IEEE Sponsored 2nd International Conference on Innovations in Information Embedded and Communication Systems
ICIIECS’15
Analysis of Partial Discharge in Underground Cable
Joints
B. Rajalakshmi
Dept. of EEE
National Engineering College
Kovilpatti-628503, India
rajalakshmi.kvp@gmail.com
Abstract - The reliable operation of power network is greatly
reduced by the cable joint failure. Most of the cable joint failure
is due to poor workmanship and insulation degradation. During
cable joint process, different types of insulating materials are
used. The quality of insulation systems is important in the part of
cable network. Partial discharge is a diagnostic tool for detecting
problem in cable joint. This work has been carried out in a
laboratory on 1.1 kV XLPE, 25 Sq.mm cable and cable joints
with different insulations. Partial discharge under different
conditions such as a piece of cable, cable joint without insulation,
cable joint with insulation (tape insulation, epoxy resin
insulation, epoxy resin grade 103 insulation) and cable joint with
void are analyzed. Based on the results epoxy resin insulation has
higher Partial Discharge Inception Voltage (PDIV) values and
shows better performance than other insulations.
Keywords - Partial discharge, cross linked polyethylene cable, cable
joint, insulating material, high voltage cable testing.
I. INTRODUCTION
Cable is the most important power apparatus for
transmission of electrical energy. By the rapid urban growth,
it is impossible to maintain the number of size of feeder for
over head transmission line approach. As an alternative the
underground cables become more increasingly to replace the
some of the overhead transmission line for power transmission
and distribution. Power cable technology had its beginning in
the 1880s, when the need for power distribution cables
became essential. In the late 1960s, power distribution cables
insulated with Cross Linked Poly Ethylene (XLPE) began
making their appearance in Canada and United State in 1965.
After that, XLPE cable is used all over the world due to
following special features: High dielectric strength, Low
dielectric constant, Good dimensional stability and Light
weight [1-3].
Cables are joined together under different
applications like installation. Development of transient over
current failure occurs not only in the cable but also occurs in
the cable joints and termination. Cable joint is the weakest
978-1-4799-6818-3/15/$31.00 © 2015 IEEE
L. Kalaivani
Dept. of EEE
National Engineering College
Kovilpatti-628503, India
anuprakad@gmail.com
part in underground transmission system due to 3 types of
stresses which are supreme in joints. They are the thermal
stress, electrical stress and mechanical stress. Cable joint
failure causes poor workmanship and improper installation.
Estimated dispersion of 37.1%, 5.6%, 1.1% cable failure was
resulted from cable joint fault, termination fault and unknown
reason in the North American MV cable system [4].
Partial discharge (PD) is the most important
phenomenon occurs in the cable insulation system. If PD
measurement is not available, there is no evidence of cable
damage. To increase the system reliability, PD measurement is
of great significance. Several methods to detect PD in high
voltage (HV) cables and their accessories have been described
in the literature [4-6]. The offline PD measurement has an
advantage over the other technology. Because, it gives exact
fault location in the cable insulation, cable joint insulation and
aged cable system. It reports the warning message to the
manager. Based on these informations, it is easy to find out
the fault in cable joints and rectify it. Catroscopic failure is
also avoided by using PD measurements [5].
II. PARTIAL DISCHARGE IN CABLE JOINT
Most of the failures that occur in the cable systems is
due to following reasons: 1. Manufacturing imperfections
such as voids, Contaminants in insulations, Poor application
of shield material, Protrusion on the shields, Poor application
of jackets. 2. Poor workmanship during cable joints such as
cuts, contamination, missing applied components,
misalignment of accessories. These reasons tend to increase
the local stress leading to either initial failure or higher rates
of aging. 3. Water ingress due to normal migration through
polymeric material, breaks in seal or metallic. It also reduces
the dielectric strength and increase the stress in the area
surrounding the moisture [3].
PD is defined as “a localized electrical discharge
that only partially bridges the insulation between conductors
and which may or may not occur adjacent to a conductor”.
 IEEE Sponsored 2nd International Conference on Innovations in Information Embedded and Communication Systems
ICIIECS’15
PDs are very harmful in solid insulated cables. In most cases,
discharges that are detected during normal operation will lead
to breakdown. The time from PD ignition to final breakdown
depends on the discharge type and the place in the cable [6].
A PD phenomenon is random and there is always some
statistical variation between the times to the breakdown.
Depending on the discharge’s type and place the time taken
breakdown varies from a few hours to a few years.
Basic structure for a polymeric cable consists of a
conductor, insulation, a metallic shield and jacket. Cable
loading has an influence on PD intensity and magnitude from
interfacial cavity type defects in polymeric cables. The main
factors for these defects, the temperature rise and mechanical
stresses that are caused by cable loading. Cable joints and
terminations cause most of the faults in a cable system. They
have thicker insulation than in the cable so it usually takes
somewhat longer time for PD to cause a breakdown. The
insulation screen must be cut off to make a joint or
termination. This causes an uneven distribution of the electric
field which means more stress to the insulation [6-10]. There
are many defects which can induce PD and many different
degradation processes that can result.
The performance of insulating material used in
cable joint can be evaluated by Partial Discharge Inception
Voltage (PDIV) and Partial Discharge Extinction Voltage
(PDEV). PDIV means very first PD observed when the
voltage is gradually increased from lower level to higher level.
In this work, the PDIV for all conditions are measured [11].
III. CABLE JOINT INSULATING MATERIAL
Different types of insulating materials are used for
cable jointing [3]. The functions of cable joint insulating
compounds are 1. To insulate the conductors and keep them in
position. 2. To prevent moisture in seal joint. 3. To protect
joint from damage. In practical, different types of synthetic
resins are used such as acrylic resins, epoxy resin,
polyurethanes, poly ester resin etc.
In this experiment, epoxy resin, epoxy resin grade
103 is used for cable jointing. PVC insulation tape is used for
secondary use. The PVC Insulation tapes are made out of Poly
Vinyl Chloride Film. These insulation tapes find wide
application in electrical applications for their good adhesion
and insulation properties. The tape is coated with specially
formulated adhesives that make it resistant to moisture, alkalis
and oils. Advantages are coated with specially formulated
adhesives, excellent insulation property, resistant to moisture,
alkali, high voltage and oils, protect the wire from corrosion
and pressure sensitive tape.
Epoxies are used in various casts and molds,
laminates, plastic tooling, electron microscope, aerospace
industry, electronic industry, aircrafts, automobiles, boats and
other such applications. Being highly useful chemical
compounds, epoxy resins have carved their niche in a number
of industrial applications. Epoxies differ from polyester resins
because they are cured by a 'hardener' rather than a catalyst.
The hardener, often an amine, is used to cure the epoxy by an
‘addition reaction’ where both materials take part in the
chemical reaction. Since the amine molecules 'co-react' with
the epoxy molecules in a fixed ratio, it is essential that the
correct mix ratio is obtained between resin and hardener to
ensure that a complete reaction takes place.
If amine and epoxy are not mixed in the correct
ratios, unreacted resin or hardener will remain within the
matrix which will affect the final properties after cure. To
assist with the accurate mixing of the resin and hardener,
manufacturers usually formulate the components to give a
simple mix ratio which is easily achieved by measuring out by
weight or volume. The mixing of resin and hardner is used in
cable joint insulation [12].
IV. PARTIAL DISCHARGE MEASUREMENT SYSTEM
A. Experimental Setup
There are a range of techniques used to measure the
PD activity [13]. In this experiment, PD activity is measured
by using coupling capacitor, high voltage test transformer, and
PD meter. The setup used during test is given in figure 1.
Rating of coupling capacitor is 120 kV, 50 Hz, test
voltage is 144 kV, HV capacitance range is 10000 pF. The
testing transformer rated voltage is 2×0.22/100/0.22 kV, rated
current 2×22.8/0.1A, rated output is 10 kVA. Coupling
capacitor is used to block DC and only allows AC. Testing
transformer is used to produce AC, DC, and impulse voltage.
Fig. 1. Experimental setup
 IEEE Sponsored 2nd International Confference on Innovations in Information Embedded and Com
mmunication Systems
ICIIECS’15

