Influence of Endurance tests on Space Charge Distribution of 160kV HVDC XLPE Cable

The ageing of XLPE cable insulation will lead to the accelerating accumulation of space charge, which will greatly affect the safe operation of the HVDC cable. In order to investigate the influence of different ageing modes on the space charge distribution of the HVDC cable, thermal stressed, electrical stressed and electro-thermal stressed endurance tests were carried out on the XLPE peelings. The tested XLPE peelings were obtained from 160kV HVDC cable insulation. The endurance tests were carried at thermal stress of 363K, electrical stress of 20kV/mm DC and a combination of both. The Pulsed Electro-Acoustic (PEA) method was used to measure the space charge distribution of the samples. The influences of ageing on the trap energy distribution were analyzed based on the isothermal relaxation theory and the decay characteristics of the space charge. The results showed that thermal ageing would help to improve the crystalline morphologies of the XLPE at the early stage. The total amount of space charge decreased compared to the ones before thermal ageing. The long term of electrical stress would result in the cleavage of polymer molecule chains which would intensify the accumulation of space charge and increase the density and depth of electron traps. With a combination of electrical and thermal stress, the injection and migration of space charge were more significant. Besides, the depth and density of electron traps increased rapidly with the increase of endurance time.