A Comparative Study of the Non-Destructive Diagnostic Tests of 500 Hz Accelerated-Aged XLPE Power Cables

Adewumi Olujana Adeniyi (), Trudy Sutherland and Hendrick Langa
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Adewumi Olujana Adeniyi: Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Vaal University of Technology, Private Bag X021, Vanderbijlpark 1900, South Africa
Trudy Sutherland: Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Vaal University of Technology, Private Bag X021, Vanderbijlpark 1900, South Africa
Hendrick Langa: Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Vaal University of Technology, Private Bag X021, Vanderbijlpark 1900, South Africa

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 14, 1-19

Abstract: Power cable dielectrics must be tested to ascertain their insulation integrity after their design and manufacture. In Southern Africa, power cables must undergo testing in accordance with the South African National Standard (SANS) 1339. The SANS 1339 provides a destructive diagnostic method to evaluate voltage breakdown strength and water tree growth. The shortfall is that there is no provision for the non-destructive determination of the residual strength and assessment of the condition of the power cables. It is possible that non-destructive tests are available. However, a question arises as to how they compare in effectiveness, which is the intention of this study. Accelerated aging at 500 Hz was conducted on the water-retardant cross-linked polyethene (TR-XLPE) power cable sample specimens, each 10 m long, according to SANS 1339. Non-destructive diagnostic tests (Tan δ, IRC, and RVM) were conducted on accelerated-aged and unaged cable samples. The comparative results of the accelerated-aged and unaged XPLE power cable samples, when applying non-destructive diagnostic techniques, show consistency and reveal the extent of degradation in the tested cable samples. This study demonstrates that non-destructive diagnostic methods can be used to assess the extent of XLPE power cable insulation aging.

Keywords: polarization; depolarization; thermal pre-conditioning; conductivity; degradation; dielectric (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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