Performance Evaluation of Cross-Linked Polyethylene Insulation of Operating 110 kV Power Cables

The ageing characteristic of XLPE insulation of operating a 110 kV power cable with different service time is studied in this paper. The microscopic morphology of XLPE films from different cables were characterized by using Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), X-ray Diffraction method (XRD), and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) methods, and the dielectric, mechanical, and electrical properties of XLPE were also measured. The relationship of several typical property parameters with the cable service time were established, and the ageing mechanism of XLPE insulation of the operating cable was also analyzed. It was found that XLPE insulation would endure a recrystallization process in the initial operation stage during which the microscopic morphology would become more perfect with higher crystallinity and denser crystal structure. Then, the thermal oxidation would dominate the ageing process of XLPE with the molecular chains broken and more micromolecular products generated after the cable had operated for more than 10–15 years. The AC breakdown strength decreases with the increase of cable service time, with lower decreasing rate in the initial operation stage and a larger rate after 10–15 years. The Pearson correlation coefficient between the cable service time with the characteristic parameters were calculated, and some of them were found to be effective to be used as indicators for operation state detection of operating power cables.