Properties of Space Charge Distributions and Conduction Current in XLPE and LDPE under DC High Electric Field

Space charge behavior and conduction current in polyethylene under dc stress were investigated. One of the reasons for the different breakdown property in cross‐linked polyethylene (XLPE) from that in low‐density polyethylene (LDPE) may be based on the existence of cross‐linking by‐products in XLPE. Furthermore, a thermal history in cross‐linking process for XLPE may also cause of the difference. It is generally accepted that the existence of the cross‐linking by‐products increase the conduction current in XLPE under dc stress. It is also said that an anneal treatment in air atmosphere may affect to the electrical properties under dc stress. Therefore, we investigated the effect of the cross‐linking by‐products and the anneal treatment on space charge behavior and conduction current in polyethylene under dc stress. In our research, it is thought that the increasing dissipation power in XLPE is the cause of the breakdown in it under dc stress. Therefore, to calculate the dissipation power in the bulk of test sample, we measured the space charge distribution and the external circuit current simultaneously. Based on the results, we discussed the reason of the difference of the space charge properties in XLPE and LDPE focusing on the cross‐linking by‐products and the oxidation of the test samples.     

Space charge behavior in XLPE cable insulation under 0.2-1.2 MV/cmdc fields

This report deals with space charge behavior in PE (polyethylene) under dc fields. Direct observation of time-dependent space charge profiles in 3-mm thick XLPE (crosslinked low-density polyethylene) cable insulation under dc electric fields was performed using the pulsed electroacoustic method. Stable hetero charges were formed when the field was as low as 0.2 MV/cm, and intermittent generation of packet shaped space charges and their propagation through the insulation were observed when the field was as high as 0.7 MV/cm. These phenomena were reproduced in sheet specimens of XLPE and LDPE (low-density polyethylene). It was found that hetero charges resulted from heat treatment of the XLPE specimen containing antioxidant and acetophenone, which is one of the crosslinking by-products, suggesting dissociation of the antioxidant through solvation at high temperature by acetophenone. The packet charges were easily detected when acetophenone was diffused into the LDPE specimen. However, uniformity of acetophenone distribution prevented the packet charge generation. It is suggested on the basis of several experimental results that local ionization of impurities in the insulation through solvation by acetophenone takes place assisted by high field and leads to the packet charge generation. A numerical simulation was carried out based on the above model     

Some factors for the space charge formation in polyethylene

Information on space-charge behavior in thick insulated samples aids in understanding the dc characteristics of polymer-insulated dc cables. The pulsed electroacoustic method is used to investigate several space charge formation factors in 2 mm-thick polyethylene (PE). The following results were obtained. For measurement factors: (1) A polymeric semiconducting electrode provides a more accurate measurement than does a metal electrode as a result of better matching of acoustic impedance with PE. (2) Within a dc electrical stress range of several tens kV/mm, the space charge distributions under and after dc voltage application are almost the same; this is due to a comparatively long time of space-charge decay. (3) The space-charge distribution of a plate sample agrees with that of a cable sample having the same insulation thickness. For insulating material factors: (1) The amount of space charge in crosslinked polyethylene (XLPE) is much larger than that in low-density PE (base of XLPE). The space charge of XLPE continues to increase even after dc voltage application (24 h); that of LDPE reaches equilibrium with a few hours. (2) The aforementioned space charge difference between XLPE and LDPE is assumed to be caused by ionic impurities in XLPE, not by the additives themselves (acetophenon and cumylalcohol as byproducts of cross linking and antioxidant).     

