The contribution of field-induced morphological change to the electrical aging and breakdown of polyethylene

A brief review of the early literature is given which provides evidence that electrically-induced mechanical stresses make an important contribution to the electrical breakdown of solid dielectrics. Special attention is given to polyethylene and the manner in which this semi-crystalline polymer yields under mechanical stress by microvoid, crack and craze development in the amorphous phase between the lamellar crystallites. The nature of the forces induced by an electrical field is considered and it is shown that a significant component of tensile stress is generated in a direction orthogonal to the field and can become large as breakdown is approached. This suggests a correlation between the responses of the polymer to mechanical and electrical stresses and consequently the importance of morphology in determining the latter. The likely effect of field-induced morphological change on charge transport and electrode processes is described and its underlying contribution to possible aging markers for polyethylene, such as high field conduction, electroluminescence, space charge and charge packets is considered.     

Novel electrical and optical properties of liquid conductingpolymers and oligomers

A conducting polymer with highly extended conjugated bonds in its main chain becomes fusible and also soluble in common solvents after the introduction of long side chains, such as alkyl, as a substituent. Because these liquid conducting polymers and oligomers have much smaller band gaps than those of conventional organic liquids, they exhibit relatively high electrical conductivity and also interact with visible light. Therefore, these liquid conducting polymers can be used effectively for fundamental research to clarify the electronic state and transport processes in dielectric liquids. Novel anomalies in electrical conductivity, photoconductivity and luminescence also have been observed in these liquids, and are discussed in terms of the fluctuation of electronic band gap and the interchain interaction, which depends on alkyl side chain length and on its conformation, and therefore on temperature. The unique applications of these liquid conducting polymers and solutions are also discussed. Characteristics of the interface between conducting polymer and dielectric liquids are also found and discussed in terms of electron scavenging of CO₂ in liquid and CO₂ fixation     

高压脉冲放电水处理技术的理论研究

为了探讨高压脉冲放电水处理技术的机理及模型,归纳、概括了高压脉冲放电过程中物理效应的形成及其作用、液体介质的击穿机理及击穿模型,还分析了高压脉冲放电过程中发生的化学过程。所得结论为:弧光放电发射的光辐射最强,火花放电次之,流光放电较弱;紫外辐射可把臭氧和过氧化氢分解为氧化性更强的羟基;冲击波可间接引起热解和自由基反应;液体介质的击穿主要可分为电击穿理论、热力(气泡)击穿理论,建立的模型在一定的范围内能准确地预言实验结果;气、液界面发生苯酚降解的化学反应是羟基进攻和臭氧氧化,氧气和氩气导致形成不同的降解副产品,而溶液中的化学过程则主要是羟基进攻。     

State of water in hydrocarbon liquids and its effect onconductivity [transformer oil]

The humidity or the dissolved water in insulating oils influences conduction and breakdown phenomena. The corrections between the amount of dissolved water and the electrical properties have been investigated. However, the effect of water has been based only on the total amount of water because in the past there was no way to observe the state of water in oil in an electrical field. With the availability of Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy to characterize water clusters, the effect of water in transformer oil can be reassessed based not only on the amount of water, but also on the state of water. In this paper, IR spectra of water in several liquid hydrocarbons and conduction current were measured at the same time. The selection of the liquid hydrocarbons was made on the basis of the degree of polarizability of the liquids. Because the water molecules combine with the polar structures by hydrogen bonding, the state of water depends on the polarizability of the oil. As a result, there is a difference in conduction phenomena depending on whether water is free or combined with the polar structure of the liquid     

Pulse measurements using LED in dielectric liquids under impulsevoltages

Current pulses, in the form of partial discharges, are known to be precursors of electrical breakdown in dielectric liquids. The precise measurement of these pulses is of great value for the understanding of the breakdown mechanism. The measurement of current pulses under impulse voltage is very difficult when using conventional electrical measurement systems. To overcome this difficulty, a novel measuring system using fiber optics and a light emitting diode (LED) has been developed. In this paper, the improvements in time response and charge sensitivity of such a LED current-pulse measurement system are described. Using this system and a high speed shadow-graph assembly under impulse conditions, the current pulse and the streamer initiation in dielectric liquids are measured simultaneously     

Breakdown initiating mechanisms at electrode interfaces in liquids

Two hitherto neglected mechanisms, which occur at the interface between insulating liquids and metal electrodes under high electrical fields, are considered and shown to be significant for the initiation of breakdown. One involves the Lippmann effect in which the electrical fields of the double layers at the electrodes reduce the interfacial tension and lead to the generation of low-density microcavities on the electrode surfaces. The other is the Auger effect in which non-radiative recombination of electrons and positive holes across the large energy gap between these states leads to secondary electrons of high energy. The coupling between these two mechanisms is expected to be highly conducive to streamer initiation at the electrodes.     

