Electrical insulation characteristics of cold dielectric high temperature superconducting cable

For the optimization of electrical insulation design for high temperature superconducting (HTS) cable, evaluation of electrical insulation characteristics especially for butt gap of LN/sub 2/ impregnated cold dielectric (CD) which consists of the wrapped tape insulation impregnated with LN/sub 2/ plays an important role. This paper presents partial discharge (PD) inception and breakdown characteristics in LN/sub 2/ impregnated butt gap model which modeled a weak point of the wrapped tape insulation impregnated with LN/sub 2/ and cable model with short length with polypropylene laminated paper (PPLP/sup /spl reg//), Nomex/sup /spl reg// paper and cellulose paper. PD current pulse was found to have a steep rise time of /spl sim/ ns and amplitude of /spl sim/ tens /spl mu/A at PD inception voltage region. Little dependency of breakdown stress on the insulating material is found. PD inception stress is almost independent of insulation thickness of 1 to 3 mm. The requirement insulation thickness for 66 kV class HTS cable is estimated to be /spl sim/ 5 mm under PD-free condition from viewpoint of long-term reliability.     

Dielectric insulation characteristics ofliquid-nitrogen-impregnated laminated paper-insulated cable

The electrical characteristics and insulation design strength of liquid-nitrogen-impregnated synthetic insulation were considered. The impregnation of liquid nitrogen into insulation paper can be monitored by measuring the electrostatic capacitance of the cable. ∈ tan δ, an index of the dielectric loss, was 0.31% for cellulose paper and 0.18% for semisynthetic paper, polypropylene laminated semisynthetic paper, and biaxially oriented polypropylene laminated paper. It was found that the decline of the thickness dependence of the breakdown strength of the liquid-nitrogen-impregnated insulating cable was steeper than that of the oil-filled cables. It is possible to design the insulation strength of the 66 kV cable to be 10 kV/mm     

Impulse breakdown superposed on ac voltage in XLPE cable insulation

This paper discusses tree inception and breakdown voltage characteristics of XLPE cable insulation subjected to impulse voltages superimposed on ac voltage. The tree initiation tests were performed on laboratory-molded specimens equipped with needle electrodes, whereas the breakdown tests were conducted on a full-sized cable. The impulse tree initiation stress was found to be dependent on the magnitude of the pre-applied ac stress and the relative polarities of the impulse and the ac peak at the instant of their superposition. Although the impulse polarity has an effect on the tree inception, the general behavior is that the tree inception stress always decreases with an increase of the pre-applied ac stress. This phenomenon is discussed in terms of the space charge effect and the influence of the impulse voltage application itself. The impulse strength of a full-sized cable insulation was found to be independent of the pre-applied ac stress as long as that stress did not exceed the operating stress of a 500 kV cable insulation. However, subjecting cable insulation to higher ac stresses before impulse application caused a reduction of its breakdown strength as compared with the insulation without ac prestressing     

V-t characteristics of partial discharge inception in liquid nitrogen/ PPLP/sup /spl reg// composite insulation system for HTS cable

In this paper, we studied partial discharge (PD) inception characteristics and V-t characteristics of PD inception in liquid nitrogen (LN/sub 2/)/polypropylene laminated paper (PPLP/sup /spl reg//) composite insulation system for high temperature superconducting (HTS) cable. Experimental results revealed that the magnitude of initial PD was in the range of 2.0-30 pC irrespective of butt gap condition and the initial PD was generated at the first and third quadrant of voltage phase. PD inception electric field strength (PDIE) without butt gap was 5-10% higher than that with butt gap and thicker butt gap gave larger PDIE drop. Moreover, PDIE with butt gap depended on the butt gap thickness and the number of PPLP/sup /spl reg// layers. The reason is explained by the existing probability of weak points of electrical insulation at butt gap. Finally, lifetime indices n of V-t characteristics at PD inception were obtained as 80-100 irrespective of butt gap condition. These values showed enough flat characteristics of V-t phenomena of electrical insulation.     

