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     

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.     

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。     

Comparative laboratory evaluation of TR-XLPE and XLPE cables with Super-smooth conductor shields

This paper provides data on four commercial tree retardant crosslinked polyethylene (TR-XLPE) and one cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) insulated 15 kV cables supplied by three manufacturers. The cables have "super-smooth" conductor shields and "extra-clean" insulation and insulation shields. AC and impulse voltage breakdown and selected other characterization data are presented for cables that were aged immersed in room temperature water (15-30/spl deg/C) up to 24 months of a planned 48 months aging program. The five cables have high ac voltage breakdown strength, three of the TR-XLPE cables, actually increased in breakdown strength during aging. The one TR-XLPE cable that had the lowest ac voltage breakdown had vented trees at the insulation shield and high dissipation factor, which the other cables did not have. The impulse voltage breakdown strength of all cables decreased during aging; the cable with the lowest ac voltage breakdown also has the lowest impulse voltage breakdown. The dissimilar performance of the TR-XLPE cables and the excellent performance of the XLPE cable indicates evaluations at longer times are required to differentiate between modern TR-XLPE and XLPE insulated 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.     

Selectivity of damped AC (DAC) and VLF voltages in after-laying tests of extruded MV cable systems

The purpose of HV after-laying tests on cable systems on-site is to check the quality of installation. The test on extruded MV cable systems is usually a voltage test. However, in order to enhance the quality of after installation many researchers have proposed performance of diagnosis tests such as detection, location and identification of partial discharges (PD) and tan /spl delta/ measurements. Damped AC voltage (DAC) also called oscillating voltage waves (OVW) is used for PD measurement in after-laying tests of new cables and in diagnostic test of old cables. Continuous AC voltage of very low frequency (VLF) is used for withstand voltage tests as well as for diagnostic tests with PD and tan /spl delta/ measurements. Review on the DAC and VLF tests to detect defects during on-site after-laying tests of extruded MV cable systems is presented. Selectivity of DAC and VLF voltages in after-laying testing depends on different test parameters. PD process depends on type and frequency of the test voltage and hence, the breakdown voltage is different. The withstand voltage of XLPE cable insulation decreases linearly with increasing frequency in log scale. Experimental studies with artificial XLPE cable model indicate that detection of defects with DAC or VLF voltage can be done at a lower voltage than with DC. DAC voltage is sensitive in detecting defects that cause a breakdown due to void discharge, while VLF is sensitive in detecting defects that cause breakdown directly led by inception of electrical trees.     

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.     

交联聚乙烯电缆中的水树

水树对交联聚乙烯电缆运行寿命有害。本文通过在交联聚乙烯绝缘料试片和原尺寸交联聚乙烯电缆上进行的加速水树引发试验,观察研究水树枝的生长特性,比较二种不同交联方法对水树生长的影响。最后探讨了形成水树的可能机理。     

Severe degradation of the conductor screen of service and laboratory aged medium voltage XLPE insulated cables

The main purpose of this paper is to show the strong correlation between corrosion of the metallic aluminum conductor and the formation of interconnected cracks / voids in the conductor screen, creating initiation sites for vented water trees in service aged medium voltage XLPE cables. The results show that porous structures in the conductor screen previously reported for laboratory aged insulation systems, also develop in the conductor screen in service aged medium voltage XLPE cables. These structures can bridge the screen and serve as path for contaminants and corrosion products from the aluminum conductor and initiate water trees. A prerequisite for the formation of such structures is the presence of liquid water at the interface between the conductor and conductor screen causing corrosion. The initiation site of such structures has been identified, and is likely caused by environmental stress cracking (ESC). Initiation sites were determined in all cables, but porous structures in the conductor screen were only observed in the cable suffered from service failure, where liquid water had entered the cable conductor between the strands. Severe degradation of the XLPE insulation was observed at the initiation sites for water trees growing from these structures.     

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.).     

The world's first use of 500 kV XLPE insulated aluminium sheathedpower cables at the Shimogo and Imaichi power stations

The world's first practical applications of 500 kV XLPE (cross-linked polyethylene) cables took place in 1988 at the Shimogo power station of the Electric Power Development Co. Ltd., and the Imaichi power station of the Tokyo Electric Power Co. Inc.. Research and development work on the cables had been conducted since 1982. Efforts were concentrated on quality control to remove contaminants from the insulation and to extrude the very thick-walled insulation without any defects. Insulation performance tests, including long-term aging, confirmed that the 500 kV XLPE cables and the terminations were highly reliable with superior initial and long-term performance. The installation was completed successfully, and the cables are now in satisfactory operation at both power stations. The cable routes, design of the cable and termination, cable manufacture, results of the insulation performance tests, installation work, and site test are discussed     

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.     