Supply is given to cable by means oof transformer.

The control desk is used to control and operatte high voltage
AC test equipments. Computerized PD moniitoring system
gives information about PD.

B. Partial Discharge Meter

c d
The PD meter DTM serves to verify hhigh frequency
PD pulses appearing in the high voltage dieelectrics. Such
discharges may be due to faulty insulation, bbad contact or
dielectrically overstressed areas. The PD meterr is a valuable
instrument for the timely detection of theese disturbing
phenomena and to discard faulty apparatus uunder test. The e
measured PD intensity is displayed either in pC C according to Fig. 2. Test specimen
n for PD analysis
IEC 60270, IS 6209 and, alternatively, in microvvolt
V. RESULTS AND
D DISCUSSION
C. Preparation of Test Specimen
A high voltage supply is given to XLPE cable joint.
The length of armour and inner sheathh is maintained PDIV is measured under follow wing condition by using PD
after cutting. The conductors are joined by crimping type meter and measurement setup: normal cable, cable joint
ferrules using crimping tool. The spacers aare placed on without insulation, cable jointt with insulation, void in
insulated cores. The cable entry portions of the mould is insulation. At the beginning, the test room temperature is 32
cutted and to match the diameter over sheath. The mould is °C. The temperature 32°C is maintained for the whole
placed at the bottom half in position. Ensure the clearance measurement. As per IS 10810 0 part 45, a HV is applied
between jointed phases. Between each jointedd phase mould between a) R and (Y+B+N), b) Y and (R+B+N), c) B and
are as follows: 8mm&6mm -1.1 kV. All the ccores are bind (R+Y+N), d) N and (R+Y+B). The test was carried out in
together with PVC tape. Top and bottom of the plastics mould each phase separately. When a po ositive supply is given to one
is placed on the prepared cable. A foam sheet ttape is used to phase, another phases and neutrall are connected to ground.
block cable entry into plastic mould at both thhe ends. Cable
jointing compound is stirred to make it homoogeneous. The
hardener is added and mixed to a uniform mixtture for at least
5 minutes. Air bubbles are removed during mixing before
pouring. The mixed compound is poured slowly into the
mould, through pouring gate till the mould, poouring gate and
risers are completely filled with compound [14-15].

