does not agree with Karl-Fischer titration of the same samples. It is suggested that aging induces more detrimental polarization processes in the cable oil, whose impact on electrical properties is still unknown but appears to be much more influential than moisture for the cables tested. The results confirm a previous suggestion that PILC cables kept under load are not significantly affected by water ingress.     

硅氧化焼注入后水树老化交联聚乙烯电缆电气特性和微观结构（英文）

To evaluate the effect of using siloxane liquid to rejuvenate water tree defects in cross-linked polyethylene(XLPE)cables,we investigated the electrical properties and micro-structures of water-tree aged XLPE cables after siloxane liquid injection treatment.The water-tree aged samples were prepared by performing accelerated aging experiment using water-needle electrodes,and the siloxane liquid is injected into the aged cable through a pressurized injection system.Dielectric loss factors of the samples before and after the rejuvenation were compared.The water trees and the internal filler were observed using scanning electron microscope(SEM).Electrical properties of the reactants are measured.Electric field simulation is conducted to verify the rejuvenation effect by finite element method.The results show that the siloxane liquid diffused into the insulation layer in a short time and reacted with water in the water trees.The electrical properties of the formed organic filler are in accord with that of XLPE.Therefore,the action between siloxane and water can inhibit the growth of water trees and reduce electric field distortion of the water tree areas.As a result,insulation performance of the cable is enhanced.A 70 m long cable was aged and rejuvenated in laboratory and an on-site rejuvenation experiment was conducted,and in both cases the dielectric loss factor and leakage current halved after rejuvenation.     

Understanding Electrical Performance and Microstructure of Water Tree Aged Cables after Silicone Injection during Electrical-Thermal Accelerated Aging

To further understand the long-term effect of rejuvenation fluid on water tree aged cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) cables after silicone injection, electrical performance and microstructure of water tree aged cables were investigated during an electrical-thermal accelerated aging experiment. Two groups of treated and untreated water tree aged cable samples were subjected to electrical-thermal aging for 2 weeks. The results of the dielectric loss factor showed that the electrical performance of the treated samples was significantly better than that of untreated samples after electrical-thermal aging. Microobservation results showed that the overall water tree sizes of the treated samples were much smaller than those of the untreated samples after electrical-thermal aging. Furthermore, there was a second growth of water trees in the original water tree region during electrical-thermal aging in both groups of samples. Using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), rejuvenation fillers were observed tightly embedded in water tree voids after electrical-thermal aging. The infrared (IR) spectroscopy analysis results showed that the concentration of rejuvenation fluid increased from the outer layer to the inner layer of insulation. Based on the results, due to the improvement of the electric field at the water tree tip and the diffusion of silicone fluid in the insulation layer, both the second growth in the original water tree region and continuing growth at the water tree tip can be effectively inhibited.     

振荡波电压作用下的电缆介质损耗测量方法

介质损耗是评价电力电缆绝缘状态的重要指标之一。振荡波电压作为目前新兴的检测电压,因具有与工频交流电压较好的等效性,在局部放电检测领域有广泛的应用,但振荡波电压下的介质损耗测量工作暂未深入开展,对绝缘状态一体化检测具有局限性。为了解决目前的局限性,文中提出了一种基于振荡波测试技术的电缆介质损耗测量方法。在振荡波测试系统每次工作期间,采集电缆试品的电压或电压、电流数据,然后通过数据后处理提取波形参数,从而获得准确的介质损耗。文中同时对2种基于振荡波电压的介质损耗测量方法进行对比与现场误差分析,得到基于振荡波电压、电流波形的介质损耗角测量方法,具有较高的准确性以及实用性,并提出了解决零点漂移的方法。最后,仿真以及实验结果验证了该方法的可行性和有效性。     

The effect of water treeing on the electric field distribution ofXLPE. Consequences for the dielectric strength

