A study on leakage current characteristics of field aged XLPE cable

Abstract

The leakage current characteristic of degraded XLPE (cross-linked polyethylene) cable was investigated under DC and AC electric field. The cable with heavy vented tree degradation showed a typical increase of DC leakage current and Dc component. In this instance, the bridged vented tree plays an important role in the increase of this current. The low-frequency component of the charging current was observed in the type of cable. The DC leakage current, DC component, and low-frequency component of the charging current were found to vary in a complex manner, depending on the applied voltage and its history. This may be attributable to the change of the internal water tree structure.<>