高温超导电缆及其低温绝缘研究现状

概述了世界上高温超导电缆的研究历史和现状,介绍了高温超导电缆本体的基本结构及绝缘要求,分析了高温超导电缆主绝缘的结构及存在的问题。针对高温超导电缆中使用的液氮和几种低温固体绝缘材料,分别介绍了其在低温环境下介电性能的相关研究进展。总结发现：液氮的击穿场强受到气泡和电极材料的影响;液氮下绝缘材料的直流击穿场强高于交流击穿场强;聚酰亚胺在液氮下的交直流击穿场强高于聚丙烯层压纸;低温会抑制环氧树脂中电树枝的生长。     

Partial discharge inception characteristics of LN/sub 2//polypropylene laminated paper composite insulation system for high temperature superconducting cables

Partial discharge (PD) inception characteristics of liquid nitrogen (LN₂)/polypropylene (PP) laminated paper composite insulation system for high temperature superconducting (HTS) cables were investigated in terms of the volume effect and the V-t characteristics. The electrical and optical measurements of PD inception characteristics showed that initial PD could be generated between PP laminated paper layers, as well as in a butt gap. Using a parameter called statistically stressed liquid volume (SSLV) based on the discharge probability in both butt gaps and LN₂-filled thin layers between PP laminated papers, we could systematically analyze and evaluate the volume effect on PD inception stress (PDIE). Furthermore, experimental results revealed that n values of V-t characteristics at PD inception were as high as 80-110. On the other hand, the lower n values obtained at breakdown were interpreted by the intensified PD development in thermal bubbles generated after the PD inception     

220 kV电缆线路终端故障及仿真分析

为分析某220 k V电缆线路终端应力锥、电缆表面贴合状态与故障发生的深层次原因,本文对某220 k V故障电缆终端开展故障解体、X射线检测以及仿真工作,分析发现接头应力锥过盈量高于安装工艺要求,且搭接面表面不平整。在应力锥、电缆表面贴合良好时,运行电压下应力锥、电缆主绝缘最大电场强度均远小于对应绝缘材料的击穿场强,而应力锥、电缆表面贴合不良交界面存在微小气隙时,运行电压下气隙内部电场强度大于空气击穿场强,表明运行电压下气隙内部存在放电现象。因此,电缆终端应力锥、电缆表面贴合不良、交界面存在微小气隙时,在运行电压下,气隙内部长期放电引起主绝缘破坏是造成电缆故障的原因。     

Comparative tests of tape dielectrics impregnated with liquid nitrogen

Superconducting power cables with so-called "cold dielectric" insulation system normally use tape dielectrics impregnated with pressurized liquid nitrogen (LN2). The AC and lightning impulse (LI) dielectric strength of four commercially available dielectrics have been measured under nitrogen pressures in the range 0.15-0.35 MPa, absolute. A planar test cell is used, and slits were made in the dielectric sheets to simulate butt gaps. Polypropylene laminated paper (PPLPreg) and mica filled polyamide based paper (Nomexreg 418) show AC and LI breakdown field in the range 50-80 kV/mm and 130-160 kV/mm, respectively, whereas Kraft paper and polyethylene paper (Tyvekreg) are found to have a significantly lower dielectric strength. Most of the results are reasonably consistent with previous studies. However, as opposed to other investigations, the dielectric strength for PPLPreg and Nomexreg is not found to increase with increasing nitrogen pressure     

The influence of defects on the short-term breakdowncharacteristics and long-term dc performance of LDPE insulation

Extruded polyethylene is used as the bulk insulation for ac HV cables because of its high electric resistivity and breakdown strength. Although the material at present has limited use in dc power cables, it is used extensively in submarine optical communication cable systems. This paper reports on the study of the short-term characteristics and long-term performance of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) insulation under dc electric stress. The results are presented in which controlled defects as found in practical systems (voids, metallic and non-metallic particles) were introduced into well-characterized polymer material so that their influence on electrical strength and breakdown mechanisms could be determined. Samples were compression-molded under laboratory conditions and subjected to ramp-to-failure and electrical aging tests at various stresses. Weibull statistics are used to analyze the results. Examination of electrically aged samples indicates an oxidation degradation around the defects due to stress enhancement. From the failed samples a value of n in the inverse power model was estimated. The residual life of aged samples was also examined     

Development of 500 kV dc PPLP-insulated oil-filled submarine cable

This paper outlines the development of a 500 kV dc oil-filled submarine cable capable of transmitting 2800 MW with a ±500 kV 2800 A bipole system. Although polypropylene laminated paper (PPLP) has been employed as ac cable insulation material, this is the world's largest first application to dc cables. The conductor size is 3000 mm², which would be the largest size for submarine cables. Various fundamental and prototype tests have proved that the cable has excellent characteristics electrically as well as mechanically. The cable and accessories are currently undergoing a long-term accelerated aging test as a final confirmation of their reliability and stability. © 1997 Scripta Technica, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 120 (3): 29–41, 1997     