This paper describes the influence of water trees on dielectric properties of flat samples cut from a HV crosslinked polyethylene (XLPE) cable insulation. In order to obtain experimental results in a short period of time, we used accelerated aging conditions of voltage and frequency as well as different techniques for producing a multitude of artificial water tree inception points. The average value of the water tree permittivity and a law for the time-dependence of permittivity inside the treed degraded areas were deduced from measurements of capacitance and water tree lengths. On the basis of the experimental knowledge of permittivity and water tree length, we determined with analytical numerical methods, the distribution of the electric field for different shapes of treed regions. Because of the increase in length and permittivity of the water tree, the electric field in front of the degraded area is amplified, which is an important factor of risk leading to the electric breakdown     

Evaluation of materials for WTR-insulated power cables

In order to improve the resistance to water treeing of standard crosslinked polyethylene (XLPE) insulation used in medium voltage power cables, a number of materials were selected and studied that represent different water tree growth prevention strategies: (a) using materials with crystallinity and morphology different from that of XLPE, or (b) using additives modifying the interaction between water and materials. Two laboratory procedures were adopted that assess the water tree resistance performance of the materials through different criteria: one based on divergent field geometry (CNRS) and another based on uniform field geometry (Pirelli). Both tests are shown to be complementary in their prediction of the performance of the selected water tree resistant materials. The work reveals a specific additive that greatly increases the water tree resistance performance of the insulation in different polymeric matrices     

基于超低频介损的XLPE电缆绝缘受潮检测判据研究

电缆超低频介损测试技术在国内刚刚起步,所采用的IEEE Std 400.2-2013超低频介损判据并不完全适用于我国本土化XLPE电缆,开展电缆超低频介损检测的研究迫在眉睫。因此,本文通过加速水树老化实验验证超低频介损检测对于水树劣化检测的有效性,并开展现场测量,对所测252组数据进行状态分级,发现介损变化率为负的电缆线路处于注意或异常状态,多处于异常状态；且介损的波动值可更加清晰直观反映电缆运行状态。因此,在现有的电缆超低频介损三大判据之外,提出了新的特征量反向介损变化率和介损极差,吸纳韩国Skirt介损判据,最终形成更为完善的超低频介损检测判据体系,为我国配网电缆超低频介损老化状态评价规程的制定提供了参考。#$NL关键词：XLPE电缆；超低频介损；电缆水树；检测判据；反向介损变化率；介损极差#$NL中图分类号：TM854     

Understanding water treeing mechanisms in the development ofdiagnostic test methods

Recently, several diagnostic methods for measurement of permittivity and dielectric loss have been developed for non-destructive testing of water-tree degraded XLPE cables. Critical degradation is found to be associated with a more than proportional increase of the dielectric properties when increasing the applied test voltage above a certain level. In this paper an explanation for this nonlinearity will be presented, using a mechanical approach to the water treeing phenomenon. The water treed insulation is considered to consist of small water filled voids separated by crazing zones. At relatively low water content and low applied test voltage, several of these crazing zones are likely to be closed and insulating. When increasing the test voltage, Maxwell mechanical stresses will cause water to penetrate into the crazing zones, thus making electric contact between the elongated water droplets. Results from finite element method (FEM) calculations of electric fields and losses show that the effect of this will be to enhance the electric field at the tip of these conductive channels and to increase the dielectric losses of the water treed insulation     

电力电缆绝缘监测中的低频交流电压叠加法研究

电力电缆绝缘损坏主要由水树枝劣化引起,对电力电缆进行带电检测是非常必要的,低频交流电压叠加法是目前比较好的一种检测方法,本文对该方法的原理和软硬件设计方法作了介绍。     

Application of the AC Superposition Method to Degradation Diagnosis of 22/33‐kV Class XLPE Cables

