Weld lines in power cable insulation

The quality of XLPE insulation of power cables has improved markedly in recent years, and insulation failures caused by contamination have diminished. As a result, focus has shifted on the effects of insulation morphology. There are concerns about the weld lines regarding the anisotropy and frozen-in mechanical stress. The weld line that is formed has different properties than the matrix and the region is considered to be a mechanically weak point. In a recent study, seams were observed in the XLPE insulation of power cable. Their type and intensity vary because of the melt temperature and homogeneity in the extrusion. The mass distribution also has a certain influence. Typically, the seams are quite harmless for the dielectric properties of the insulation. Occasionally, severe weld lines may be considered as possible weak regions in the insulation construction. By performing electrical needle tests on four cable samples, it was found that the weld line containing sector of the cable is measurably weaker than the insulation in general. The rotating mass distributor, or more specifically, the conical extrusion was able to modify, level out and reduce seam effect. While there is no guarantee that the extrusion will have high insulation quality, it is possible to reduce the seams. The traditional extrusion process, however, should be considered as a less robust solution than the rotating mass distributor with respect to the seams.