Thermal Effect of Different Laying Modes on Cross-Linked Polyethylene (XLPE) Insulation and a New Estimation on Cable Ampacity

This paper verifies the fluctuation on thermal parameters and ampacity of the high-voltage cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) cables with different insulation conditions and describes the results of a thermal aging experiment on the XLPE insulation with different operating years in different laying modes guided by Comsol Multiphysics modeling software. The thermal parameters of the cables applied on the models are detected by thermal parameter detection control platform and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurement to assure the effectivity of the simulation. Several diagnostic measurements including Fourier infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), DSC, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and breakdown field strength were conducted on the treated and untreated specimens in order to reveal the changes of properties and the relationship between the thermal effect and the cable ampacity. Moreover, a new estimation on cable ampacity from the perspective on XLPE insulation itself has been proposed in this paper, which is also a possible way to judge the insulation condition of the cable with specific aging degree in specific laying mode for a period of time.