Abstract
Polyethylene’s inherent characteristics of toughness, resistance to chemicals and moisture, low temperature flexibility and excellent electrical properties, along with low cost and easy processability, make it a very desirable material for insulating low-, medium- and high-voltage electric cables. A historical perspective of power cable materials development and design considerations is provided, which provides a basis for the widespread use of crosslinked low-density polyethylene materials today. Structural characteristics are linked to fundamental, rheological, chemical and dielectric material properties. The industry specifications guiding the technical material design choices are presented. Some material advancements in the insulation field are also discussed in context to the application environments to which they are exposed. Fundamental material properties impacting the performance of cables are also reviewed.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Bernstein B, Thue W (2003) Historical perspectives of electrical cables. In Thue W (ed) Electrical power cable engineering, 2nd ed, Mercel Dekker, New York
Black R (1983) The history of electric wires and cables. Peter Peregrinus Ltd.
Edison, US Pat 251552, “Street Pipes” Dec 1881
Orton H (2013) History of underground power cables. IEEE Electr Insulation Mag 29(4)
Bamberger E, Tschimer F (1900) Ueber die Einwirkung von Diazomethan auf b-Arylhydroxylamine. Berichte der Dueschten chemischen Gesellschaft zu Berlin 33:955–959
[claims student Hindermann mentioned white substance, later determined to be (-CH2-)x, in his dissertation in Zurich in 1897]
Von Pechmann H (1989) Ueber Diazomethan und Nitrosoacylamine. Berichte der Dueschten chemischen Gesellschaft zu Berlin 31:2640–2646
Fawcett EW, Gibson RO, Perrin MW, Paton JG, Williams EG (1937) Improvements in or relating to the polymerization of ethylene. British Patent 471590
Perrin MW (1953) The story of polythene. Research 6
Dobbin C (2017) An industrial chronology of polyethylene. In Spalding M, Chatterjee A (eds) Handbook of industrial polyethylene and technology. Wiley and Sons
Pinkney P, Wiley RH (1953) Curing of polyethylenes. US Patent 2628214
Gilbert A, Precopio F (1963) Irradiated filler-containing polyethylene. US Patent 3084114
Precopio F, Gilbert A (1959) Curable polyethylene comprising a peroxide containing tertiary carbon atoms, and a filler, and process of curing same. US Patent 2888424
Precopio F, Gilbert A (1999) The invention of chemically crosslinked polyethylene. IEEE Electr Insulation Mag 15(1)
Vostovich J, Bailey C (1960) Extrusion of crosslinked polyethylene and process of coating wire thereby. US Patent 2930083
Ward R (1967) Method of making polyethylene insulated electrical conductors. US Patent 3325325
US Patent US3225018A to Union Carbide Nathan Zutty, filed in Dec 1961, published in Dec 1965
GB1286460A to Dow Corning, Henry George Scott, filed 12-20-1968, published in 8-23-1972
A Brief History of EPR Dielectric, EPR Cable Technology Consortium—University of Connecticut; https://eprcable.ims.uconn.edu/epr-cables/; contact Dr. Y. Cao
Vahlstrom W (1971) Paper presented at IEEE Conference on Underground Distribution, Detroit, Mich.
Lawson RH, Vahlstrom W (197) IEEE Trans PAS 824
Lawson J, Vahlstrom Jr W (1973) Investigation of insulation deterioration in 15 kV polyethylene cables removed from service, Part II. IEEE Trans PAS 92:824–831
Miyashita T (1971) Deterioration of water-immersed polyethylene coated wire by treeing. IEEE Trans Electr Insul 6:129–135
Lawson JH, Vahlstrom W Jr (1973) Investigation of insulation deterioration in 15 kV and 22 kV polyethylene cables removed from service—part II. IEEE Trans PAS 92:824–835
Bahder G, Katz C, Lawson JH, Vahlstrom Jr W (1974) Electrical and electrochemical treeing effects in polyethylene and crosslinked polyethylene cables. IEEE Trans PAS 93:977–990
Ballard DGH, Burgess AN, Dekoninch JM, Roberts EA (1987) The ‘crystallinity’ of PVC. Polymer 28:3–9
Noel OF, Carley JF (1975) Properties of polypropylene-polyethylene blends. Polym Eng Sci 15(2):117–126
Kohan Melvin (1995) Nylon plastics handbook. Carl Hanser Verlag, Munich
Hougham GG, Cassidy PE, Johns K, Davidson T (1999) Fluoropolymers 2. Springer
Rysselberghe PV (1932) Remarks concerning the Clausius-Mossotti Law. J Phys Chem 36(4):1152–1155
Bartnikas R (1983) Dielectric loss in solids. In: Bartnikas R, Eichhorn R (eds) Engineering dielectrics—Volume IIA—Electrical properties of solid insulating materials: molecular structure and electrical behavior. ASTM Publications
Bartnikas R (ed) Engineering dielectrics: volume IIB—electrical properties of solid insulating materials: measurement techniques. American Society for Testing and Materials—Special Technical Publication 926
Raju G (2003) Dielectrics in electric fields. Marcel Dekker, Inc
Dissado LA, Fothergill JC (1992) Electrical degradation and breakdown in polymers. Peter Peregrinus Ltd.
