Methods for testing the insulation strength of insulated wires and cables
The dielectric strength of wires and cables refers to the ability of the insulation structure and material to withstand the electric field without breakdown. To check the quality of wire and cable products and ensure safe operation, all types of insulated wires and cables generally undergo dielectric strength tests. Dielectric strength tests can be divided into withstand voltage tests and breakdown tests.
Withstand voltage tests apply a certain voltage to the sample under certain conditions. After a certain period of time, whether breakdown occurs is used as the standard to judge whether the sample is qualified. The voltage is generally higher than the rated operating voltage of the sample. The specific voltage value and withstand voltage time are specified in the product standard. The withstand voltage test can test the reliability of the product running under the working voltage and find serious defects in the insulation, as well as some shortcomings in the production process, such as serious external damage to the insulation, serious defects in the conductor that cause a sharp distortion of the electric field; insulation has penetrating defects or large conductive impurities, etc.
The breakdown test increases the voltage under certain test conditions until the sample breaks down, measuring the breakdown strength or breakdown voltage. The breakdown test can assess the safety margin between the cable's voltage capacity and the operating voltage. Breakdown strength is one of the important parameters in cable design.
Cables generally operate under AC voltage, but they may also operate under DC voltage in DC power transmission systems and some special occasions. High-voltage cables may also be subjected to atmospheric voltage (lightning) and switching surges. Therefore, according to the different experimental voltage waveforms, dielectric strength tests can be divided into three types: 1. AC (power frequency) voltage, 2. DC voltage, and 3. Impulse voltage.
Partial Discharge Measurement
Oil-filled cables basically do not have partial discharge; even if oil-paper cables have partial discharge, it is usually very weak, such as a few PCs. Therefore, these cables can be exempted from partial discharge measurement in factory tests. For extruded cables, not only is the possibility of partial discharge high, but also the damage of partial discharge to plastics and rubber is more serious. With the increase of voltage level and working field strength, this problem becomes more serious. Therefore, partial discharge measurement must be performed in factory tests for high-voltage extruded cables.
There are many methods for measuring partial discharge. According to the instantaneous charge exchange generated by the discharge, the discharge pulse can be measured (electrical measurement method); according to the ultrasonic waves generated during the discharge, the voltage can be measured (acoustic measurement method); according to the light generated by the discharge, the intensity of the light can be measured (optical measurement method). For cables, the electrical measurement method is basically used.
Aging and Stability Test
The aging test is a stability test to determine whether the performance remains stable under stress (mechanical, electrical, thermal).
Thermal Aging Test
A simple thermal aging test examines the aging characteristics of a sample under the action of heat. The sample is placed in an environment with a temperature higher than the rated operating temperature by a certain value. After a specified time, the changes in certain sensitive properties before and after aging are measured to evaluate the aging characteristics. The temperature can also be increased to accelerate the aging of the sample, and moisture, vibration, and electric fields can be added to form a thermal, mechanical, and electrical stress aging cycle. After each aging cycle, certain selected sensitive performance parameters are measured until the performance drops to the recognized life value. In this way, at a higher temperature T, a shorter life L (sample heating time) is obtained.
Thermal Stability Test
The thermal stability test involves heating the cable with current while simultaneously applying a certain voltage. After a certain period of heating, certain sensitive performance parameters are measured to evaluate the stability of the insulation.
Insulation stability tests are divided into two types: long-term stability tests and short-term accelerated aging tests.
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