Charge storage in corona-charged polypropylene films analyzed by LIPP and TSC methods

Negatively corona-charged 50-/spl mu/m-thick polypropylene (PP) film is measured using laser-induced pressure pulse (LIPP) and thermally stimulated current (TSC) in order to study the charge storage mechanism in the PP film. The LIPP can reveal the space-charge distribution in the depth direction of the PP films and the TSC can be used to measure the energetic depth of the charge trap. The LIPP shows that negative charge is deposited on the charged surface of the sample. Almost all surface charges are removed by soaking the sample in ethanol. However, about 5% of the surface charge is injected into the sample up to a depth of about 7 /spl mu/m from the surface. The injected charge is not removed by the dip-in-ethanol method because the ethanol does not penetrate into the sample. The injection of the surface charge increases with corona-charging temperature. Besides the negative charge injection, the injection of positive charge from the opposite surface is also observed when the sample is charged at higher than 60/spl deg/C. In addition, negative bulk charge is formed when the sample is charged at higher than 80/spl deg/C. The LIPP profile is compared with the TSC spectrum. It is shown that the space charge observed using LIPP disappears when the temperature of the sample exceeds 80/spl deg/C. However, TSC is observed at even higher than 80/spl deg/C. This indicates that the TSC is observed even after the disappearance of the space charge measured using LIPP.     

Charge storage and its dynamics in porous polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) film electrets

The outstanding space charge storage stability of porous polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) film electrets is studied by isothermal surface potential decay measurements and open-circuit thermally stimulated discharge (TSD) experiments after corona charging at room and elevated temperatures, or corona charging at RT and then aging at different temperatures. Charge storage properties of porous PTFE, nonporous PTFE (Teflon/spl reg/ PTFE) and nonporous FEP (Teflon/spl reg/ FEP) electrets are compared. The results show that porous PTFE has the best charge storage stability of organic materials for both negative and positive charges, especially at high temperatures. The structure of porous PTFE, investigated by a scanning electron microscope (SEM), is important for understanding the electret properties of this material. Charge dynamics, including the influence of environmental humidity and temperature on charge stability and shift of mean charge depth, and the kinetics of detrapped charges for the porous PTFE film electrets were also investigated by means of isothermal surface potential decay measurements and analysis of the TSD current spectra in combination with the heat pulse technique. It is found that from about RT to 200/spl deg/C slow retrapping plays a dominant role; from about 200/spl deg/C to 300/spl deg/C fast retrapping controls the transport.     

Electric charge transport and trapping in dielectrics deduced from isothermal and nonisothermal measurements

By sequential use of the isothermal charging, the isothermal discharging, the final thermally stimulated discharge current and the final isothermal discharging current techniques, the charge dynamics in highly insulating materials may be investigated. The method is demonstrated for polyethylene terephthalate. The injected charge for a field of 20 MV m/sup -/1 and polarization temperatures up to 110/spl deg/C is almost totally trapped in the material and is released during the heating of the sample at 180/spl deg/C for a sufficiently long time. A significant current at high temperatures, about 90/spl deg/C above the poling temperature, was observed proving that it originates from charge detrapping. The final thermally stimulated discharge current peaks shift to higher temperature when the polarization temperature increases, and are characterized by activation energies in the range from 1.03 to 1.56 eV. They allowed the identification of the glass transition around 114/spl deg/C. The relaxation time of the trapped charge, at 180/spl deg/C, was determined to be about 3780 s, explaining the very good stability of trapped charge.     

蒙脱土改性聚乙烯复合材料的高场介电性能研究

利用熔融插层法制备了聚乙烯/蒙脱土纳米复合材料,研究蒙脱土对聚乙烯介电性能的影响。研究分析了纯聚乙烯和不同的聚乙烯/蒙脱土复合材料的树枝化性能,通过直流预电应力电树引发试验,探讨了空间电荷的极性效应对不同材料树枝化性能的影响。试验结果表明:与纯聚乙烯和其他复合材料相比,加入相容剂的聚乙烯/蒙脱土纳米复合材料的电树潜伏期更长,电树生长速度更慢,而且显示出与LDPE不同的极性效应。不同材料的热激电流(TSC)试验结果显示:聚乙烯/蒙脱土纳米复合材料的松弛时间分布展宽,峰值增高,说明在纳米复合材料中引入了更多的陷阱能级,这些陷阱调制了载流子浓度和迁移率,从而抑制了树枝的起始与生长。     

Effects of manufacturing technology on electrical breakdown and morphology of thin films of low density polyethylene blended with polypropylene copolymer