Fischer and Nissen (1976) Breakdown behavior of polyethylene. IEEE Trans Electr Insul EI-11(2)
Li D et al (2019) Effect of crystallinity of polyethylene with different densities on breakdown strength and conductance property. Materials 12(11):1746
Hosier I, Vaughan A, Swingler S (1997) Structure-property relationships in polyethylene blends: the effect of morphology on electrical breakdown strength. J Mater Sci 32:4523
Shimizu N et al (1998) Electrical tree initiation. IEEE Trans Dielectrics Electr Insul 5(5):651
Ishibashi A et al (1998) A study of treeing phenomena in the development of insulation for 500 kV XLPE cables. IEEE Trans Dielectrics Electr Insul 5(5):695
Gross R, Hunt G (1967) Dielectric compositions containing halogenated voltage stabilizing additives. US Patent 3,350,312; Simplex Wire and Cable
Heidt L (1970) Solid dielectric polyolefin compositions containing various voltage stabilizers. US Patent 3,522,183; Simplex Wire and Cable
Hunt G (1970) Voltage stabilized polyolefin dielectric compositions using liquid-aromatic compounds and voltage stabilizing additives. US Patent 3,542,684; Simplex Wire and Cable
Eichhorn R (1983) Treeing in solid organic dielectric materials. In: Bartnikas R, Eichhorn R (eds) Engineering dielectrics—Volume IIA—electrical properties of solid insulating materials: molecular structure and electrical behavior. ASTM Publications
Kisin S et al (2009) Polym Degrad Stab 94:171
Englund V et al (2009) Polym Degrad Stab 94:823
Bostrom J-O et al (2003) Stress enhancement of contaminants in XLPE insulation used for power cables. IEEE Electr Insul Mag 19(4)
Bahder G, Eager, GS, Silver DA, Lukac R (1912) Criteria for determining performance in service of crosslinked polythylene insulated power cables. IEEE Trans Power Apparatus Syst 95(5):1552, with reference to a 1912 paper by Larmor and Larmor (Royal Society of London, 1912)
N.H. Malik, et al, Electrical Insulation in Power Systems, Marcel Dekker, New York 1998, with reference to H. Bateman, Partial Differential Equations of Mathematical Physics, Cambridge University Press, New York, 1944
Bowers AB, Cath PG (1941) The maximum electric field strength for several simple electrode configurations. Phillips Tech Rev 6, #270
Orton H, Hartlein R (eds) Long-life XLPE-insulated power cables. Orton Consulting Engineers International, Ltd.
Thue W (2003) Electrical power cable engineering, 2nd edn. Marcel Dekker, New York
Steennis EF, Kreuger FH (1990) Water treeing in polyethylene cables. IEEE Trans Electr Insul 25:989
Pelissou S, Harp R, Bristol R, Densley J, Fletcher C, Katz C, Kuchta F, Kung D, Person T, Smalley M, Smith J (2008) A review of possible methods for defining tree retardant crosslinked polyethylene (TRXLPE). IEEE Electr Insul Mag 24(5):22
ASTM D6097 (2016) Standard test method for relative resistance to vented water tree growth in solid dielectric insulating materials. ASTM International
US Patent 4305849A (1980) Polyolefin composition containing high molecular weight polyethylene glycol useful for electrical insulation. Nippon Unicar Company
Farkas A (1985) Insulation composition for cables. WO 1985005216A1
CIGRE TB722 (2018) Recommendations for additional testing for submarine cables from 6 kV (Um = 7.2 kV) up to 60 kV (Um = 72.5 kV). CIGRE Study Committee—WG B1.55
Cree S et al (2015) Potential use of new water tree retardant insulation in offshore wind farm array cables. In: Jicable ’15, B1.3
Caronia P et al (2019) Advancements in TR-XLPE insulation technology to enable use in high-voltage cable applications. In: Jicable’19, B5.1
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2021 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Person, T.J., Sengupta, S.S., Caronia, P.J. (2021). Structural Design and Performance of XLPE for Cable Insulation. In: Thomas, J., Thomas, S., Ahmad, Z. (eds) Crosslinkable Polyethylene. Materials Horizons: From Nature to Nanomaterials. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-0514-7_10
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-0514-7_10
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-16-0513-0
Online ISBN: 978-981-16-0514-7
eBook Packages: Chemistry and Materials ScienceChemistry and Material Science (R0)