18
1, JANUARY 2002
Condition Assessment and Failure Modes of Solid
Dielectric Cables in Perspective
Khaled Abdolall, Guy L. Halldorson, and Dennis Green
Abstract—Older solid dielectric cables are now approaching the
end of their life and failing. Consequently there has been a sus-
tained effort for the development of techniques to assess the re-
maining life of in-service cables for the purpose of establishing re-
placement criteria. Because of the generally accepted belief that the
failure mode is due to the aging of the insulation, these techniques
have mainly focused on measuring changes in the electrical prop-
erties of the insulation. However, it has been determined that there
are other failure modes associated with loss of the protective func-
tion of the jacketing material leading to corrosion and breaks in
the metallic shields and poor contact between semicon and metallic
shield, causing arcing damage and eventual failure of the cable.
This failure mode is more prevalent in cables operated in a harsh
chemical environment.
This paper presents the results of a research program aimed at
developing a test protocol that is based on evaluating the condition
of all the cable components and not just the insulation. The tests
were designed to evaluate the condition of jacket, extent of corro-
sion of the metallic shield, and degree of degradation of the cable
insulation. The results are discussed in terms of correlations be-
tween the field measurement parameters and the condition of the
cable, and prioritization criteria for cable replacement.
Index Terms—Condition assessment of solid dielectric cables,
failure modes of solid dielectric cable, neutral corrosion.
I. INTRODUCTION
R EPLACEMENT of solid dielectric cables that are ap-
proaching the end of their life has been a serious concern
to industrial plants and electrical utilities. The major challenge
is to find out which cables to replace first. Consequently, there
has been a sustained interest in the development of techniques
for the assessment of the condition of underground cables for
the purpose of establishing cable replacement criteria to mini-
mize costs and loss of production. So far these efforts, however,
have mainly focused on establishing the degree of degradation
of the insulation. This is based on the generally accepted belief
that the majority of cable failures are mainly due to natural
aging of the insulation, cable imperfections, or water treeing.
These failure modes have been studied extensively since the
introduction of solid dielectric cables. With few exceptions
[1]–[3], there have been no systematic studies on the relative
failure rates of service aged cables due to the different failure
mechanisms.
Other failure modes involve corrosion or damage to the con-
centric neutral and metallic ground shields, and the loss of good
Manuscript received February 7, 2000. This work was supported by Syncrude
Canada.
K. Abdolall and G. L. Halldorson are with Powertech Labs Inc., Surrey, BC,
Canada.
D. Green is with Syncrude Canada, Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada.
Publisher Item Identifier S 0885-8977(02)00585-X.
0885–8977/02$17.00 © 2002 IEEE
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON POWER DELIVERY, VOL. 17, NO.
contact between metallic shield and the semiconducting shield.
However, studies on corrosion related problems have mainly fo-
cused on the ability of the shields to carry the fault currents [4], [5]
while the failure modes associated with corrosion or damage to
the metallic shield have not been thoroughly investigated. Failure
analysis of samples that had failed in service has shown that corro-
sion of the metallic shields is adirect consequence of the loss of the
protective function of the jacket. Under certain conditions, corro-
sion/breaks in the metallic shieldor poor contact between metallic
shield and semiconducting shield will lead to arcing damage at
the metallic shield/semiconducting shield interface which pro-
gresses into the insulation until failure occurs.
The main conclusion from these investigations was that the
failure mode(s) of an aging cable system dictate the methods of
assessment.
II. INTEGRATED APPROACH TO CABLE CONDITION
ASSESSMENT
This approach relies on evaluating all the cable components:
jacket, metallic shields, and dielectric insulation. The need for
this approach was driven by the increasing number of failures
that were found to be associated with corrosion or damage to the
metallic shields, anomalies in the temperature dependence of the
volume resistivity of the insulation semiconducting shield, and
loss of good contact between metallic shield and the semicon-
ducting shield. Examples of such failures are shown in Figs. 1
and 2. The mechanisms responsible for such failure modes are
best understood in terms of the relationship between the func-
tions of the different cable components.
