12th IEEE International Conference on the Properties and Applications of Dielectric Materials - Xi'an - China
Effects of Degassing Duration on Space Charge and
DC Conductivity in HVDC XLPE Cable Insulation
Haiyang Ren, Lisheng Zhong, Minghao Liu,
Qinxue Yu, Yinge Li, Wei Zhao,
State Key Laboratory of Electrical Insulation and Power
Equipment, Xi’an Jiaotong University
Xi’an 710049, China
Abstract- High voltage direct current (HVDC) extruded
cables are developing rapidly in the last two decades and
cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) has been the preferred
insulation material worldwide. The central issues in design and
operation of HVDC XLPE cables are the space charge and DC
conductivity characteristics, which rely on crosslinking
byproducts within the insulation. Degassing process during
HVDC extruded cable manufacture can efficiently reduce the
crosslinking byproducts content. In this paper, the effects of
degassing duration on space charge behavior and DC
conductivity property in cable insulation are investigated. The
space charge accumulation and DC conductivity are measured
with 30 and 50kV/mm electrical stress at room temperature. It
is found that hetero-charges accumulate near both electrodes
in undegassed specimens, while in the preliminary stage of
degassing process the amount of accumulated charges
decreases and increases in the later stage. DC conductivity
changes in a similar way as the space charge results. For a
certain degassing time, the inner insulation layer has more
charge accumulation and higher conductivity compared to
middle and outer insulation layers. It can be concluded that
space charge characteristics and conductivity property are
first improved by degassing process and then degraded
somewhat with longer degassing time; and the degassing effect
of outer insulation layer is better than that of inner insulation
layers. More studies should be done to find out the reasons for
space charge and DC conductivity changes with degassing
duration, as well as the mechanisms of the migration of
crosslinking byproducts in thick insulation layer in cables.
Keywords- HVDC XLPE cable, insulation layer, degassing
duration, space charge, DC conductivity
I. INTRODUCTION
High voltage direct current (HVDC) extruded cable is
one of the key power devices for realizing the flexible
interconnection of large power grids, the power
transmission with long distance and large capacity, as well
as large-scale utilization of renewable energy [1-3]. HVDC
cable with cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) insulation has
been widely used around the world due to the advantages of
favorable electrical, mechanical and thermal properties,
simple manufacture, large transmission capability, easy
installation and maintenance, low cost and less impact on
the environment [1, 4]. The space charge characteristics and
DC conductivity are central issues in the design and
operation of HVDC XLPE cable. Space charge
accumulation may distort local electric field distribution
within the insulation, accelerating deterioration of the
dielectric material, even leading to insulation failure. And
the DC conductivity of XLPE material for HVDC cable
applications should be extremely low to reduce the risk of
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Zhongyi Zhou
State Grid Corporation of China
Beijing 100031, China
thermal runaway [5].
Space charge and DC conductivity of XLPE insulated
cables are affected by crosslinking byproducts within the
insulation [6]. It is reported that byproducts may serve as
local charge traps to accumulate space charge in cable
insulation [7-9], and may also influence the uniformity of
radial conductivity distribution in insulation layer [10].
Degassing process is the usual method to remove
crosslinking byproducts in cable manufacture. It is found
that different species diffuse at different rates through the
insulation and redistribute in this process [11]. For HVAC
cables, gaseous byproducts (primarily methane) are the
major concern, primarily based on mechanical consideration.
For HVDC cables, solid/waxy byproducts (e.g.
acetophenone and cumyl alcohol) are vitally important since
they have great impact on dielectric properties of XLPE
insulation as well. Yet, studies are limited of degassing
effects on dielectric properties of HVDC XLPE cable
insulation with large thickness.
In this paper, the effects of degassing duration on space
charge behavior and DC conductivity of HVDC XLPE
cable insulation are investigated, and results of insulation
layers at different radial positions are discussed. A detailed
research of crosslinking byproducts content during the
degassing process of the same HVDC XLPE cable
insulation are described in another paper.
II. EXPERIMENTAL
A. Sample Preparation
The plaque samples were made from insulation layer
(30mm thick) of full-scale HVDC XLPE cables. Firstly,
slices of 0.2mm thick were cut spirally from the cable cores,
as shown in Fig.1. Then, segments located in a certain radial
direction were selected and cut off to 100mmh100mm
specimens, named inner, middle and outer insulation layer,
respectively, as shown in Fig. 2.
The cable cores were degassed at 70qC for 0, 5, 10, 15,
20, 25 and 30 days, respectively.
Fig. 1 Slices cut from HVDC XLPE cable cores
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 in Fig.4 (a). In middle and outer insulation layers, similarly,
hetero-charge peaks undergo a decrease first and an increase
afterwards to some extent, as shown in Fig.4 (b) and (c).