D. Test Specimen

The test specimen used for analyzing thee PD source is

a) normal cable. b) Cable joint without insulaation c) Cable
joint with tape insulation. d) Cable joint witth epoxy resin
insulation. e) Cable joint with epoxy resiin grade 103
insulation, f) Void in tape insulation, epoxy reesin insulation,
epoxy resin grade 103 insulation. Test specimeen used during
test is shown in figure 2 (a) to (e).
or R, Y phase
Fig. 3a. PD waveform fo
The PD wave form fo or R, Y, B, N phases are
captured by using agilent oscilloscope (DSO 6032A) under
the condition of cable joint witth epoxy resin insulation is
shown in figure 3a, 3b. This oscilloscope is a high resolution
and faster response to capture the waveform.

The response of bandwidth is 300 0 MHz, memory is 8 Mbps,

2 port signals that automaticallyy sets the vertical, horizontal
and triggers control. It easily interface into system and
o capture the narrow range of
software upgrades. It’s possible to
partial discharge data. PD wavefform gives the relationship of
a b
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ICIIECS’15

apparent charge magnitude of cable joint with epoxy resin In this condition, PD occurs earlier due to insulating
insulation material surrounding the void which gets easily ionized and it
leads to breakdown. At void condition PDIV values of all
phases are reduced when compared with epoxy resin
insulation.

TABLE II. PDIV FOR EPOXY RESIN INSULATION

R Y B N
Cable condition (kV) (kV) (kV) (kV)

Normal cable 5.2 5.2 5.1 5.0

Cable joint without insulation 2.5 2.5 2.4 2.1

Fig. 3b. PD waveform for B, N phase
Cable joint with tape insulation 2.9 3.0 2.8 2.5
In this test, the voltage level was first increased from
0 kV to 7 kV gradually in 30 seconds. In this duration first Cable joint with epoxy resin insulation 5.1 5.1 4.8 4.8
remarkable discharge value is obtained at 5.2 kV for R, Y
phase, 5.1, 5.0 kV for B, N phase, which is the inception Void in epoxy resin insulation 4.5 4.5 3.8 3.8
voltage level.

TABLE I. PDIV FOR TAPE INSULATION TABLE III. PDIV FOR EPOXY RESIN GRADE 103
INSULATION
R Y B N
Cable condition (kV) (kV) (kV) (kV) R Y B N
Cable condition (kV) (kV) (kV) (kV)

Normal cable 5.2 5.2 5.1 5.0 Normal cable 5.2 5.2 5.1 5.0

Cable joint without insulation 2.5 2.5 2.4 2.1 Cable joint without 2.5 2.5 2.4 2.1
Insulation

Cable joint with tape insulation 2.9 3.0 2.8 2.5 Cable joint with tape insulation 2.9 3.0 2.8 2.5

Cable joint with epoxy resin 4.7 4.7 4.4 4.7

Void in tape insulation 2.7 2.7 2.5 2.3 grade 103 insulation

Void in epoxy resin grade 103 4.0 4.1 3.3 3.5

The PD activity in normal cable and tape insulation is
compared in Table I. Initially the cable is tested without
insulation. PDIV value is very low. This condition leads to
breakdown process. In emergency situations, tape insulation is
wrapped around the cable joint terminals with suitable
clearances. This condition is analyzed and inferred that, the
occurrence of PDIV is low due to insulation property. The
value of PDIV in N phase is lower than other phases. Due to
some imperfection in insulation, PD occurs which results in
reduced PDIV.
insulation
From table III, epoxy resin grade 103 is almost
suitable for cable joint because PDIV value is nearer to
normal cable condition. In addition the insulation with void is
analyzed. In this case, the PDIV values of R, Y, B, N phases
are reduced from 4.7kV, 4.7kV, 4.4kV, 4.7kV to 4.0kV,
4.1kV, 3.3kV, 3.5kV. The value of PDIV in B phase is low
due to large size of void is present. Thus fault at any phase can
be easily found by means of PD measurement.

From table II, it is inferred that epoxy resin is
suitable for cable joint insulation due to its high PDIV. In this
condition, PDIV value is almost same for normal cable
condition. In addition the insulation with void is analyzed.
PDIV for R, Y phases are 4.5kV, B, N phases are 3.8kV.
A standard approach is to compare confidence
intervals of the Weibull distribution of different sample sets. It
is observed from Fig. 4 that the probability of occurrence of
partial discharge (PD) on cable joint with epoxy resin, epoxy
resin grade 103 insulation is very low compared to cable joint
without insulation.
 IEEE Sponsored 2nd International Confference on Innovations in Information Embedded and Com
mmunication Systems
ICIIECS’15

NCES
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During cable operation interruption costs can be

minimized and cable replacement can be optim mized with the
help of continuous and periodic PD measurem ments. When, a
fault occurs this opens the possibility forr off-line PD
measurements which are also beneficial in decciding when a
cable system has reached its end of life stage or not.