Abstract:
The electrical aging life of polypropylene (PP) insulation, a new environmentally friendly material, and its nano-SiO
2 composites were investigated to provide theoretical support for the reliability of PP-insulated cables in later applications. Based on the electric aging life formula-inverse power method, the life model parameters of PP insulation and SiO
2/PP composites were estimated by constant voltage accelerated aging test, and then the reliabi-lity of life index
n was evaluated by stepwise accelerated aging test. The SiO
2/PP composites were also structurally characterized and performance tested. The results show that the lifetime index
n of SiO
2/PP6 is 14.61, which is enhanced by 16.51% compared with that of PP6 of 12.54. It is found in the experimental stage that the doping of SiO
2 has a significant effect on the enhancement of PP6's time to failure at lower aging field strengths, and it is predicted that the long-term electrical aging lifetime of SiO
2/PP6 is more than five times that of PP6 below the aging field strength of 25 kV·mm
−1. Meanwhile, the doping of nano-SiO
2 reduced the industrial frequency dielectric loss factor and lowered the loss peak height of PP insulation. Based on the electrical aging cavity theory, it is proposed that SiO
2 enhances the electrical aging life of PP insulation by limiting the chain segment breakage by consuming hot electron energy.