Fig. 2 Schematic of specimens in XLPE cable insulation layer

When finished, the samples were cleaned with absolute

ethyl alcohol and sealed in gas-tight aluminum bags
immediately. Note that heat process would greatly affect the
content of crosslinking byproducts in thin plaques, so the
(a) undegassed
samples should be stored in room temperature, and heat
preconditioning was no need here in this study.

B. Measuring Methods
The space charge evolution was measured by pulsed
electroacoustic method (PEA) with electrical stress of
30kV/mm and 50kV/mm for 30 minutes at room
temperature (25qC). A calibration with 10kV/mm for 5
seconds was carried out before the measurement.
The DC conductivity was measured by Keithley 6517B
electrometer and a three-electrode system with 30kV/mm
and 50kV/mm stress for 60 minutes at room temperature.
The average value of two samples was obtained.
For each degassing time, the space charge evolution and (b) 10 days degassed
DC conductivity of inner, middle and outer insulation layer
Fig. 3 Space charge density profile in 0 and 10d degassed samples
samples were measured.

III. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

A. Space Charge Characteristics

Space charge accumulation of 30kV/mm stress in
undegassed and 10 days degassed samples are shown as
examples in Fig.3. Hetero-charges are evidently observed
near both the cathode and the anode in non-degassed
samples of three insulation layers. In contrast, little
hetero-charges can be observed in 10-day degassing
samples.
It is believed that hetero-charges are usually originated
from ionization of impurities in XLPE material. In
(a) Inner insulation
crosslinking process of HVDC cable insulation, dicumyl
peroxide (DCP), the chemical crosslinking agent,
decomposes into cumyl alcohol, α-methyl styrene,
acetophenone, methane and water, which will partly
volatilize in the degassing process [11]. Hence, the
alleviation of space charge build-up in 10-day degassing
samples can be attributed to the decrease of residual
byproducts.
The effects of degassing duration on space charge
densities in different insulation layers are shown in Fig.4. In
inner insulation layer, nearby the cathode and the anode are
mainly hetero-charges. Besides, the charge peaks have a
decreasing trend with increasing degassing duration from 5
to 10 days, which means the amount of accumulated (b) Middle insulation
charges reduces in the initial degassing process. Yet, the
space charge peaks increase in samples degassed for more
than 15 days, especially for 25 and 30 days, as can be seen

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 Space charge accumulation will distort local electric field
distribution within the insulation. The field distortion rates
are illustrated in Fig.6. The distortion rates at 30kV/mm are
no more than 20% in middle and outer insulation layers
after degassing, whereas in inner insulation samples it
reaches 45.97% with 25-day degassing and exceeds 80%
with 30-day degassing. At 50kV/mm, the distortion rates
become larger in all samples, while the variation trends are
very alike as that at 30kV/mm.
Obviously degassing process of certain time has positive
effect to reduce charge accumulation and corresponding
field enhancement. However, if the situation of inner
(c) Outer insulation insulation layer truly takes place in HVDC cable, it will
Fig. 4 Space charge densities for different degassing duration accelerate the deterioration of XLPE material and affect the
operation stability greatly.
The above-mentioned trend can be more clearly seen via
the mean charge density curves, as shown in Fig.5. In inner
insulation layer, the mean density at 30kV/mm has a
relatively low level for 10 to 20 days degassing and a rise
for 25 and 30 days degassing. Nevertheless, in middle
insulation layer the charge seems to remain unchanged,
while in outer insulation layer a drop first and then
steadiness. In the case of 50kV/mm stress, similar tendency
can be observed, except for charge density in higher level.
The initial charge density decline may result from
reduced content of crosslinking residuals. But mechanisms
of the overall variation, especially the rise in the final
degassing stage, are unknown till the writing of this paper.
However, the distinct trends in different insulation layers (a) 30kV/mm stress
suggest that residuals have a rather complicated migration
dynamics in thick cable insulation, which needs further
study.