High field conduction and prebreakdown phenomena in dielectric liquids

The present paper is mainly devoted to phenomena occurring in point-plane electrode geometry, where breakdown is the result of the initiation and propagation of prebreakdown phenomena called "streamers". In this configuration, an investigative study of the streamer initiation processes, requiring very high electric field strengths (/spl sim/ MV/cm), and of propagation (requiring low electric field, /spl sim/ kV/cm) can easily be carried out for negative streamer development as well as for the positive case. From analysis of experimental results in pure liquids the physical processes connected with streamer initiation and propagation, particularly the electronic ones, are presented and discussed. Estimations of the main parameters of slower subsonic streamers and of the faster filamentary ones (such as field strength at the streamer tip, field inside the channel, charge density, etc.) have been obtained from qualitative considerations and compared to experimental data.     

Electrical Breakdown and Space Charge Formation at High‐Temperature Region in Long‐Time Heating Treatment PVC

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is widely used as an insulating material in various electrical products. It is reported that an exothermic reaction reaching temperatures above 150 °C can be caused by overload currents or inferior electrical wire connections before the ignition of electrical products. The exothermic phenomenon may cause deterioration of insulating properties in PVC due to its chemical decomposition. It is necessary to clarify the degradation of insulating properties in PVC under thermal stress exceeding 150 °C for the safe use of electric products. In this investigation the space charge distribution and conduction current in the heat‐treated PVC sheet were measured in the range from room temperature to 200 °C in the presence of a dc electric field, using a high‐temperature PEA system. Positive charge injection and increasing conduction currents were observed before breakdown above 100 °C in 100 °C 300‐h heat‐treated samples and in non–heat‐treated samples. The results indicate the thermal breakdown process from the analysis of conduction currents and electric fields. In samples exposed to higher temperatures (150 °C 100 h), the breakdown strength deteriorated strongly in the range from room temperature to 90 °C. Increases in conduction current were observed in the entire temperature range before breakdown of the 150 °C 100‐h heat‐treated PVC. This indicates that heat treatment above 150 °C degrades the breakdown properties in the range from room temperature to 90 °C due to thermal decomposition accompanied by dehydrochlorination in PVC. The electric field is intensified near the cathode due to positive charge accumulation, and the breakdown strength begins to deteriorate only above 90 °C. This shows that thermal stress exceeding 150 °C causes deterioration of insulating properties and that the breakdown process is affected by space charge formation in PVC.     

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.     

The dynamics of DC predisruption in liquid insulating media

Results of predisruptive current, light and electrical charge measurements are presented for the liquids tetraester, transformer oil and cyclohexane, under point-plane electrode arrangements with negative and positive high DC voltages. Observed current and light pulses existed both in the kHz and the MHz frequency ranges for both polarities of the point electrode. The electrical charge for the current pulses either increased or decreased sharply whenever these pulses occurred. In general, three pulse regimes were evident: (1) current pulses with no associated light pulses, (2) current pulses correlated with light pulses and (3) light pulses with no associated current pulses. Analysis of the results obtained suggests the occurrence of charge injection followed by processes of bubble formation and electronic avalanche multiplication in the liquid phase, and partial discharges in localized expanding bubbles. The steplike propagation of streamers is explained and streamer velocities were estimated. Involvement of both electronic and gaseous phenomena in predisruptive processes is also suggested     