A study of treeing phenomena in the development of insulation for500 kV XLPE cables

This review summarizes research on treeing phenomena, i.e. the formation of electrical trees and water trees, that has been undertaken in Japan for the development of 500 kV XLPE cable. Section 1 presents the results of factors affecting XLPE cable insulation breakdown under commercial ac and lightning impulse voltages. Section 2 verifies the phenomena of electrical tree formation in XLPE cable insulation using block samples and model cables, and gives the results of studies to determine the level electrical field stress initiation for such trees. Section 3 summarizes the results of studies on long-term aging characteristics, which is a particular problem under commercial ac voltages, while Section 4 explains how this research influenced the design of 500 kV XLPE cable insulation. All authors were members of `The investigation committee of fundamental process of treeing degradation' under IEEJ     

高电压真空灭弧室触头间长真空间隙静态绝缘特性研究

在真空开关向高电压方向发展的背景下,高电压真空灭弧室触头间长真空间隙的绝缘特性成为关键问题之一。Slade提出了临界击穿场强理论,解释了真空中平板电极间直流电压临界击穿场强及其与开距的关系。笔者以临界击穿场强理论为基础,以126 kV真空灭弧室触头间隙为研究对象,将临界击穿场强理论应用于长真空间隙(开距60 mm)和交流电压(工频50 Hz)情况下,得到了高电压真空灭弧室触头间长真空间隙的工频临界击穿场强与触头开距的关系。     

Electric strength of vacuum systems with Co-Mo alloy coated Cuelectrodes

The paper presents the results of investigations of the electric strength at 50 Hz AC voltage of vacuum insulation systems that were not subjected to conditioning. The experiments have shown that a Co-Mo alloy coating electrolytically deposited on the surface of copper electrodes causes, at the pressure 2 mPa, >25% increase of electric strength of unconditioned vacuum insulation systems. This breakdown strength decreases with increasing gap spacing between the electrodes, and amounts ~17 kV/mm for systems with Cu electrodes at the electrode gap of 1 mm, and ~9 kV/mm at a gap of 6 mm. Plane electrodes with rounded-off edges of Rogowski's profile were used in the investigations. The electrodes with 50 mm diameter, were made of OFHC Cu. The paper shows the influence of the value of pressure from ~1 mPa to 1 Pa and at constant pressure of ~1 mPa, the length of vacuum gap, and the presence of a Co-Mo alloy layer coating the electrodes     

Measurement of space charge in XLPE insulation under 50 Hz acelectric stresses using the LIPP method

Space charge is believed to play an important role in ac electrical ageing of polymeric insulation, particularly where electrical treeing is the dominant cause of premature failure. The majority of work to date has been on the space charge characteristics under dc electric stresses, whereas work on the dynamics and the role of space charge on electrical breakdown under 50 Hz ac conditions have only received limited attention. Consequently, a full understanding of space charge trapping and dynamics under ac operating conditions is required if ever more reliable polymer insulated cable systems are to be developed. The present paper reports on aspects of an on-going investigation into the measurement of space charge in XLPE insulation under 50 Hz ac stress using the laser induced pressure propagation (LIPP) technique. Some important features of the method are described such as, point on wave control of the laser and use of correction factors to offset variations in the laser power and ablation of the target material. Emphasis has also been placed on establishing a simple method for analysing data, termed "X-plots". Some preliminary results of the space charge and electric stress distribution of un-degassed and degassed crosslinked polyethylene (XLPE) plaques aged electrically under ac stress (30 kV_peak/mm) for 24 h are also presented     

Research and development of electrical insulation ofsuperconducting cables by extruded polymers

This is a review to show the importance of electrical insulation in ac superconducting cables. An attractive superconducting cable has to be designed for the voltage range of 60-270 kV. Therefore, a reliable insulation design is imperative. Two types of insulation have been compared. One is composite insulation, namely laminar paper or plastic tape, impregnated with coolant. The other is solid insulation of extruded polymer on the conductor. The composite insulation has a lengthy history and, in the constructions to date, has been the insulation design used for superconducting cables. Some prototype superconducting cables with this type of insulation have been developed and successfully tested. However, the partial discharge in butt gaps may affect their long-term reliability. The solid insulation, on the other hand, can separate the coolant from the electrical insulation and can exploit the benefit of the super electrical insulation characteristics of polymers in the cryogenic region. Some attempts have been made to use this design with liquid nitrogen and liquid helium. One example incorporating extruded ethylenepropylene rubber (EPR) for insulation was found to satisfactorily go through the cool-down to a liquid helium temperature and to endure the simultaneous voltage and current tests. EPR, and possibly some other polymers, seem to be promising materials for solid insulation in the cryogenic region     