Extruded films prepared from blends of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and random copolymer of ethylene and propylene (EP) with the T-die method were studied with respect to electrical properties and morphology. Comparisons with data on blown films are made. These blends are of interest as improved LDPE for making XLPE for insulated power cable. In the high temperature region (90/spl deg/C), a specimen with a slightly higher EP content had higher impulse breakdown strength than that with a lower EP content, but no improvement of DC breakdown strength by blending could be found. The improvement of impulse breakdown strength (90/spl deg/C) is explained in terms of morphological changes by blending such as the orientation of chains in a film and the size of spherulites on the assumption of the thermal breakdown. In comparison, a T-die film had higher impulse breakdown strength than that of a blown film for the same composition. The impulse breakdown strength also increased with the use of the higher density LDPE. In the current versus electric field characteristics at 30/spl deg/C, the blend polymer with EP content of 5-10% showed a transition from LDPE behavior at low field region to EP behavior at high field region. However, no appreciable difference in current behavior among the specimens was observed at 90/spl deg/C, which suggests an incompatibility between the two materials that exists at 30/spl deg/C but not at 90/spl deg/C.     

Polarization and dielectric behavior of ac-aged polyethylene

High field polarization and dielectric relaxation behavior have been used to study the aging mechanisms of crosslinked polyethylene (XLPE) and low density polyethylene (LDPE) aged at constant alternating electrical field stress in a humid environment at room temperature. For this study, the dielectric spectroscopy data in the frequency range of 10^-5 to 10⁶ Hz and their comparative analysis, have been used to provide electrical analog models of the aging. The dielectric data in the frequency range of 10^-5 to 5×10 ^-2 Hz were calculated from the desorption current, whereas bridge measurements provide the data in the frequency range of 10 Hz to 10⁶ Hz. In addition, thermal transient current and thermally stimulated discharge current measurements have been carried out in order to determine the polarization and space charge accumulation in ac aged polyethylene. A correlation has been observed in the behavior of polarization and dielectric relaxation in the present work. The dielectric behavior of the XLPE cable samples and of the LDPE flat samples show a presence of both the inter-cluster (low frequency) charge exchange and the intra-cluster (high frequency) charge motion, the former mechanism becoming more dominant as the aging progresses. For the XLPE cable samples ac aged in a humid environment at room temperature, relaxation peaks obeying the fractional power law have been observed in addition to a quasi-dc process     

Electrical conductivity and space charge in LDPE containing TiO/sub 2/ nanoparticles

Electrical conductivity (DC) and space charge accumulation were studied in samples of low density polyethylene to which nano-sized and micro-sized TiO/sub 2/ (anatase) particles and a dispersant had been added. Sample thicknesses were in the range 150-200 /spl mu/m. At applied field strengths of 10 and 20 kV/mm, the conductivity at 30 /spl deg/C, measured in vacuum in samples containing 10 % w/w nano-sized TiO/sub 2/, decreased by 1-2 orders of magnitude relative to samples with dispersant but without TiO/sub 2/, and by three orders of magnitude at 70 /spl deg/C. In air at 30 /spl deg/C the corresponding decrease was an order of magnitude at 10 kV/mm, and a factor of four at 20 kV/mm. In samples containing 10 % w/w micro-sized TiO/sub 2/ the conductivity increased in air and in vacuum, but only by factors in the range 2-10 depending on temperature and field. Space charge profiles were obtained using the laser-intensity-modulation-method (LIIMM), irradiating both surfaces of the sample. The micro-sized TiO/sub 2/ particles are associated with increased charge injection from the electrodes and increased charge trapping in the sample bulk, increasing the conductivity overall. The nano-sized particles generate very little charge in the sample bulk, but render the electrodes partially-blocking and so lower the conductivity.     

Carrier mobility in LDPE at high temperature and pressure

Current peaks due to transient SCLC (space charge limited current) were observed in LDPE (low-density polyethylene) at 70°C. From the time at which the current peak occurs, carrier mobilities ranging from 5×10^-15 to 7×10^-14 m²/Vs were obtained. The mobility values obtained for LDPE depend on both applied field and hydrostatic pressure and verify hopping mechanism. The presence of space charge has been confirmed by analyzing discharge currents measurements     

基于α松弛分析CB/LDPE纳米复合介质空间电荷特性

分别以导电炭黑(C-CB)和绝缘炭黑(I-CB)作为纳米填充相,研究不同性能炭黑(CB)对低密度聚乙烯(LDPE)空间电荷特性的影响。采用多种测试方法对CB微观形貌和表面化学特性进行表征。利用电声脉冲(PEA)法测量LDPE及其纳米复合介质的空间电荷分布,并结合动态机械分析法(DMA)和热刺激电流法(TSC)探索CB改善LDPE空间电荷特性的作用机理。结果表明:C-CB比I-CB具有更长的链状结构和较少的表面基团,可与LDPE产生更强的相互作用;C-CB/LDPE和I-CB/LDPE纳米复合介质均能够有效地抑制空间电荷积聚,其中前者的空间电荷抑制能力更强。分析认为复合介质空间电荷性能改善是由于CB与LDPE相互作用,减少了参与α松弛的分子形成的缺陷数量,降低了LDPE内的陷阱密度。     

