Damage of Cable Insulation with Pinhole Defect Under the Acidic and Alkaline Environment

The insulation of the power cable is the key factor to ensure the safety of the cable. Because it has good corrosion resistance, the crosslinked polyethylene (XLPE) cable is widely used in various situations of power transmission, however, in actual operation, the cable is subjected to some unfavorable factors such as soil pH, so the insulation performance of XLPE cable in different environments will be affected. Harsh environment, such as underwater power transmission, will accelerate the deterioration of cable insulation dielectric. In this paper, the onsite operation situation of the cable is simulated by setting different aging time and different pH value. The cable samples are accelerated aged by water needle method. The insulation deterioration degree of cable is measured by different detection methods, and the relationship between the deterioration degree of cable insulation and the environment is verified. The results show that the deterioration of cable insulation more serious in alkaline environment°