The Effect of Temperature and Current on the Insulation Performance of PE and PVC Power Cables: A Finite Element Approach

Gökçe Koç and Ömer Işık ()
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Gökçe Koç: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Istanbul Yeni Yuzyil University, Istanbul 34010, Turkey
Ömer Işık: Department of Electrical Electronics Engineering, Istanbul Arel University, Istanbul 34537, Turkey

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 6, 1-22

Abstract: In this study, a numerical simulation was used to evaluate the insulation performance of polyethylene (PE) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) under varied environmental and electrical conditions. Tests were conducted at temperatures of 22 °C and 55 °C, with current levels of 40 A and 60 A, examining key parameters such as electric field intensity, current density, and Joule heating. The results show that, under lower temperature and current conditions, PE demonstrates greater current capacity but suffers from increased Joule heating and energy loss. Conversely, PVC provides more stable insulation with lower energy dissipation. At higher temperatures and currents, PE experiences significant electrical stress and thermal loading, increasing the risk of overheating, while PVC maintains consistent performance. These findings offer valuable guidance for selecting optimal insulation materials in power distribution systems.

Keywords: cable modeling; Finite Element Method (FEM); current density; electric field; PVC (polyvinyl chloride); PE (polyethylene) (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
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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