The main function of the jacket is mainly protective. The loss
of this function [see Fig. 1(a)] will lead to ingress of moisture
and chemicals, which will result in water treeing, corrosion to
metallic shields as shown in Fig. 1(b), and damage to the semi-
conducting shield and insulation as shown in Fig. 1(c) and (d).
The function of the insulation semiconducting shield/metallic
shield arrangement is to contain the electric field within the
dielectric and to provide a smooth interface that is free from
electric field discontinuities. This function can be impaired by
mechanical damage, corrosion, skips during manufacture, high
volume resistivity of the semiconducting shield, or poor contact
between the semiconducting shield and metallic shield. As dis-
cussed below the loss of the function of the metallic shield/semi-
conducting shield arrangement will result in arcing damage, as
shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and eventual failure.
Therefore, when assessing the condition of cables, it is nec-
essary to determine the predominant failure modes for the par-
ticular cable system and test each component as an integral part
of the cable.
ABDOLALL et al.: CONDITION ASSESSMENT AND FAILURE MODES OF SOLID DIELECTRIC CABLES
Fig. 1. (a) Examples of damage to jacket, (b) resultant corrosion to metallic
shield, and (c), (d) arcing damage to semiconducting shield and insulation.
Fig. 2. (a) Examples of arcing due to poor contact between semiconducting
and metallic shield and (b) drain wire coated with a layer of scale deposits.
III. FAILURE MODES DUE TO METALLIC SHIELD DAMAGE
To gain better appreciation of what happens if the cable’s
metallic shield is damaged or corroded, it is useful to examine
the basic physical principles involved and the relationship to the
breakdown mechanism. We consider the following cases.
Case 1: Damaged Metallic Shield
We consider the following situations.
a) “Good” Semiconducting Shield
This corresponds to the case where the volume resis-
tivity of the semiconducting shield is sufficiently low and
19
Fig. 3. (a) Photographs of a cable with an artificial break in the copper tape
and (b) corona, at the metal edges using an image intensifier.
is not a strong function of temperature. Under these con-
ditions, the semiconducting shield performs its function
and there will be no electric field stress enhancement and
no arcing at sharp metal edges.
b) “Bad” Semiconducting Shield
This corresponds to the case where the volume resis-
tivity of the semiconducting shield is a strong function of
temperature. At low temperature, the conductivity of the
semiconducting shield is sufficiently high and all sections
of the cable are kept at constant potential. Under these
conditions, there will be no voltage gradients at sharp
metal edges. However, if the volume resistivity of the
semiconducting shield increases significantly at higher
temperatures (at peak loads, or due to circulating or im-
balance currents, etc.), the semiconducting shield ceases
to perform its function. This gives rise to high voltage gra-
dients at sharp metal edges, corona and arcing damage
(from outside in), and eventual failure.
The situation becomes more serious if there are mul-
tiple breaks in the metallic shield, as some sections will
be floating.
We were able to reproduce the above phenomenon in the lab-
oratory by introducing artificial breaks in the copper tape of a
cable as shown in Fig. 3(a) on a section of cable sample that is of
the same vintage and construction as the damaged cable shown
in Fig. 1.
The volume resistivity of the insulation shield of this cable
was found to be a strong function of temperature as shown in
Table I. The jacketing material over a 4-in section was removed
and the copper tape was cut at that location. The break was then
wrapped with Mylar to keep the copper tape in good contact
with the insulation shield. A thermocouple was inserted under-
neath the cable jacket to monitor the temperature of the insu-
lation shield. Heating of the cable was accomplished by circu-
lating current in the cable. AC voltage was applied to the cable
in 0.5 kV steps and the partial discharge activity at the edges
of the copper tape was monitored by an ultrasonic detector and
an image intensifier as the temperature of the semiconducting
20
TABLE I
VOLUME RESISTIVITY OF THE INSULATION SHIELD OF THE CABLE
SHOWN IN FIG. 1
shield was increasing. Partial discharge and visible corona ac-
tivity were detected at 63 C as shown in Fig. 3. At this tempera-
ture, the partial discharge inception voltage was 8 kV to ground.
