Prognosis of XLPE Power Cables in Renewable

Energy sector
Ebad Ahmed Mufti

June 28, 2022

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Contents
1 Objective 3

2 Introduction 3

3 Methodology of Research 4
3.1 Mathematical modelling with arithmetic sequences . . . . . . 5

4 Literature Review 5
4.1 Electrical Treeing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
4.2 Partial Discharge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
4.3 Degradation of cable insulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

5 Conclusion 7

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 Abstract
Power cable is the main component in Electrical energy sector. The
world is changing towards renewable sources which leads to transform
our grids into smart grid, especially in Karachi. To draw high elec-
tricity Cross Linked Polyethylene(XLPE) power cables are in demand
from six to seven decades, mostly it is used in HT and also in LT due to
its high thermal and strong mechanical properties.This paper presents
the prognosis study of the energized XLPE’s subjected to harsh coastal
climate, for the very first time. Our aim is to apply data driven ap-
proach to calculate RUL of XLPE power cables and its prognosis if
being used by Smart grid under HVDC.

1 Objective
The objective are as follows

• Behaviour of existing functioning XLPE power cables under HVDC in

coastal areas.

• Estimation of RUL under HVDC in coastal areas.

2 Introduction
Overhead power transmission lines are critical infrastructure used in elec-
tricity distribution networks. Sheathed conductors are preferred over bare
wires [?] Prediction of degradation growth in the insulation of live Cross
Linked Polyethylene(XLPE) [?] allows electric power distribution companies
to plan maintenance and replacement activities well in time. Deterioration
in XLPE cable insulation often takes place due to electrical, thermal, me-
chanical and environmental stress [9]. Degradation of insulation can reduce
the useful life of power equipment and critical situations can be encoun-
tered where a lot of money can be lost. To prevent such situations and to
help industries to ensure competitive cost, preventive maintenance of their
equipment and diagnosis tools must be installed. For the cable insulations,
a regular diagnosis program must be applied to check permanently its qual-
ity. The insulation diagnosis needs several measurements of parameters to
highlight their inferences [10Lh].
The regular health monitoring of insulated power cables that are subjected
to varying load and corrosive environmental conditions is a big challenge
[2pa]In the coastal regions where the solar radiation intensity and ambient
moisture content is high, the varying load conditions of the line expedite
the thermal degradation process in the XLPE’s insulations. This leads to
unplanned power shutdowns due to cable failure [1214pa] The remaining use-
ful life (RUL) of XLPE in non-coastal areas is more as compared to coastal

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areas [4pa].To model and predict the mechanical properties of XLPE insu-
lation cables under thermal ageing the development of simple methods is
necessary. This paper’s objective is the use of simplest method.
It should be pointed out that in Table II the effects of the ageing mecha-
nisms may lead to a different failure mechanism. As an example, thermal
cycling may cause loss of adhesion at an cracks, swelling, water immersion,
corrosion, separation of components, electrical tracking, etc.[AW]

Table I: Ageing Factors that Affect Cable Insulation Systems

Thermal Electrical Environmental Mechanical
Maximum Tem- Voltage (ac, dc, Gases (air, oxy- Bending
perature (T) impulse) gen, etc.)
Low, high ambi- Frequency Lubricants Tension
ent T
Temperature gra- Current Water/humidity Compression
dient
Temperature cy- Corrosive chemi- Torsion
cling cals
Radiation Vibration

3 Methodology of Research
The used material is XLPE UNION CARBIDE 4201 which is used as insu-
lation in medium and high-voltage cables. Plates of 2 mm thickness were
moulded using a heat press machine. According to the International Elec-
trotechnic Committee IEC 540 publication [14], dumbbell shape samples of
7.5 cm length were cut and will be performed to mechanical tests. The
thermal ageing experiments were carried out in the forced air ventilating
oven which can maintain the average temperature of sample within 2C. Ac-
cording to the requirements reported in [14], three temperatures have been
considered, namely 80, 100 and 120C, in the vicinity of the operating tem-
perature which is 90C. The full ageing time is 5000 h for 80 and 100C and
2000 h for 120C. After each 500 h ageing time, 10 samples were taken and
then subjected to tensile stress. The experiments consist in breaking the
sample, at ambient temperature, using a dynamometer which moves with
speed of 50 mm/min.

This test allows us to measure the tensile strength of the material. The
variation of tensile strength according to ageing time is presented in Fig. 1.
Fig. 1 shows that tensile strength decreases as a function of ageing time.
This decrease is even more pronounced as the temperature is higher. Some
degradation mechanisms can be involved to explain this decrease. It is be-
lieved from earliest investigations that thermo-oxidative degradation leading

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 Figure 1: genetic algorithms (GAs)

to chain break, the decrease of the cross-linking degree and the variation in
the crystallinity degree are the main causes. For ageing temperatures 80
and 100C, this property is stored and remains substantially higher than the
lower limit value (12.5 N/ mm2) required by IEC 502 [16]. However, for
other temperatures, the degradation was reached after relatively short time.