Water trees in the insulator of XLPE cable may considerably reduce the dielectric breakdown voltage, thus being an important lifetime‐governing factor. The ac superposition method we have investigated is a new technique for hot‐line diagnosis of 6.6‐kV XLPE cables, and the diagnostic apparatus using this technique is now widely used in the distribution line field. In order to study the application of the ac superposition method to degradation diagnosis of 22/33‐kV class XLPE cables, we measured deterioration signals of the cables with water trees by a modification of the above diagnostic apparatus. The deterioration signals, hereafter called “ac superposition current”, were generated by an amplitude modulation effect due to the nonlinear resistance of water trees. Moreover, we evaluated the relationship between the ac superposition current and the ac breakdown voltage. It is difficult to judge whether a correlation between then is present or not because of the uneven distribution of the measured data. However, the ac superposition current tends to increase linearly with a decrease in the residual thickness of the insulator. For example, the ac superposition current was about 40 nA when the residual thickness decreased to 3 mm. Thus, we consider that the ac superposition method is effective for degradation diagnosis of 22/33‐kV class XLPE cables.     

温度对变压器用油纸绝缘老化的频域介质响应的试验研究

变压器是电网安全运行中最关键的设备之一,由内绝缘(油纸绝缘)问题引发的变压器故障占变压器事故重要部分。目前用于诊断变压器油纸绝缘状态的方法尚存在各自的不足之处,故研究通过无损的诊断方法获取表征油纸绝缘老化状态的特征量,为评估变压器油纸绝缘老化状态提供准确且有价值的参考,无疑具有重要意义。基于频域介质响应的频域谱法是一种诊断电力变压器绝缘老化状态的非破坏性方法,笔者首先通过模拟变压器实际生产流程,制作变压器油纸绝缘试品,并对油纸绝缘试品进行加速热老化试验,得到不同老化程度的油纸绝缘试品。通过频域谱测试并分析了温度对油纸绝缘试品的频域介电特征量变化规律,运用电介质极化理论对测试结果进行了分析,为频域谱技术用于实际变压器油纸绝缘老化状态的无损诊断提供技术积累。结果表明:测量温度对频域谱诊断油纸绝缘老化状态影响显著,采用频温平移因子可以将任意测量温度下的频域谱曲线归算到同一参考温度,解决了测量温度对FDS测试结果的影响。初步研究结果表明,经过频温修正后的FDS能用于不同温度下的变压器油纸绝缘老化的评估。     

The effect of space charge on the initial growth of electrical trees in polyethylene

This paper describes the influence of space charge on the growth of an electrical tree which is an important factor of the dielectric breakdown in polyethylene-insulated power cables. Polyethylene and ethylene vinyl-acetate copolymer with a semi-conducting needle were used as the treeing specimens. The statistical analysis showed that the growth rate and the unbalance of positive and negative partial discharges increased as the vinyl-acetate content increased, and that the growth per cycle decreased with the increase in frequency. A model of the tree growth accompanied by the space charge behavior was proposed considering the above experimental results. The tree growth is considered to be caused by the dielectric breakdown due to the field enhancement at the tree tip during the positive half cycle of the applied voltage, the field enhancement being due to residual negative space charge injected during the previous negative half cycle. The negative space charge in polyethylene would be mainly supplied through the partial discharge inside the tree.     

一种基于分形的XLPE电缆在线绝缘诊断方法

通过建立水树精确数字仿真模型,提出一种新的在线绝缘诊断方法:即高频信号叠加法.在电缆屏蔽层叠加高频低幅电压信号,以凸现损耗电流波形,利用分形方法对采集到的损耗电流信号进行分析.XLPE电缆的水树的劣化使得损耗电流中谐波分量增加.谐波分量主要由于水树的非线性电压-电流特性引起.谐波分量的出现使损耗电流信号的分形维数增加.分别计算了容量、信息、关联三种维数,分析了各种维数和水树劣化之间的内在联系.分形维数很好的反映了电缆中水树劣化的程度,可以作为在线绝缘水树劣化的诊断依据.