(b) 50kV/mm stress

Fig. 6 Field distortion rates as function of degassing duration in different

(a) 30kV/mm stress insulation positions

B. DC Conductivity Property
The DC conductivity of all insulation layers for different
degassing durations is displayed in Fig.7. After 60 minutes
poling at 30kV/mm, the conductivity shows a similar
tendency as the space charge results. After degassing, the
conductivity has decreased in samples of all insulation
layers. In inner insulation layer, there is an initial decline
and a rise afterwards. The minimum conductivity occurs
mainly at 15 days of degassing. In middle insulation layer
the charge seems to remain unchanged, while in outer a
slight drop. For a certain degassing time, the inner
insulation layer has the highest conductivity whereas the
(b) 50kV/mm stress outer the lowest. The 50kV/mm results demonstrate the
Fig. 5 Mean charge density as function of degassing duration in different
same trend as that of 30kV/mm, except that larger electrical
insulation positions stress gives higher conductivity.

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 The decline in conductivity, the authors believe, is due to
reduction of crosslinking byproducts content in samples,
which decreases with degassing duration. Besides, it seems
that the degassing effect of outer insulation layer is superior
to that of inner insulation layer and the effect of middle
insulation layer falls in between. It suggests that residuals in
outer insulation layer are easier to remove compared with
inner layers. Obviously, the outer insulation permits a more
fluent way for decomposition molecules to dissipate from
cable core, while the compact conductor construction,
designed for longitudinal water-tightness, puts obstacles for
byproducts to volatile.
Above all, samples degassed for approximately 15 days,
based on our present study, have more favorable
performance taken together the space charge behavior and
DC conduction property. Moreover, two inferences can be
made considering the phenomenon of different insulation
positions. Firstly, the desirable degassing time is not the
longer the better for HVDC XLPE cables. Secondly,
migration dynamics of byproducts in full-sized cables,
especially with large insulation thickness, are extremely
complex. Hence, a big difference exists between degassing
studies of laboratory press molded XLPE plaques and
samples from full-scale cables, just as reflected in our study.
Yet, it requires more work to verify the obtained
phenomena as well as to understand related mechanisms.
(a) 30kV/mm stress
(b) 50kV/mm stress
Fig. 7 DC conductivity as function of degassing duration in different
insulation positions
IV. CONCLUSIONS
In this paper, the effects of degassing duration on space
charge accumulation and DC conductivity of slice samples
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of HVDC XLPE cable insulation are studied. It has been
discovered that space charge build-up alleviates and
resistance property improves in cable insulation after a
certain time of degassing. This could be ascribed to the
removal of crosslinking byproducts, which would otherwise
facilitate hetero-charge accumulation under electrical field
as well as contribute to volume conduction. However, we
also find that these properties deteriorate to some extent
when cable cores subject to longer degassing time. Besides,
the insulation inner layer has severer charge accumulation
and weaker resistive property compared to middle and outer
layers, probably due to distinct concentrations of
byproducts in different regions within the insulation of
HVDC XLPE cable. In future, more work will be carried
out to find the reason for the increase of space charge
accumulation and conductivity in the last degassing stage,
as well as mechanisms of the migration of crosslinking
byproducts in thick insulation layer in cables.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The authors highly appreciate supports from National
Key R&D Program of China (2016YFB0900702) and
Science and Technology Project of SGCC
(SGTYHT/15-JS-191).
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