Case 2: Poor Metallic Shield/Insulation Shield Contact
In this case, the metallic shield is basically insulated from the
semiconducting shield. This can be caused by a layer of corro-
sion or scale buildup on the metallic shield. The potential differ-
ence between the semiconducting shield and metallic shield is
determined by the relative magnitude of the capacitance of the
cable, and the capacitance between semiconducting shield and
metallic shield. Typical values for distribution cable capacitance
, is of the order of 100 pF/ft. The capacitance between the
semiconducting shield and a corroded metallic shield , is of
the order of 30 pF/ft. This gives rise to a potential difference
of between the semiconducting shield and the
metallic shield, where is the applied voltage. This voltage
is sufficiently high to cause arcing between the semiconducting
shield and the metallic shield. Cables with small size drain wire
are particularly prone to this failure mode, since the electric
field near the drain wire would be much higher than it would be
for bigger size drain wire, and will lead to arcing damage from
outside in to the semiconducting shield and XLPE insulation
and eventual failure. The situation is worst if there are multiple
breaks in the metallic shield. In this case certain segments of
the metallic shield would be “floating” relative to ground. For
a cable of semi-infinite extent, the semiconducting shield will
also be essentially floating. The problem will be most acute at
the sharp metal edges (e.g., the broken ends of the drain wires,
tears and breaks in the copper tape), where the electric stress
concentration is highest which causes arcing as shown in Fig. 2
and eventual failures.
IV. CABLE CONDITION ASSESSMENT TEST PROGRAM
In view of the above considerations, a test protocol was
designed to evaluate the entire cable system (jacket, metallic
shields, and insulation) and to establish correlations between
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON POWER DELIVERY, VOL. 17, NO. 1, JANUARY 2002
the condition of the cable components and the overall condition
of the cable system. To determine the effectiveness of the
test protocol, the measured properties of the cables in service
were compared to those of a “reference cable” that had same
construction and service history as the in-service cables. The
condition of the reference cable was established by electrical
tests in the laboratory followed by microscopic examination.
These tests included electrical breakdown, full evaluation of the
condition of jacket and copper tape, and water tree examination.
A. Tests on In-Service Cables
1) Cables: All the cables tested were PVC jacketed 15 kV,
XLPE insulated. The metallic shield for most of these cables
consisted of single copper tape metallic shield. Few of the cables
had drain wires as a metallic shield. A total of 215 cables have
been tested: 23 were tested in April 1996, 72 were tested in April
1997, 24 in May 1997, 87 in April 1998, and nine in October
1998. The majority of these cables have been in operation at
Syncrude Mildred Lake Site since 1975–1980.
2) Field Tests: Tests on the in-service cables consisted
of measuring the jacket resistance, resistance of copper tape
shield, electrochemical potentials and currents due to the copper
tape shield corrosion, time domain reflectometry (TDR), and
dc leakage current measurements (LIPATEST); mainly on
cables of sound jacket. The metallic shield of the cables was
disconnected from the ground during all of the above tests.
A Norma Insulation Tester Model 1806 was used for mea-
suring the jacket resistance. A handheld Fluke Model 85 Mul-
timeter measured the resistance of the copper tape shield and
electrochemical potential and currents (open circuit voltage and
short circuit current between the metallic shield and ground).
For the TDR measurements, a time domain reflectometer Utilex
High Resolution TDR Model CC-502 was used. The cable con-
ductor was used for connecting the far end of the cable for the
metallic shield resistance measurements.