Measurement of space charge distribution in epoxy resin

Internal space charge behavior of insulating materials has recently attracted attention of many researchers, and a large number of experimental studies were carried out by using the materials for dc cables, such as XLPE, LDPE, and HDPE. Epoxy resins are used for insulation under strong electric fields in power apparatus and in electronic devices, and we investigated the behavior of internal space charge using the pulsed electroacoustic method. Two types of epoxy resins were studied: insulation-grade and craft-grade. When dc electric fields were applied to the craft resins treated by immersing them into room-temperature water for 8 and 24 h, positive and negative charges accumulated near the anode and the cathode, respectively, and the charge distribution changed with the immersion time. On the other hand, no charge was observed in the insulation-grade epoxy resin. Next, we treated the samples by immersing them into 100 °C water for 8 h. When the sample was treated for 8 h, hetero charge distribution, which means positive charges near the cathode and negative charges near the anode, was observed. This result is consistent with a previous paper reporting that by chemical analysis, secondary decomposition had occurred. These results show that water and temperature influence the internal space charge behavior of epoxy resins. © 1999 Scripta Technica, Electr Eng Jpn, 129(3): 9–16, 1999     

空间电荷与直流电导联合测试技术用于纳米MgO抑制XLPE中空间电荷的研究

粒径70nm的MgO以不同浓度与交联聚乙烯(XLPE)共混制成聚合物纳米复合介质。采用自主研发的四电极系统同时测量复合介质的高场电导特性和空间电荷分布。通过强场电导实验发现,在室温下,XLPE及纳米MgO/XLPE复合介质的电导机理不是单纯的空间电荷限制电流(SCLC)。此外,添加纳米MgO可以明显地提高空间电荷的注入阈值,并且在低于空间电荷注入阈值的电场下,复合介质的电导电流密度随纳米MgO浓度的增加,先减小后增大。最后从空间电荷的实验数据验证了纳米MgO能有效抑制XLPE中空间电荷,并进一步定性地认为纳米Mgo的添加提高了电子注入的电场强度阈值。     

固体绝缘中空间电荷测量装置的研制和应用

介绍了电声脉冲法空间电荷分布测量装置的测量原理和性能，并利用此装置测量了试样中的空间电荷密度分布，运用有限元法计算空间电荷对试样内部电场的畸变。为了研制超高压直流塑料电缆料，以少量的极性聚合物混炼到低密度聚乙烯中，降低了交联聚乙的空间电荷效应，大幅度提高了５０％直流预压短路树枝的起始电压。     

Measurements of acoustic waves generated by electrical breakdown in a polypropylene film

Electrical breakdown of a polymer film generates a pressure wave that is believed to include information about the breakdown initiation point. We measured the breakdown pressure wave and the space charge distribution up to the electrical breakdown field by using the pulsed electro‐acoustic method in a 30 µm thick polypropylene film. We discuss electrical breakdown phenomena based on the breakdown pressure wave and the dependence of the space charge distribution on the applied field and temperature. At room temperature, the observed breakdown pressure wave had a pulse‐like shape with a width that depended on the polarity of the applied field. Positive space charge accumulation was observed near the cathode as a hetero space charge near the electrical breakdown field. At 60 °C, the width of the breakdown pressure wave showed no dependence on the applied field polarity and positive space charge accumulation was observed inside the film near the electrical breakdown field. These experimental results suggest that electrical breakdown phenomena are affected by hetero space charge accumulation and that the initiation point of electrical breakdown corresponds to the position of hetero space charge accumulation in 30 µm thick polypropylene film. ©1999 Scripta Technica, Electr Eng Jpn, 126(3): 1–8, 1999     

Space charge distribution for various glass materials under DC stress

Space charge accumulation for various glass materials under DC stress was studied by using a pulse electroacoustic (PEA) method. We should make an acoustic matching between the sample and electron on the high‐voltage side when the hetero‐space charge distribution in glass materials is measured. The acoustic pressure wave generated from the induced charge at the high‐voltage side is canceled by the reflected one generated from hetero‐charge accumulated in the sample. Large hetero‐charge is observed in the glass materials containing MgO and CaO compound compared to the quartz glass containing no such compounds. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 148(1): 19–27, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.10260     

