G. Teyssedre

Description of bipolar charge transport in polyethylene using a fluid model with a constant mobility: model prediction

We present a conduction model aimed at describing bipolar transport and space charge phenomena in low density polyethylene under dc stress. In the first part we recall the basic requirements for the description of charge transport and charge storage in disordered media with emphasis on the case of polyethylene. A quick review of available conduction models is presented and our approach is compared with these models. Then, the bases of the model are described and related assumptions are discussed. Finally, results on external current, trapped and free space charge distributions, field distribution and recombination rate are presented and discussed, considering a constant dc voltage, a step-increase of the voltage, and a polarization–depolarization protocol for the applied voltage. It is shown that the model is able to describe the general features reported for external current, electroluminescence and charge distribution in polyethylene.

Polymeric HVDC Cable Design and Space Charge Accumulation. Part 1: Insulation/Semicon Interface

From theory and experiments, it can be deduced that materials for DC applications should not accumulate a large amount of space charge if accelerated degradation of the insulation system is to be avoided. Therefore, the characterization of DC insulation must take into account the evaluation of space charge accumulation. This cannot be done exhaustively without taking a system approach considering both the semiconductive material and the insulation, in particular, the properties of the semicon/insulation interface. The latter interface, in fact, plays a major role in space charge injection/accumulation in the insulation bulk. Having analyzed different semiconductive and insulating materials candidate for HVDC cable applications, the best solution to be exploited for HVDC cable design would be the combination showing a high threshold for space charge accumulation, a small rate of charge accumulation as a function of electric field and a small activation energy, i.e., a space charge amount less dependent on temperature. Therefore, space charge measurements will provide important information to cable material manufacturers with the aim of tailoring insulation and semicon specifically for HVDC application and, thus, improving the reliability of polymeric cables.

Some considerations about the analysis of thermostimulated depolarization peaks

The dielectric relaxation mode associated with the liquid-glass transition of a fluorinated co-polymer, P(VDF-TRFE) 75/25 mol.%, has been resolved experimentally by the technique of fractional polarizations, and a discrete distribution of relaxation times has been obtained. This distribution shows a compensation pattern characteristic of the glass transition/relaxation of polymers. Attention has been paid to the effect of the experimental set-up on the obtained activation parameters by using polarization windows Delta Tp of 0, 5 and 10 degrees C. It was shown that the activation energy increased as the polarization window was reduced. The latter also had a slight influence on the compensation parameters. This behaviour has been explained in terms of an increase in the width of the distribution of relaxation times associated with elementary peaks as Delta Tp increased. Thus, the Bucci-Fieschi-Guidi (BFG) analysis based on monokinetic relaxations is no longer valid as this distribution broadens. Overall, the use of Delta Tp=5 degrees C as polarization window constituted the best compromise between validity of the BFG analysis and the experimental resolution of the depolarization current. The errors in the compensation temperature have been estimated and a test has been applied in order to reject the hypothesis of a compensation pattern due to a propagation of experimental errors. Thus, the compensation phenomena described true kinetic effects, independently from the experimental set-up. It was shown that data pertaining to different methods of analysis could also describe a compensation law, which was actually statistical in nature.

Description of charge transport in polyethylene using a fluid model with a constant mobility: fitting model and experiments

A numerical model for describing bipolar charge transport and storage in polyethylene has been developed recently. The present paper proposes a comparison of the model outputs with experimental data in three different direct current (DC) voltage application protocols (step field increase and polarization/depolarization schemes). Three kinds of measurement have been realized for the three different protocols: space charge distribution using the pulsed electro-acoustic method, external current and electroluminescence. Simulation under AC stress has also been attempted on the basis of the model parameters that were derived from the DC case. Model limitations and possible improvements are discussed.

Charge distribution and electroluminescence in cross-linked polyethylene under dc field

The intent of this paper is to cross-correlate the information obtained by space charge distribution analysis and electroluminescence (EL) detection in cross-linked polyethylene samples submitted to dc fields, with the objective to make a link between space charge phenomena and energy release as revealed by the detection of visible photons. Space charge measurements carried out at different field levels by the pulsed electro-acoustic method show the presence of a low-field threshold, close to 15-20 kV mm-1, above which considerable space charge begins to accumulate in the insulation. Charges are seen to cross the insulation thickness through a packet-like behaviour at higher fields, starting at about 60-70 kV mm-1. EL measurements show the existence of two distinct thresholds, one related to the continuous excitation of EL under voltage, the other being transient EL detected upon specimen short circuit. The former occurs at values of field corresponding to charge packet formation and the latter to the onset of space charge accumulation. The correspondence between pertinent values of the electric field obtained through space charge and EL analyses provides support for the existence of degradation thresholds in insulating materials. Special emphasis is given to the relationship between charge packet formation and propagation, and EL. Although the two phenomena are observed in the same field range, it is found that the onset of continuous EL follows the formation at the electrodes of positive and negative space charge regions that extend into the bulk prior to the propagation of charge packets. Charge recombination appears to be the excitation process of EL since oppositely charged domains meet in the material bulk. To gain an insight into specific light-excitation processes associated with charge packet propagation, EL has been recorded for several hours under fields at which charge packet dynamics were evidenced. It is shown that current and luminescence oscillations are detected during charge packet propagation, and that they are in phase. The mechanisms underlying EL and charge packets are further considered on the basis of these results.