Insulating properties of some liquids after an electrical arc

The insulating properties of a liquid are commonly studied before a breakdown occurs. In HV industrial apparatus such as high energy plastic metallized and liquid impregnated films capacitors, some local breakdowns, named self-healing, occur and the ability of the liquid to remain insulating after electrical degradation is of interest. To understand the influence of the liquid on the behavior of such capacitors, the post-arc behavior of the liquid alone has to be studied in a range of energy (~mJ) close to the self-healing process. The present work deals with the study of the ability of different liquids to restore in the millisecond range their insulating property after an electrical arc. Using an experimental apparatus based on the repetitive charging with a dc HV generator and discharging through an arc of a resistor-capacity system, different kind of liquids were tested. The liquids we used were alcane, esters, alkyl benzene and polyaromatic. We showed as expected that liquids with the smallest ratio of carbon versus hydrogen in their molecular formula present the best restoration property after an electrical arc, property that is crucial for liquids impregnating metallized capacitors     

频率对高密度聚乙烯电树老化特性的影响

为了解频率对高密度聚乙烯电树老化特性的影响,在50Hz~90kHz较宽频率范围的交流电压作用下,研究了冰水淬火高密度聚乙烯(HDPE)薄膜的电树老化特性。结果表明,频率对电树起始形态具有重要的影响,随着电压频率的升高,树枝型电树的起始几率逐渐降低,丛状型电树的起始几率逐渐升高,电树逐渐由树枝型起始为主向丛状型起始为主转变,树干型和直击型为高频下所特有的电树起始形态。随着电树的生长,电树形态存在转换的可能,低频下,起始占主导的树枝型电树向丛状和树干型转变;高频下,起始占主导的丛状型电树则极易转变为树干和击穿型,导致绝缘的破坏。电树的发展可分为起始、滞长、生长和击穿期4个阶段。频率的提高加快了电树的发展速度且减少了电树的发展阶段,使发生击穿的几率大为增加。     

Electrical properties of silane crosslinked polyethylene incomparison with DCP crosslinked polyethylene

The electrical properties such as water tree length, electrical conduction, ac breakdown strength and space charge of silane crosslinked polyethylene (SXLPE) were investigated, with a purpose to compare this material with ordinary dicumyl peroxide (DCP) crosslinked polyethylene (XLPE). Experimental results show that SXLPE has a smaller water tree length, much lower conduction current density, a little bit higher ac breakdown strength than XLPE, and on SXLPE only a very small homocharge is seen. The better behaviour of SXLPE under electric stress is attributed to the absence of residual curing byproducts present in XLPE and the change of chemical structure by grafting and curing reactions     

High-field conduction and carrier traps in polyethylene copolymerized with various monomers

The electrical breakdown and electrical conduction of ethylene copolymers have been studied. The electric strength of ethylene copolymers containing an optimum content of halogen moieties such as bromophenyl and fluoroethylene groups was found to be higher than that of LDPE over the wide temperature range from ?196°C to 90°C. Also, conduction currents in the copolymers were suppressed at high electric fields. X-ray-induced thermally stimulated currents (TSC) revealed that halogen comonomers act as carrier traps with a depth of about 0.4 eV. Consequently, the introduction of comonomer-containing halogen groups into polyethylene suppresses electron acceleration as a result of an increase in trapping and scattering of conduction electrons. This leads to an increase in electric strength which is determined by the electron avalanche breakdown.     

Space charge formation and breakdown in polyethylene influenced by the interface with semiconducting electrodes

This paper deals with the influence of interface between polyethylene and semiconducting electrode on the space charge formation and electrical breakdown. Low‐density polyethylene (LDPE) films attached with different semiconducting electrodes were subjected to the DC breakdown test, and corresponding space charge distribution was measured. A heat treatment to LDPE itself did not bring about a significant change in space charge profile; however, when a semiconducting electrode was hot‐pressed, the impurities would migrate into LDPE at high temperature, leading to the change in space charge profile. Furthermore, it was suggested from the comparison between the results with degassed and as‐received semiconducting electrodes that some carriers relating to impurities in the electrode would move into LDPE under the voltage. In addition, it was shown that the breakdown is not determined by the field at the cathode which can supply sufficient electrons, but by the maximum field across the specimen, suggesting that an increase in conduction current due to the generation and/or injection, rather than the electronic avalanche process, leads to the breakdown. © 2001 Scripta Technica, Electr Eng Jpn, 138(3): 19–25, 2002     

Electrohydrodynamically induced dielectric liquid flow through pure conduction in point/plane geometry

