SIMULATION OF DEFECTS ON MEDIUM VOLTAFE CROSSLINKED POLYETHYLENE (XLPE) CABLE INSULATION USING FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS

• Main Author: KELVIN JUING, TINGGOM
• Format: Final Year Project Report
• Language: English; English
• Published: Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, (UNIMAS) 2019
• Subjects: TK Electrical engineering. Electronics Nuclear engineering
• Online Access: http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/34476/1/SIMULATION%20OF%20DEFECTS%20ON%20MEDIUM%20VOLTAFE24pgs.pdf; http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/34476/6/Kelvin%20Juing.pdf; http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/34476/
• Institution: Universiti Malaysia Sarawak

Cross-Linked Polyethylene (XLPE) is one of the types in polymer that is used as the insulator in power cable. This type of insulation is widely used in the medium voltage due to it necessarily being installed. In addition, this insulation is economically attractive as it is less expensive compare to the most advance and strong material type in insulation material choices. The problem in this XLPE cable is the degradation which caused by the partial discharges that have been initiated at the specific location where the abnormalities had occurred toward the XLPE material. Partial discharge is small electrical discharges caused by massive electrical stress modification due to the fault circumstances. In this work, electric field distribution and its strength is observed by finite element analysis. The defect that will be observed is air void, vented water tree and bow-tie water tree. Each defect sizes will be manipulated, and the location of the defect being located are changes where it will place on the insulator which is closer to the conductor, middle of the insulator and far from conductor. Next, the rated voltage will be varying to compare the electric field distribution. The design and modelling of the cable in this work will be conforming to IEC 60502-2 Standard. As result, the electric field intensity will be increased when there is the defect occur on the insulator. The vented water tree defect gives the highest value of electric field intensity followed by the bow-tie water tree and air void defect. In air void defect, the electric field intensity will increase when the size of defect is increased. This is due to the different relative permittivity that have been injected in the defect during simulation which resulting to the non-uniform electric field line distribution on the insulator and electric field stress occur.