The leakage current measurements consisted of applying
4 kV steps of negative dc voltage to a cable configured as a
guarded three terminal test electrode system, and measuring
the leakage current for 1 min at each voltage step. A pico
ammeter that was fiber optically coupled to the data acquisition
and control was used for measuring the leakage current. This
unit is capable of measuring variation in current with 100 pA
resolution with a noise level less than 200 pA rms and 80 dB
rejection of ac signals.
B. Laboratory Tests
1) Cable Samples: These were sections of a service-aged
cable that was removed from service at the Syncrude Mildred
Lake site in October 1996. These cables were installed in un-
derground ducts that were fully submerged in water. The cable
was tested in April 1997 and was identified to have high leakage
current, breaks in the copper tape, and a significant amount of
corrosion of the copper tape. It was retested in October 1997 be-
fore it was removed from service. Henceforth, this cable shall
be referred to as the “reference” cable.
2) Experimental Details: The reference cable was cut into
nine sections 70–100 m in length. The TDR response was ob-
ABDOLALL et al.: CONDITION ASSESSMENT AND FAILURE MODES OF SOLID DIELECTRIC CABLES
tained for each section. The cables were then subjected to the
LIPATEST, followed by ac breakdown in accordance with AEIC
CS5-94. The active part of the cables was kept wet for the du-
ration of the tests.
The extent of corrosion of the copper tape was examined by
removing the jacket of random sections of the cable with varying
degrees of coloration to the jacket. A similar examination was
carried out on the sections of cable in the immediate vicinity of
the ac breakdown failure site. A microscopic examination and
water tree analysis was also carried out on the failure site for
each sample that was subjected to the ac breakdown tests.
Chemical analysis on the jacket consisted of Shore hardness,
thermograviometric analysis (TGA) to determine the cause of
hardening of the jacket, and Energy Dispersive X-ray Analysis
(EDXR) for elemental analysis.
V. RESULTS OF LABORATORY TESTS
TDR response for all the cable samples tested in the labora-
tory was characterized by multiple strong reflection peaks from
localized corrosion sites near the launch end of the cable and
heavily attenuated reflection peaks from similar sites near the
opposite end of the cable. The attenuation of the reflection pulse
is caused by reflections at discontinuities and dispersion.
The ac breakdown data was analyzed by Weibull statistics.
The Weibull parameters were found to be
kV kV kV
where and are upper and lower 90% confidence limits on
and is the shape parameter.
For comparison, the for unaged 15 kV XLPE cable is
greater than 200 kV. The Weibull parameters for 15 kV steam
cured double pass extruded cables aged in service for 17 years
are [4]
kV kV kV
The main findings from the laboratory tests were as follows.
• Discoloration and loss of pigment of the jacket was ob-
served in several locations along the full length of the
cable. The jacket was hard and brittle where there was
discoloration. The cause of the hardening and brittleness
of the jacket was found to be due to loss of plasticizer.
This was confirmed by Hardness measurements and ther-
mograviometric analysis on the jacket of unaged samples
and on samples with different levels of discoloration.
• The copper tape was severely corroded in numerous loca-
tions along the full length of the cable.
• There was a direct correlation between level of corrosion
and condition of the jacket of the cable. The corrosion was
most severe in the places where there was discoloration of
the jacket and loss of plasticizer as shown in Fig. 1. The
cable had suffered significant moisture related degrada-
tion as evidenced by the presence of large water trees that
spanned about 80% of the insulation thickness and the rel-
atively low ac breakdown values.
21
Fig. 4. AC breakdown versus resistance of the copper tape.
Fig. 4 is a plot of the resistance of the copper tape versus ac
breakdown voltage. It is interesting to note that there is a direct
correlation between ac breakdown and extent of corrosion.
Fig. 5(a) and (b) shows the size distribution of the maximum
bowtie and streamer water trees in each wafer for the cables sec-
tions that were subjected to microscopic and water tree exam-
ination. The longest bowtie tree was 3.62 mm (about 80% of
the insulation thickness). The longest streamer tree was greater
than 3.9 mm. This water tree was found in a cable sample which
had a breakdown voltage of 31.5 kV. Fig. 5(c) shows the break-
down path through the water tree. It is interesting to note that the
breakdown voltage for this sample was higher than that of cable
with a severely corroded copper tape where the water trees were
much shorter.