Mildly polar liquids generally exhibit an ohmic behavior when subjected to electric fields of limited values. The resulting conduction is then associated with heterocharge layers of finite thickness in the vicinity of the electrodes. In the absence of charge injection or induction, a simple conduction model based on the processes of dissociation of a neutral electrolytic species and recombination of the generated ions is presented. This model is first applied to parallel plane electrode geometry to describe the build-up of the heterocharge. Then, the case of point/plane configuration is considered where the effect of Coulomb force is different in the two layers next to the electrodes. A net motion toward the point electrode is predicted to occur. With a rough approximation for the harmonic field, an analysis is presented which leads to an expression for the axial component of the net force exerted on the liquid. A simple static pump is designed and built to experimentally investigate the pressure head generated through pure conduction. Two working fluids (refrigerant R-123 and n-hexane) and two different electrode designs are considered in this study. The experimental results are qualitatively compared to the theoretical predictions.     

Electrical conduction of electrolyte solutions in nonpolar liquids

Certain nonpolar liquids, when doped with specific salts, are able to produce sustained and reproducible ion injections from one of the electrodes. Electronic transfer to the ionic pairs attached to the electrodes and the subsequent extraction of the free ions by the Schottky effect are the mechanisms responsible for this injection. The electrical conduction of these liquids is studied, using a recently proposed electric-field dependent law for the injection of ions and Onsager theory for the dissociation of ionic pairs in the bulk. Recombination is allowed between electrolytic ions and injected ions. The current-voltage characteristics predicted with this model have been presented in term of dimensionless parameters, so that an easy comparison with experiments can be done. Special attention has been paid to distinguish the contribution of the dissociation and the injection in the total current. The electric field distortion and the charge density at the injector has also been determined     

Modification of electrical properties and performance of EVA and PP insulation through nanostructure by organophilic silicates

Nanostructured materials are attracting increased interest and applications. Exciting perspectives may be offered by electrical insulation. Polymeric nanofilled materials may find new and/or upgraded applications in the electrical and electronic industry, replacing conventional insulation to provide improved performances in electrical apparatus, as regards, e.g., reliability, environmental compatibility and power rating. This paper shows that electrical properties of nanocomposite insulating materials for DC applications, specifically space charge, conductivity and breakdown voltage, can improve significantly with respect to the basis, unfilled materials. Reference is made to two polymeric materials, i.e. poly(ethylene-covinylacetate) (EVA) and polypropylene (PP), that are widely used as electrical insulation, e.g. for cables and capacitors. The nanofiller consists of an organophilic layered silicate, specifically an extra-pure synthetic fluorohectorite modified by means of interlayer exchange of sodium cations for protonated octadecylamine NH/sub 3//sup +/ (ODA), in a weight concentration of maximum 6%. In both materials the space charge accumulation rate as a function of applied electric field is significantly reduced, while the electrical conductivity is raised. The breakdown voltage can increase for the nanofilled materials.     

Systematic Study of the Dopant-Dependent Properties of Electrically Programmable Fuses With Silicided Poly-Si Links Through a Series of I– V Measurements

Electrically programmable/writable fuses (e-fuses) with a Ni-silicided polycrystalline silicon narrow link and fabricated with four doping conditions were studied using two successive I-V measurements. The initial I-V sweeps can change e-fuses into targeted programmed states and display all of the programming processes where the currents change by many orders of magnitude. The second set of I-V curves can show stability and conduction in the programmed states for both bias polarities. Through the series of I-V measurements, the two-step programming with moderate blowing conditions could be reproduced and studied systematically. The programming processes of incompletely programmed states, before complete programming (CP), were found to be strongly dependent on the dopant conditions. The origin of the dopant dependency was considered within a simple electrical equivalent circuit model. At least two or three programmed states were identified among the completely programmed states in terms of the characteristic spreads of the final resistance and conduction behavior. The most distinctive currents after CP are similar to those in varistors. The stability of every programmed state is strongly dependent on the dopant conditions.     

Thermal modelling using ASTEC3 software

This paper describes the application of ASTEC3, a general purpose analogue electronic circuit simulation package, to the analysis of thermal properties of given structures. The modelling of each system is considered for both conduction and convection mechanisms, radiation being assumed to play a very minor role in heat dissipation from most electrical circuits. A procedure is given for the modelling of one-, two- and three-dimensional thermal problems which is then used for the simulation of relatively simple examples. The results obtained with ASTEC3 are compared with results determined by using more traditional and independent techniques.