Space charge in XLPE power cable under dc electrical stress andheat treatment

It is well known that the existence and accumulation of space charge in insulation can be harmful to polymer power cable. Although there is much research done on space charge distribution in various samples, there are still some important problems left unsolved, such as the mechanism of formation and elimination of space charge in dielectrics. Because of its superiority, the pulsed electro-acoustic (PEA) measurement method is used widely in the measurement of space charge in various geometries of samples such as the multiple layer plate and cylindrical cables. The space charge in crosslinked polyethylene (XLPE) power cable under dc voltage and heat treatment is investigated by the PEA method in this paper. After heat treatment, the space charge, which previously formed in cable insulation under the applied voltage, disappears. If electrical stress is applied to the insulation again, space charge will appear once more. However, after the cable is heated and degassed in vacuum for a long time, no matter how long the dc voltage is applied to the cable, no more space charge will be formed in the cable. The mechanism of formation and elimination of space charge under the effect of electrical and thermal stress is discussed     

以氯化聚乙烯改性交联聚乙烯作为直流电缆绝缘的研究

以少量氯化聚乙烯(CPE)改性交联聚乙烯(XLPE),用电声脉冲法测量了试样中的空间电荷分布,研究了CPE含量与空间电荷的关系,确定了降低空间电荷的最佳含量,研究了CPE对试样直流预压短路树枝起始电压的影响,当CPE含量为1%时,XLPE的50%直流预压短路树枝起始电压决定直流电压的极性,分别可提高42.3%和35.5%。最后作者还测量了试样的其他介电性能,计算了空间电荷畸变的电场强度,分析和讨论了相关的机理。     

Heat treatment of cross-linked polyethylene and its effect on morphology and space charge evolution

It is believed that space charge build-up in cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) insulation is the main cause of premature failure of underground power cables. The space charge activities in XLPE depend on many factors such as additives, material treatment, ambient temperature, insulator/electrode interface, etc. Degassing is the process of subjecting the XLPE to a moderately high temperature, thereby removing volatile residual by-products and additives that are commonly employed in cable manufacturing to improve insulation performance. While there have been reports comparing space charge activities (as-received) un-degassed and degassed samples, little attention has been placed on degassing conditions effect on space charge. In this paper, investigations of morphology and space charge distribution of planar XLPE samples was carried out as parameters such as degassing temperature, degassing duration and sample thickness were adjusted. Changes in the morphological structure of the material were probed with the differential scanning calorimeter and the transmission electron microscopy, whereas space charge distribution of the samples subjected to DC electric stress was monitored for 24 h using the laser induced pressure pulsed technique. It was revealed that degassing temperature, duration and the thickness of the degassed sample has a direct effect on the morphological structure and space charge distributions of the samples. It is believed that the presence and amount of by-products takes precedence over the morphology of the material as far as space charge evolution is concerned.     

Understanding treeing phenomena and space charge effect in gamma-irradiated XLPE cable insulation

In the present work, electrical trees were experimentally generated in virgin and gamma-irradiated XLPE cable insulation, under AC voltages. Fibrillar type of electrical tree structure forms from the defect site in gamma-irradiated specimens. Failure times due to electrical trees were analysed by adopting Weibull distribution studies. The results of the study indicate that gamma-irradiated specimens, where the rate of tree propagation is high, causing early failure of insulation. Pulsed electro acoustic emission (PEAE) technique was adopted to understand the space charge formation in XLPE cable insulation. The results of the study indicate that homo and hetero charges form near to the electrodes especially in gamma-irradiated XLPE cable insulation. Variations in space charge density at different voltage magnitudes with time were analysed. It is observed that the electric field in the insulating material becomes highly non-uniform on occurrence of hetero charges. It is also realized that on removal of applied voltage, the charge decay is less with gamma-irradiated specimens. Based on the present study, it could be concluded that Space charge density in insulating material and life of insulating material due to electrical tree formation shows inverse relationship.     