3.1 Mathematical modelling with arithmetic sequences

The experimental results taken from [15] are used as the database in the de-
velopment phase of mathematical models based on the arithmetic sequences.
For each temperature being considered here, the variation of tensile strength
according to the ageing time and can be written as an arithmetic sequence:
P n = P 0 + Bn (1)

4 Literature Review
4.1 Electrical Treeing
An electrical tree is a network of fine channels that propagate relatively
quickly through the insulation to cause failure. As already mentioned, elec-
trical trees can initiate from eroded surfaces in a void, water trees, and also

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stress enhancements without voids. For the latter, there are two phases of
electrical treeing:
1. An initiation phase during which charge motion each half cycle of
the applied voltage gradually degrades the polymer leading to the
formation of a small void; and

2. A growth phase caused by the extension of the initial void to form a

tree-like network of branches due to PD within the branches.
Stress enhancements occur at contaminants, protrusions, and water trees,
with the magnitude of the local electric stress depending on their location,
shape, and size. Techniques are available to measure the space charges in
materials and short lengths of cables, but are not easily adaptable for long
cable lengths and are therefore not suitable as a diagnostic test for cables.
The PD characteristics, if known, could identify electrical trees. However,
PD characteristics and the tree growth rate depend upon the applied elec-
trical stress, temperature, environmental, and mechanical stresses.

4.2 Partial Discharge

Partial Discharges IEC 60270 (PD measurements) defines PD as a local-
ized electrical discharge that only partially bridges the insulation between
conductors and which may or may not occur adjacent to a conductor. PD
can occur at operating voltages in electrical trees, voids, cuts, cracks, fillers,
and contaminants with poor adhesion to the polymer, and delaminations at
interfaces. The electrical stress needed to initiate PD in voids and the PD
characteristics, such as magnitude and repetition rate, depend on several
factors, for example: void size, shape, and location; the type of gas in the
void; and its pressure. PDactivity in voids will either increase the conduc-
tivity of the walls of the voids and result in PD extinction, or eventually
erode, cause pitting of the surfaces, and then concentrate in the pits to form
electrical trees.
• The number of PD pulses per half cycle usually increases with the
amplitude of the voltage applied;

• The number of PD pulses per half cycle also depends on the shape and
size of the cavity. Small voids will yield only one or two PD pulses
per half cycle at discharge inception while several pulses can occur in
large flat cavities;

• There is considerable variation in the number and magnitudes of the

discharges that occur during each half cycle of the applied voltage;

• The magnitudes of the largest PD per half-cycle can vary by at least

an order of magnitude with time;

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 • PD can extinguish for long periods due increased pressure within the
void or increases surface conductivity of the void surface;

• PD adjacent to a semiconducting or metallic electrode will be larger

in magnitude in one half cycle than the other;

• Lack of initiatory electrons in small voids will cause the PD inception

voltage to be larger than predicted from theoretical considerations.
Ionizing the gas in the void with ionizing radiation will lower the PD
inception voltage.

4.3 Degradation of cable insulation

AP Io − AP In
Degradation% = (2)
AP Io
where API0 is the average pixel intensity of initial UT NDT measurement
data, and APIn is the average pixel intensity of the UT NDT measurement
data for n intervals (n = 0, 1,4). The Dg of installed XLPE cables insulation
at different sites in terms of percentage with respect to the number of days.

5 Conclusion
We have discussed the main ageing factors and the associated ageing mecha-
nisms that lead to failures in extruded XLPE cable systems. The advantages
and limitations limitations of diagnostic tests for both types of insulations
have also been discussed. it can be concluded that the use of these models
prove their effectiveness at least for situations similar to that being stud-
ied here. The results allow expecting a good application of these developed
mathematical models based on arithmetic sequences. Condition criteria and
measured properties should be treated as statistical quantities. Precise esti-
mations of remaining life are not possible for most cable insulation systems.
There are three dominant ageing mechanisms in paper/oil cable systems
at transmission voltages: (a) operation at high temperatures, (b) dielectric
heating due to moisture (c) PDs due to loss of pressure. Suitable diagnostic
tests to assess these ageing mechanisms are dielectric strength, neutraliza-
tion number and moisture content, capacitance and dissipation factor at
high temperature, visual inspection, and PD tests.

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References

[1] A. Cardoso, J. Cardoso, J. Figueiredo, N. Mendes, Spacer cable pilot

shows promise, Transm. Distrib. World 63 (4) (2011) 3235. [2] Z. Zhang,
P.D.S. Assala, L. Wu, Residual life assessment of 110kV XLPE cable, Electr.
Power Syst. Res. 163 (2018) 572580.