Feature article - Polymeric HVDC cable design and space charge accumulation. Part 2: insulation interfaces

The electric field distribution of cable insulation systems under HVDC can be affected significantly at interfaces due to space charge build-up. In this article, the second part of a three-article series, face and space charge accumulation are analyzed first in terms of macroscopic physics, then through approximate mathematical models that will be used to fit experimental data obtained for model cables having two insulation layers and constituting cylindrical interfaces.

Fast and slow charge packets in polymeric materials under DC stress

The presence of slow space charge packets crossing the insulation thickness from one electrode to the other and causing significant electrical field distortion has been reported already in several papers. They are activated in general by very high dc fields or, in highly polluted materials, by relatively low fields and constitute an important ageing factor, concerning dc electrical stress. It has been observed, in fact, that such packets can cause accelerated breakdown of insulation. The development of fast systems for space charge measurements has allowed the presence of almost instant heterocharge to be observed close to electrodes in certain field and temperature conditions, especially in cable models. This has been explained often by the separation of ionic charge populations, even though such heterocharge appears also in materials, such as Polyethylene or crosslinked Polyethylene that represent the best extra-clean technologies. The measurements reported here use a high speed technique to investigate the build up of heterocharge in model cables that have been treated to remove volatile chemical species. They show that in fact the heterocharge is built up by many very small and very fast charge packets (i.e. charge packets having a high mobility), which are injected from both electrodes and cross the insulation in less than one second. Because the packet charge is unable to exit the counter-electrode at the same rate at which it arrives, hetero-charge is built up within just a few seconds from the beginning of the polarization. The mobility of these charges, depending significantly on temperature, is estimated through observation of charge packets as a function of time, and compared with that of the already-known slow packets, generally occurring at higher fields with respect to fast packets. The basis for the interpretation and modelling of such phenomena is discussed.

From LDPE to XLPE: investigating the change of electrical properties. Part I. space charge, conduction and lifetime

This paper discusses the results of space charge, conduction current and electrical lifetime measurements performed on widely-used materials for electrical insulation, that is, low density polyethylene (LDPE) and cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE). Space charge accumulation profiles were compared in LDPE, low density polyethylene plus antioxidant (LDPE+AO) and XLPE, with consideration of thermal treatment effects in LDPE and XLPE. Significant variation (decrease) of accumulated space charge and apparent mobility, as well as slight decrease of conduction current, can be seen going from LDPE to LDPE+AO and XLPE, which may be associated with formation of deeper trap levels (or an increase of their density). On the contrary, electrical life under AC voltage does not show significant differences from LDPE to XLPE. This latter result underlines that life under high AC electrical stress is mostly determined by defects (weak points) rather than material characteristics associated with charge injection and transport.

Deep trapping centers in crosslinked polyethylene investigated by molecular modeling and luminescence techniques

Space charge in crosslinked polyethylene (XLPE) has been detected under both ac and dc fields. Its role in electrical aging and breakdown is recognized, but not deeply understood. It is thought that identification of the trapping centers in this material would help improve the modeling of conduction and electrical aging as well as making possible the design of crosslinked materials with improved properties. We have developed theoretical and experimental approaches to this problem which emphasize the role of chemical traps acting as deep trapping centers. Molecular modeling is used to estimate the trap depth for negative and positive charge carriers associated with the main by-products of crosslinking reactions (using dicumyl peroxide as a crosslinking agent) since their aromatic structure makes them candidates for deep traps. Calculations on acetophenone, n-methyl styrene and cumyl alcohol show that they indeed can act as deep traps. Because such deep traps can act as recombination centers, their involvement in charge trapping can be checked in specially designed luminescence experiments. In our experiments, charges of both polarities are generated at the surface of the material under study by using a non-reactive cold plasma in helium. The analysis of the decay kinetics and emission spectrum of the subsequent luminescence allows us to define unambiguously the time range in which charge recombination is the dominant excitation process of the luminescence. The emission spectra obtained within this time range provide the optical fingerprint of chromophores acting as deep traps in the material. The low-density polyethylene (LDPE) doped with crosslinking byproducts and XLPE (film and cable peeling) have been investigated. Their role in charge trapping is apparent in the luminescence experiments and in space charge distribution analysis. In thermally treated XLPE, it is shown that other species strongly bonded to the polymer chain are also able to trap electrical charges.

Ac and dc electroluminescence in insulating polymers and implication for electrical ageing

Electroluminescence detected in many different polymers under uniform 50 Hz ac and dc fields exhibits a threshold-like character, i.e. the light emission increases supralinearly with the applied voltage above a critical value called the emission threshold. The significance of this threshold is not straightforward. It could be a true physical threshold corresponding to the onset of the luminescence excitation as opposed to a sensitivity-limited threshold without specific significance. This paper discusses this issue on the basis of electroluminescence analysis in several polymers used in electrical engineering, such as polyethylenes, polyesters and polyimides. The analysis relies on the consideration of the field dependence of the electroluminescence and its imaging in the sample plane. It is shown that the threshold-like character under a dc field reveals the onset of the electroluminescence excitation whereas it has no specific meaning under ac stress where the detection is sensitivity-limited. The significance of the luminescence-voltage characteristic, as regards the electrical ageing and its possible use for diagnostic purposes, is further considered.