直流XLPE电缆绝缘中空间电荷的抑制方法综述

交联聚乙烯(XLPE)因其优异的介电、理化性能而被广泛应用于电缆绝缘领域。在电缆的服役过程中,电缆绝缘内部会积聚空间电荷,严重时可引发电场畸变,导致电缆击穿事故发生。对于直流XLPE电缆,空间电荷的积聚及影响更加不容忽视。针对直流XLPE电缆绝缘中产生的空间电荷积聚效应,目前学界主要采用共混改性、聚合物链段接枝极性基团、纳米掺杂改性及制备高纯净绝缘料等方法来进行控制,改性后的直流XLPE电缆绝缘对空间电荷产生的抑制效果均有所提升。文中首先对上述直流XLPE电缆绝缘中空间电荷的抑制方法进行综述,介绍其抑制原理以及相应的抑制效果,然后对比总结不同抑制空间电荷方法的优缺点,最后对未来直流XLPE电缆绝缘中空间电荷抑制方法的研究发展作出展望。     

退役高压XLPE电缆绝缘空间电荷行为研究

文中对两回110 k V退役高压交联电缆进行180 a预鉴定试验,目的在于研究不同运行年限的退役高压交联电缆老化前后的空间电荷行为差异,并评估电缆重新投入实际运行的可靠性。通过电声脉冲(PEA)法测量试验前后绝缘层交联聚乙烯(XLPE)试样的空间电荷分布,结合傅里叶红外光谱(FTIR)实验、X射线衍射(XRD)实验揭示试样的微观结构、聚集态结构状态变化与空间电荷的迁移、积聚和消散过程的潜在关系。实验结果表明:实际运行16 a的电缆绝缘由于存在大量杂质使得空间电荷的积聚严重,老化试验后,杂质的减少和淬火反应使得空间电荷的积聚降低且消散过程加快;实际运行32 a的电缆绝缘空间电荷的积聚和消散过程缓和,老化试验后,由于绝缘降解作用和晶态结构的破坏使得空间电荷的积聚加剧且消散过程变得缓慢。     

拉伸对电缆接头双层介质中空间电荷的影响

为了研制冷收缩预制式电缆接头并改善其介电性能,研究了拉伸对乙丙橡胶和交联聚乙烯所组成的双层介质中空间电荷的影响。将不同拉伸状态下的乙丙橡胶试样分别和交联聚乙烯试样组成双层介质试样,测量了不同双层介质在加压和短路后的空间电荷分布。实验结果表明,从空间电荷的角度看,一定的拉伸有利于减少聚合物中空间电荷量;分析了实验现象和机理以及在电缆中的应用价值。     

空间电荷对低密度聚乙烯电气击穿特性的影响

为解决聚乙烯用作电线电缆绝缘材料时所受空间电荷问题的困扰,采用在低密度聚乙烯(low density po-lyethylene,LDPE)试品上施加直流预电压使其中积聚一定量的空间电荷,然后测量试品击穿强度的方法,研究了空间电荷对LDPE击穿特性的影响。结果表明,与未经过预电压处理的LDPE的击穿强度相比,在经过较低场强(50 kV/mm)预电压处理后,预电压与击穿电压极性相同时击穿强度提高了约9%,极性相异时击穿强度降低约14%;而经过较高场强(150 kV/mm)预电压处理后,预电压时LDPE中出现空间电荷包现象,预电压后同极性击穿强度提高约19%,而异极性击穿强度反而上升约16%。分析认为空间电荷包在LDPE中的运动导致了部分空间电荷的中和,使得空间电荷积聚量减少,同时LDPE中可能的缺陷得到了一定程度的老炼而使介质得到了均匀化,从而使LDPE的击穿强度得到了提高。     