Bow-tie-tree in EPR cables are accelerated water treeing test

The authors describe the results of an accelerated water treeing test after a period of approximately one year with two recently manufactured (1988) varieties of commercial EPR (ethylene-propylene rubber) cables, produced by different manufacturers and possessing different cable structures, as well as water impervious XLPE cable for comparison. In the test, bow-tie trees were found in the EPR insulation, which had previously been thought to develop no or few bow-tie trees. The analysis results of bow-tie in EPR cables are described     

Development of 500-kV XLPE cables and accessories for long distanceunderground transmission line-Part I: insulation design of cables

This paper discusses the results of a basic study for the development of 500 kV XLPE power cables. The authors have established that the factors that decide the performance of today's XLPE cables are impurities in the insulator and protrusions on the semiconductive layer, and that the insulation performance of XLPE power cables is determined by the size of these defects. In model tests of XLPE power cables, the minimum insulation breakdown stress of cables was determined, to set the design values for 500 kV XLPE cable. As a result, it was found that it is possible to design cables having an insulation thickness of 25 mm     

Long-term characteristics of XLPE cables

To study the long-term characteristics of XLPE cables installed in free air and in water, aging tests were conducted under various testing conditions using XLPE cables with both 3.5 mm and 6 mm insulation. From the Weibull plots of lifetime distribution under the voltage stress E_L as the minimum breakdown strength, the minimum value of time to breakdown t_L under the constant voltage was estimated. The results of accelerated aging tests of XLPE cables installed in free air demonstrated that the V-t characteristics of XLPE cables could not be described by the conventional inverse power law (t ∝ V⁻ⁿ) with a single constant life exponent n. Based on the microscopic observation of a sliced insulation removed from XLPE cables, it was concluded that bow-tie trees with longer tree length observed in cables tested in water were caused by the moisture from outside, whereas the trees in cables tested in free air were caused by the residual moisture originally existing in the insulation. The breakdown strength of the aged cables tested in water increases through cable drying. However, it does not recover to the original values.     

场强的提高对局部放电测试的影响

局部放电 (PD)是检测 XL PE电缆缺陷的一种重要手段 ,缺陷会造成电缆的局部场强的不均匀 ,在施加外部电压后引起局部放电的现象。本文提出 :在 XL PE电缆承受耐压的过程中 ,采用提高场强的方法 ,能更有效地发现 PD缺陷 ,从而降低 XL PE电缆在运行中的击穿事故。     

挤包绝缘高压直流电缆应用现状与研究展望

挤包绝缘高压直流电缆已成为远距离、大容量输电线路建设的主要装备之一,现阶段广泛应用的挤包绝缘直流电缆以交联聚乙烯(XLPE)绝缘为主.针对XLPE绝缘高压直流电缆研发和应用中的绝缘空间电荷特性、副产物脱气等主要问题进行全面综述,指出在工业化生产方式下,超纯净体系XLPE绝缘材料是目前用来缓解空间电荷问题和实现电缆批量化...     

500kV交联聚乙烯绝缘电缆绝缘结构研究

本文叙述交联聚乙烯 (XL PE)绝缘电缆绝缘统计设计方法。论述我国研制开发 5 0 0 k V XL PE电缆的绝缘结构采用绝缘统计设计方法的合理性。叙述我国 5 0 0 k V XL PE电缆的绝缘水平要求。论述对照日本已经运行的 5 0 0 k V XL PE电缆的绝缘结构参数和绝缘质量控制要求 ,采用绝缘统计设计方法 ,按相同可靠性原则作为我国 5 0 0 k V XL PE电缆确定电缆绝缘厚度和绝缘质量控制要求的基础是合理的。本文提出不同导体截面 5 0 0 k V XL PE电缆的推荐绝缘厚度。     

高温下110kV交联聚乙烯电缆电树枝生长及局部放电特性

利用实时显微数字摄像与局部放电连续测量系统,采用典型针-板电极结构,研究了高温下不同外施工频电压作用时110kV级交联聚乙烯(XLPE)电缆绝缘中典型电树枝的形态特征、引发、生长规律及其局部放电特性。实验结果表明,温度对XLPE电缆绝缘中典型电树枝的形态、引发与生长时间具有非常重要的影响。在高温下,不同外施工频电压作用时电树枝的形态呈现出多样性的特点,50°C下典型电树枝形态为枝状、枝-松枝状和丛状,70°C下为枝状,90°C下为滞长型和枝状。高温下电树枝引发时间随外施电压升高而减小,而且在同一外施电压下,电树枝引发时间随温度升高而减小,这是由于在高温下XLPE电缆绝缘中片晶熔化,无定形相增加,介质中自由体积扩大,从而更有利于电树枝引发。研究发现在低电压(9kV)下,电树枝生长过程中由于通道电导率增加而抑制了通道内局部放电的发展,局部放电作用减小,电树枝生长速度减慢,分形维数较高;而11kV以上电压作用时,电树枝在局部放电的连续作用下呈枝状向对面电极快速生长,同时高温下XLPE弹性模量下降,击穿场强降低,局部放电作用加剧,电树枝生长明显加速,电树枝分形维数较低。     

The ac superposition method,a new hot‐line diagnostic method for 6‐kV XLPE power cables

Water trees are the most hazardous factor affecting the life of XLPE distribution cables and the major cause of insulation failure. It is well known that insulation failure causes stoppages in electrical service and requires extensive repair work. Up to now, deterioration of cable insulation has been diagnosed mainly by the dc leakage current method. However, application of this method for diagnostic measurements requires interruption of electrical service. Several types of hot‐line diagnostic methods (including the dc component current and dc superposition methods) were developed to detect water tree deterioration. However, these methods have some shortcomings, such as being subject to effects of stray currents and the accuracy of measurements not being sufficiently high. Therefore, we have attempted to develop a new hot‐line diagnostic method. We investigated whether the signals produced by superposition of voltages of various frequencies to the cover layer of energized cables were correlated with deterioration by the water treeing. As a result, we found that a deterioration signal of 1 Hz was observed when we superposed an ac voltage (commercial frequency × 2 +1 Hz) on the cover layer of cable where the water tree had occurred in the insulation. © 1999 Scripta Technica, Electr Eng Jpn, 130(2): 49–58, 2000