CB/LDPE纳米复合材料的空间电荷抑制特性

采用熔融共混法制备了纯低密度聚乙烯(LDPE)试样和纳米炭黑(CB)颗粒质量分数分别为0.01%、0.03%、0.05%、0.07%的CB/LDPE复合试样。采用扫描电子显微镜观察纳米CB颗粒在LDPE基体中的分散性,并利用电声脉冲法(PEA)测试各试样在常温和-40 kV/mm条件下的空间电荷积聚特性和陷阱特性,讨论纳米CB颗粒提升LDPE基体空间电荷抑制特性的机制。结果表明:相较于纯LDPE试样,CB/LDPE复合试样的空间电荷积聚特性得到了显著改善,其中CB质量分数为0.03%的CB/LDPE复合试样具有最佳的空间电荷抑制效果。纳米CB颗粒提高了复合试样内部的深陷阱密度,这是提高复合试样空间电荷抑制能力的关键。     

纳米氧化锌/聚乙烯复合材料中空间电荷及体积电阻率的研究

以溶融共混法制备了纳米氧化锌(ZnO)/低密度聚乙烯(LDPE)的复合材料,采用电声脉冲法和高阻计法分别测量了不同纳米ZnO含量试样中的空间电荷分布和体积电阻率。实验发现,试样中的空间电荷分布明显不同于纯聚乙烯。当试样中纳米ZnO含量为0.5%时,短路过程中空间电荷衰减很快;当纳米ZnO含量进一步提高时短路过程中空间电荷衰减比纯聚乙烯的缓慢。同时发现加入纳米ZnO后复合材料的体积电阻率上升。讨论了纳米ZnO对试样中空间电荷形成和导电机理的影响。     

Investigation of space-charge effect on the AC treeing mechanism in an LDPE film by tsc and TSSP measurement

When an ac voltage is applied to a low-density polyethylene (LDPE) film placed under a needle-plane electrode system, there is a possibility of the formation of the space-charge field in the vicinity of the needle electrode by electrons (or holes) injected from the needle electrode. In this paper we investigated the properties of the space charge, e.g., the total amount of trapped charge formed in the vicinity of the needle electrode by using electrical measurements of thermally stimulated current (TSC) and thermally stimulated surface potential (TSSP). From the investigation, it was concluded that a space-charge field is formed in an LDPE film by the application of the ac voltage, and that the total amount of trapped charge by the application of the ac voltage is less than that by the application of the dc voltage, etc. Finally, on the basis of the present experimental results, we studied the space-charge effect on the ac treeing mechanism.     

Space charge behavior in low-density polyethylene

The space charge distribution in low-density polyethylene (LDPE) was measured with the pulsed electroacoustic (PEA) method. We used three types of LDPE: LDPE-L and LDPE-H were prepared by the high pressure process, and m-LDPE was polymerized with a metallocene catalyst. Space charge in LDPE strongly depended upon the electrode material. Semiconductive electrodes enhanced carrier injection into LDPE and, as a result, space charge. The density, polymerization process, applied field, temperature and so on also affected the space charge behavior. This space charge behavior was compared with the results of dc current measurements     

Effect of thermal damage on the in vitro optical and fluorescence characteristics of liver tissues

Thermal energy generated by radio-frequency current or other means may be employed in treating liver tumors by means of thermal coagulation when conventional resection is impossible. Currently, these thermal energy-based therapeutic procedures suffer from the lack of an adequate feedback control system, making it difficult to determine the optimal therapeutic endpoint. In this study, the potential of optical spectroscopy to provide such an objective endpoint for these procedures is presented. Freshly harvested canine liver samples were exposed to 50/spl deg/C, 60/spl deg/C, and 70/spl deg/C water baths for times ranging from 0 to 60 min. Transmission and reflectance were measured from each sample using an integrating sphere and the optical properties of each sample were accordingly derived. Excitation-emission matrices were recorded from the samples using a spectrofluorometer to identify the intrinsic fluorescence characteristics of native and thermally coagulated liver tissues. In addition, fluorescence and diffuse reflectance spectra were separately obtained from the samples prepared using a portable spectroscopic system. Results of this study show that fluorescence and optical properties of liver tissues exhibit clear and consistent changes through the thermal coagulation process. Specifically, the primary peak in the fluorescence spectra from liver tissues shifts from 480 nm in the native state to 510 nm in the fully coagulated state. In addition, a three- to fourfold increase in the absolute intensity of the diffuse reflectance spectra is observed upon complete coagulation of liver tissues. These dynamic spectral features indicate that fluorescence and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy may provide a direct measure of the biochemical and structural changes associated with tissue thermal damage in the liver.     