There were no streamers at the insulation shield interface.
Although no attempt was made to determine the exact count for
water trees of various sizes, for comparison it was qualitatively
noted that the extent of water treeing in the “reference” cable
was less than what is normally found in other similar cables with
an equivalent service record.
The volume resistivity of the insulation semiconducting
shield of the reference cable was measured on sections of
the cable with varying degrees of the corrosion of the copper
tape. There was no apparent correlation between the extent of
corrosion and the conductivity of the insulation semiconducting
shield.
VI. RESULTS OF FIELD TESTS
The main findings from the field tests were as follows.
• Loss of integrity of the jacket of the cables as judged from
the low insulation resistance values obtained.
• The insulation resistance of the jacket for most of the ca-
bles tested was low ( 1 M ). For comparison, the insula-
tion resistance of the jackets of new cables is greater than
200 M .
• Significant degradation of the copper tape, as revealed by
TDR and resistance measurements. The resistance of the
copper tape for most of the cables was significantly higher
than that of new cables.
• Corrosion activity in the majority of the cables as revealed
by the presence of a dc voltage between the copper tape
22
Fig. 5. (a), (b) Size distribution of water trees and (c) failure path through a
water tree.
and ground typically 0.3 to 0.5 V, and a short circuit cur-
rent (copper tape shorted to ground) in the range of 0.1 to
7 microamps for the majority of the cables.
• From a total of 215 cables tested, only eight cables dis-
played high leakage current which may be indicative of
imminent insulation failures. Fig. 6 is a typical curve of
the leakage current as a function of the applied voltage for
a cable that was identified as a “bad” cable and failed a
month later. A characteristic feature of these curves is the
nonlinear dependence of current on applied voltage.
A characteristic feature in TDR response of all the cables
tested is the presence of strong reflections from corrosion sites
near the launch end of the cable and severely attenuated reflec-
tion peaks from the far end of the cable. As discussed below,
this attenuation is due to the corrosion of the copper tape.
The TDR data was analyzed in terms of the attenuation of the
reflection pulse from the end of the cable to obtain a figure of
merit as a measure of the degree of corrosion in the metallic
shield. A TDR pulse will suffer on its round journey reflec-
tions from discontinuities in the cable and breaks in the metallic
shield, attenuation from corroded sections of the copper tape,
and attenuation due to dielectric losses. The relative contribu-
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON POWER DELIVERY, VOL. 17, NO. 1, JANUARY 2002
Fig. 6. Leakage current as a function of applied voltage.
Fig. 7. (a) TDR attenuation versus resistance of the copper tape, and (b) TDR
attenuation versus cable length.
tions to pulse attenuation will depend on the nature, extent, and
location of these breaks and corroded sections of the copper
tapes, discontinuities in the cable (e.g., splices etc.), and dielec-
tric losses. Pulse attenuation due to dielectric losses is much less
than that due to discontinuities and copper tape imperfections.
A measure of the attenuation of the TDR reflection pulse from
the end of the cable can thus be used as an indication of the con-
dition of the copper tape.
Fig. 7(a) is a graph of the resistance of the copper tape versus
TDR attenuation. It can be seen that there are three main clusters
of data corresponding to three groups of cables.
Group
1: Resistance of copper tape greater than 10 /100 M;
TDR attenuation less than 0.1 dB/M.
ABDOLALL et al.: CONDITION ASSESSMENT AND FAILURE MODES OF SOLID DIELECTRIC CABLES
Group
2: Resistance of copper tape is less than 10 /100 M;
TDR attenuation greater than 0.1 dB/M.
Group
3: Resistance of copper tape is less than 10 /100 M;
TDR attenuation less than 0.1 dB/M.