高电压真空灭弧室触头间长间隙的真空绝缘特性

对高电压真空灭弧室触头间长真空间隙(40 mm及以上)的真空绝缘特性进行了讨论,包括击穿电压(直流电压,工频交流电压和标准雷电冲击电压)与触头开距的关系以及长真空间隙的老炼特性.目前对72/84 kV级高电压真宅灭弧室触头间隙范围(40mm及以上)的长真空间隙绝缘特性有了一定的了解,而126 kV级高电压单断口真空灭弧室触头问长真空问隙范围(60mm及以上)的绝缘特性研究还有待深入开展.     

Investigation of Water Tree Degradation in Dry‐Cured and Extruded Three‐Layer (E‐E Type) 6.6‐kV Removed XLPE Cables

Dry‐cured and extruded three‐layer (E‐E type) 6.6‐kV cross‐linked polyethylene (XLPE) cables were introduced into electric power systems more than 30 years ago, but they do not experience failures because of water tree degradation. Also, the degradation index of water treeing for these cables has not been established. Therefore, investigating results of residual breakdown voltage and water tree degradation of these cables will help us plan for cable replacement and determine water tree degradation diagnosis scheduling, and will be fundamental data for cable lifetime evaluation. In this study, the authors measured the ac breakdown voltages of dry‐cured and E‐E type 6.6‐kV XLPE cables removed after 18 to 25 years of operation and observed the water trees in their XLPE insulation. As a result, it was observed that breakdown voltages were larger than the maximum operating voltage (6.9 kV) and the ac voltage for the dielectric withstanding test (10.3 kV). Water trees were mainly bow‐tie water trees and their maximum length was approximately 1 mm. Although the number of measured cables was limited, the lifetime of this type of cable was estimated to be approximately 40 years, even experiencing water immersion.     

Field Testing of Cables: Theory and Practice

Testing cables in the field requires a specialized knowledge of dielectric behavior, electrical stress phenomena, safe and proper use of test equipment, and interpretation of test results. Theoretical and practical aspects of high-potential field testing of medium- and high-voltage extruded cables are discussed. The fundamental theory of ac and dc voltage stresses is reviewed along with the behavior of the cable insulation under dc stress. It is concluded that a dc test is preferred over an ac test for field applications. However, for a dc test the cable should be cooled to ambient temperature so that the voltage stress distribution is the same as for an ac voltage. A program for field testing is suggested along with the voltage levels to use for the test. Finally, guidance on performing the test in the field is given along with examples on interpreting the test results.     

Partial discharge inception characteristics under butt gap condition in liquid nitrogen/ PPLP/sup /spl reg// composite insulation system for high temperature superconducting cable

The partial discharge (PD) inception characteristics are studied in liquid nitrogen (LN/sub 2/)/polypropylene laminated paper (PPLP/sup /spl reg//) composite insulation system for high temperature superconducting (HTS) cable. Experimental results revealed that the magnitude of the initial PD increased as the PD inception electric field strength was increased, because the injected energy increased. Initial PD was generated at the first and third quadrant of applied AC voltage phase. The probability of initial PD at the positive and negative voltage phase was almost the same. The reason is because liquid nitrogen is a nonpolar molecule and we used symmetric electrode configuration with uniform electric field distribution. Finally, it was pointed out that PD inception electric field strength (PDIE) depended on the volume of the butt gap because of the increasing probability of weak points of electrical insulation, and PDIE linearly decreased with increasing stressed volume of the butt gap in the log-log scale.     

Development of New Diagnostic Method for Hot-Line XLPE Cables with Water Trees

A new insulation diagnostic method for XLPE cables containing water trees is presented. A dc component in the ac charging current of these cables was found to be a significant sign of the existence of water trees. The dc component has good correlations with such insulation characteristics of aged XLPE cables as ac breakdown voltage and dc leakage current. Criteria for insulation diagnosis of 6.6kV XLPE cables have been established. An automatic insulation diagnostic device has been developed. It is now being applied to hot-line XLPF cables in distribution systems of TEPCO (The Tokyo Electric Power Co., Inc.).