A preliminary study of the relationship between matrix morphology and water treeing in medium voltage polymeric insulated cable

Abstract

Electrical stress in the presence of water, ionic contaminants and oxidation products may cause water tree growth in medium voltage polymeric insulated cables. The water trees may either be in the form of vented trees which grow from the semi-conducting screen interfaces o r bowtie trees which grow from defects in the bulk of the insulation. This water tree growth may cause a decrease in the electric strength of the cable, thereby increasing the probability of failure. A large number of studies have, therefore, been carried out into examining the phenomenon of water treeing jn medium voltage cables[l-3].