Controlling Factors of Degassing in Crosslinked Polyethylene Insulated Cables

Here, we analyze the degassing process of a byproduct (methane) formed during the peroxide-induced crosslinking of polyethylene. A diffusion model based on Fick’s law is used to obtain the controlling factors of degassing in a crosslinked polyethylene (XLPE) insulated power cable (132 kV with 18 mm of insulation). We quantitatively analyze different scenarios of the diffusion of methane through the XLPE insulation and two semiconductor layers under various in situ degassing conditions. The analyzed degassing conditions include heat transfer and its effect on the diffusion properties, the different transport and boundary conditions due to the free spaces within the cable conductor, and the nonuniform distribution of methane concentrations within the insulation layers. Our simulation results clearly demonstrate that the free spaces between the copper strands in the cable conductor significantly affect the degassing efficiency. However, the temperature-diffusion coupling has a relatively minor effect on the overall degassing efficiency due to the rapid temperature increase of the polymer layers during the initial stages of degassing. Moreover, we find that the nonuniform distribution of methane in the initial stages also plays an important role in degassing in the cable, but this effect varies significantly during the degassing process.