Generation and Dissipation of Negative Heterocharges in XLPE and EPR

Charge generation in cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) and ethylene propylene rubber (EPR) under dc stress are influenced strongly by inclusions. The inclusions influencing charge generation are cross-linking byproducts, antioxidants, and moisture. These inclusions particularly influence the generation of negative heterocharges observed near positive electrodes, which produce high electric stress regions in XLPE cable insulation under dc voltage. Because a high electric field might cause dielectric breakdown of high-voltage equipment, it is important to minimize negative heterocharge accumulation. Consequently, the authors performed experiments to clarify the negative heterocharge generation mechanism in XLPE and EPR. The authors first studied the influence of cross-linking byproduct and moisture on negative heterocharge generation to clarify the mechanism. The authors next performed experiments to elucidate the effect of antioxidants on heterocharge generation, which revealed that the negative heterocharge is generated in XLPE insulation containing sulfur-containing phenolic antioxidant, or sulfur-type antioxidant. This heterocharge is presumed to be created by the combined effect of the antioxidant and acetophenone. Furthermore, the authors studied the dissipation of negative heterocharges in XLPE and EPR, clarifying that the dissipation of negative heterocharges in EPR is much faster than that in XLPE. This paper presents results of these studies.     

空间电荷在评估绝缘聚合物电老化程度中的应用研究

通过向聚乙烯中添加一种电压稳定剂，能够有效地抑制聚乙烯的电老化。纯聚乙烯和含电压稳定剂的聚乙烯的试样经过不同时间的电老化后，空间电荷测量表明，在电老化过程中，空间电荷的分布发生变化，出现正负电荷峰的分离和叠加。两种性质的试样中的空间电荷总量都近似地随老化时间呈线性增长，并与老化后的残余绝缘强度的变化有对应关系。分析表明，以试样的短路空间电荷总量与老化时间关系，可以评估聚乙烯的电老化程度。     

Temperature effect on space charge dynamics in XLPE insulation

This paper reports on space charge evolution in crosslinked polyethylene (XLPE) planar samples approximately 1.20 mm thick subjected to electric stress level of 30 kV_dc/mm at four temperatures 25, 50, 70 and 90 degC for 24 h. Space charge profiles in both as-received and degassed samples were measured using the laser induced pressure pulse (LIPP) technique. The DC threshold stresses at which space charge initiates are greatly affected by testing temperatures. The results suggest that testing temperature has numerous effects on space charge dynamics such as enhancement of ionic dissociation of polar crosslinked by-products, charge injection, charge mobility and electrical conductivity. Space charge distributions of very different nature were seen at lower temperatures when comparing the results of as-received samples with degassed samples. However at higher temperature, the space charge distribution took the same form, although of lower concentration in degassed samples. Space charge distributions are dominated by positive charge when tested at high temperatures regardless of sample treatment and positive charge propagation enhances as testing temperature increases. This can be a major cause of concern as positive charge propagation has been reported to be related to insulation breakdown     

Electrical Breakdown Properties and Space Charge Formation in High Temperature Region in Ultraviolet Ray Irradiated PVC

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is the most popular insulating material for electric wiring instruments. However, an exothermic reaction above 150 °C may cause deterioration of the insulating properties of PVC. Therefore, it is important to clarify the heat degradation in PVC, not only to investigate the ignition of electrical wiring products but also to use electrical products safely. It is known that ultraviolet (UV) irradiation causes chemical deterioration of PVC and an increase in its conductivity. Generally, it has been thought that the electrical breakdown properties, electrical conduction, and insulating performance are affected by space charge accumulation in an insulating material. A high temperature pulsed electroacoustic (PEA) system usable up to 250 °C has been developed, and the PEA system can measure the space charge distribution and conduction current in the high temperature range simultaneously. In this investigation, the space charge distribution and conduction current were measured up to electrical breakdown in a non‐UV irradiated sample (normal PVC) and in 353 nm and 253 nm UV‐irradiated PVC samples in the range from room temperature to 200 °C in a DC electric field. In the short wavelength UV irradiated PVC sample (253 nm, 300 h), a deterioration of breakdown strength at 90 °C to 150 °C and negative packet‐like charges were observed at 60 °C and 100 °C, a positive charge accumulated in front of both the anode and cathode above 90 °C, and a higher electric field near the cathode side because the positive charge of the cathode side was greater.