Space charge characterization in aged LDPE amalgamated insulationregions from underwater telecommunication systems

The requirement of insertion of optical amplifier units and joints, into long-distance submarine telecommunication systems, results in regions of the polymeric insulation which have to be reinstated, using injection molding techniques. These techniques introduce internal amalgamated interfaces, which subsequently can be the sites of possible electrical insulation failure in the system. This paper reports on space charge measurements, (using the pulsed electroacoustic (PEA) technique), from microtomed thin film samples taken from the interface region of typical system joints which have undergone accelerated aging tests under a dc voltage at room temperature. The space charge distributions obtained for the samples are discussed with reference to the underlying mechanisms of both the bulk low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and the surface (LDPE/electrode interface). The effect of varying the electrode material (i.e. Au and Al) is discussed with reference to previously published data. Finally the effects of long-term aging on space charge accumulation within LDPE are considered briefly     

MgO/LDPE纳米复合材料制备及其空间电荷特性

为了降低低密度聚乙烯中的空间电荷积累,在自制纳米MgO粉体的基础上,采用熔融共混法,制备了氧化镁/低密度聚乙烯(MgO/LDPE)纳米复合材料,并通过扫描电镜(SEM)观察了MgO/LDPE纳米复合材料中的MgO粒径大小和分散情况,采用差热扫描量热法(DSC)确定了不同MgO质量分数纳米复合材料的结晶度,采用电声脉冲法(PEA)测量了不同MgO质量分数纳米复合材料的空间电荷分布,测量了不同MgO质量分数纳米复合材料的拉伸性能。试验结果表明,MgO/LDPE纳米复合材料体系中,MgO粒径约为50nm,且分散均匀;不同MgO质量分数纳米复合材料的弹性模量和抗张强度均高于纯LDPE的,且MgO质量分数为2%时达到最大值;不同MgO质量分数纳米复合材料的结晶度均高于纯LDPE的;纳米MgO能抑制空间电荷的注入和其在材料体内的迁移,质量分数为3%时,MgO/LDPE纳米复合材料中的空间电荷得到了良好的抑制。     

TSC measurement of space charge in low-density PE under aneedle-plane electrode system

We have investigated the thermally stimulated current (TSC) in low-density polyethylene (LDPE) film and surface potentials built in the LDPE films due to excess charges injected from a needle electrode, using 10, 15 and 20 needle-plane electrode systems. The amount of charge injected and its depth were determined from TSC and thermally stimulated surface potential (TSSP) measurements     

Experience with return voltage measurements for assessing insulation conditions in service-aged transformers

This paper describes the investigation of the insulation condition of a number of power and distribution type transformers of different manufacturing dates and with different operating histories. Return voltage measurements were conducted for these transformers. Effects of moisture and aging on the oil-paper insulation of these transformers were investigated and results are presented in this paper. Moisture in oil samples at known temperature was measured for these transformers. Previously accelerated aging experiments were performed on paper wrapped insulated conductors in different environments over a temperature range of 115 to 145/spl deg/C. Results from the measurements on transformers are compared with those of the accelerated aged samples and are described in this paper.     

MgO/LDPE纳米复合材料抑制空间电荷及电树枝化特性

应用经硅烷偶联处理后的纳米氧化镁(MgO)粉末与低密度聚乙烯(low density polyethylene,LDPE)共混,制得MgO/LDPE复合介质。高成分衬度扫描电镜(scanningelectron microscope,SEM)中图像表明,粒径为100 nm左右的MgO纳米粒子均匀的分散于介质中。通过电声脉冲法(pulsed electro-acoustic,PEA)测试发现,当纳米MgO填料的质量分数为4%时,可以有效抑制空间电荷的注入,伏安特性的实验结果表明,复合介质拥有更高的空间电荷注入阈值场强。通过电树枝实验,发现复合介质可以抑制电树枝的引发和生长。最后,对实验结果进行了分析,探讨了纳米复合介质抑制空间电荷和树枝化生长的机制。纳米颗粒与基体材料界面电荷行为可能是复合介质电学性能改善的原因。     

Influence of BaTiO3 additive and electrode material onspace-charge formation in polyethylene. Evidence from thermal stepspace-charge measurements

The effects of 5% wt BaTiO₃ additive and of electrode material on space charge formation and electric field distribution in low density polyethylene (LDPE) were investigated using a thermal step technique. Space charge was formed at an average dc field of ~28 kV/mm and at 50°C. Results indicate that the addition of BaTiO₃ to LDPE has considerably reduced the remanent space charge and electric field and changed their distribution patterns in the doped material when compared with the plain material. It is also shown that the remanent space charge and electric field in plain LDPE are strongly dependent on the type of electrode material