Fig. 7(b) is a graph of “calculated” cable length versus resis-
tance of copper tape for the three different groups of cables. It
can be seen that for Group 1 and Group 2 there is no direct corre-
lation between the cable length and the resistance of the copper
tape. For Group 3 cables, on the other hand, there is a definite
correlation between the resistance of the copper tape and cable
length.
VII. DISCUSSION
The predictive capability of any procedure for evaluating the
condition of underground distribution cables depends on an ac-
curate choice of measurement parameters that can be used as in-
dicators for cable degradation. A successful choice for the mea-
surement parameters is determined by the failure mode of the
cable. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate the cable system and
not just the insulation in the development of a cable assessment
program. The tests for this study were designed to evaluate the
condition of the jacket, corrosion activity, extent of corrosion of
the copper tape, and degree of degradation of the cable insula-
tion.
The function of the jacket is mainly protective. Compro-
mising the jacket in any way will result in moisture ingress
leading to electrochemical potentials, corrosion of the metallic
shield, and scale buildup. Even newly installed cables exhibited
low jacket resistivity and a dc voltage could be measured
between the copper tape and ground. This indicates that even
new jackets are permeable to electrolytes in the ground water
causing corrosion activity at the copper tape.
The finding that there is correlation between the extent of
corrosion and residual dielectric strength suggests that the re-
sistance of the copper tape is a good indicator in establishing a
prioritization criterion for the replacement of these cables. Trace
element analysis in the XLPE of some of the cables subjected
to the ac breakdown tests show high concentrations of copper.
This may be due to the diffusion of copper ions into the insula-
tion as a result of the corrosion of the copper tape. The presence
of copper ions in the insulation would contribute to water tree
growth and the reduction of the dielectric strength. In addition,
the insulation of the cable in the regions of corroded copper tape
would be subjected to high electrical stresses. This would lead
to accelerated aging of the insulation in these locations, and pre-
mature failure of the cable.
A scheme for ranking the condition of cables in service must
take into account the failure modes of the cables in a particular
installation. As mentioned earlier, broken/corroded shields can
lead to cable failure “from outside in.” The worst situation is
realized if there are multiple breaks in the copper tape causing
certain sections to float. This will cause electric stress enhance-
ment at the edges of the copper tape, arcing, and eventual failure
from outside in. This failure mode is more prevalent in cables
that undergo wetting and drying. Therefore, an assessment of
23
the condition of the metallic shield is essential for any ranking
scheme for cable replacement.
The two main parameters that can be effectively used as indi-
cators of the condition of the metallic shield are the resistance
of the copper tape and TDR attenuation. Together, these param-
eters can be effectively used to infer the nature and degree of
damage to the copper tape. Specifically, the following types of
damage can be identified.
Type 1: Tears/breaks, and localized corrosion.
Type 2: Multiplicity of tears/breaks, and localized corrosion
sites.
Type 3: Uniform corrosion of long sections of cable.
Very high values of copper tape resistance would indicate
Type 1 damage. However, resistance measurements would not
“detect” partial breaks, skips in the tape, partially corroded sec-
tions, or any damage where the different sections of the copper
tape remain electrically connected, unless they exist in large
numbers. For Type 1 damage, the resistance of the copper tape is
not a function of the length of the cable. High resistance values
of the copper tape would also indicate Type 3 damage. A def-
inite correlation between the resistance of the copper tape and
cable length will indicate uniform corrosion over the full cable
length.
TDR measurements are sensitive to any discontinuities
in the cable. Isolated discontinuities in an otherwise healthy
copper tape (Type 1 damage) produce well-resolved reflection
peaks in a TDR reflectogram. A multiplicity of closely spaced
breaks/discontinuities (Type 2 damage) will result in a series
of overlapping nonresolved peaks. Uniform corrosion of long
sections of copper tape (Type 3 damage) will result in severe
attenuation of the TDR pulse.
VIII. CONCLUSION
The main conclusions from this work are as follows.
• Cable failures are not always due to insulation aging.
Metallic shield damage or poor contact between metallic
shield and semiconducting shield will lead to arcing and
eventual failure.
• An integrated approach that evaluates the condition of all
the cable components is essential for condition assessment
of underground cables.
• The test protocol is dictated by the failure mode. Work is
in progress on the design of various tests to detect damage
caused by the different failure mechanisms. Two parame-
ters that can be effectively used as indicators of metallic
shield condition are TDR attenuation and the resistance of
the metallic shield. Together, they can be used to infer the
nature and extent of degradation of the metallic shield.
REFERENCES
[1] J. D. Mintz, “Failure analysis of polymer insulated power cables,” IEEE
Trans. Power App. Syst., vol. PAS-103, Dec. 1984.
[2] J. C. Chan, E. T. Cometa, M. D. Hartley, and L. J. Hivala, “Field failure
analysis of medium voltage XLPE-insulated cables,” in Conf. Record
1990 IEEE Int. Symp. Electrical Insulation, June 1990.
[3] V. I. Kogan and T. L. Jones, “An explanation for the decline in URD
cable failures and associated nonhomogenous Poisson process,”, 93WM
111-5 PWRD.
24
[4] J. Densley and J. M. Braun, “Effect of damaged insulation shield on
the life of polymeric underground distribution cables,”, CEA Rep.
117D797, Apr. 1998.
[5] B. Burniak, “Neutral corrosion problem overstated,” Transmission Dis-
trib. World, Aug. 1996.
[6] D. K. Baver, “Overground method pinpoints concentric neutral corro-
sion,” Transmission Distrib., July 1989.
Khaled Abdolall received the B.Sc. degree in
honors coop physics from the University of Waterloo
in 1972, and the M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees from the
University of British Columbia in 1974 and 1978,
respectively.
He spent two years as a research Fellow at UBC
and MPB Technologies developing field tracking
methods for measuring the Fermi surfaces of
metals, and techniques for depositing selective solar
absorbers. Since 1980, he has been working with
Powertech Labs (formerly B.C. Hydro Research and
Development). His work has concentrated on studying the aging phenomena of
solid dielectric cables, development of test techniques for condition assessment
of in-service cables, and microwave thermal imaging. His contributions to
engineering technology and practice include extensive work on development
of methods for monitoring porcelain and polymer clad high voltage equipment
by microwave imaging, development of aging tests for high voltage cables, and
failure mechanisms and condition assessment of underground cables.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON POWER DELIVERY, VOL. 17, NO. 1, JANUARY 2002
Guy L. Halldorson received the Dipl. Electrical
Technology degree from the British Columbia
Institute of Technology in 1973.
He worked with the Telecontrol Department of
B.C. Hydro until 1981 when he joined the Electrical
Technologies Department of Powertech Labs.
His work has focused on the measurement of the
dielectric properties of insulating materials used in
the manufacture of cables, accessories, and large
machines, high voltage testing, and laboratory and
in-service testing of high voltage equipment. He
was involved in the development of IEEE 1043—Recommended Practice
for Voltage Endurance Testing of Form Wound Bars and Coils and IEEE
P1310—Trial Use Recommended Practice for Thermal Cycle Testing of Form
Wound Stator Bars and Coils for Large Generators.
Dennis Green graduated from Salford University in
1959.
He has extensive industrial experience in high
voltage cable installations gained in the steel industry
with the Lancashire Steel Corporation and British
Steel Corporation. He was a Graduate Member of the
IEE in the UK until 1978, when he joined Syncrude
Canada. Since then, he has been working in the
Utilities Operations of Power Distribution at the Oil
Sands Plant at Fort McMurray, Alberta supporting a
growing oil output, with a present rate of 82 million
barrels of premium grade oil being shipped in to the North American pipelines.
Reliability of the electrical supply in the harsh environment of Northern Alberta
being one of the focal points of responsibility.