Multiscale Analysis of Naturally Weathered High-Voltage XLPE Cable Insulation in Two Extreme Environments

Crosslinked polyethylene (XLPE) insulation is widely used in power cables because of its excellent properties. Due to the remoteness of end users, the energy is generally transported over long distances. These cables cross various areas being sometimes exposed to different environmental stresses that affect their performance and increase their degradation. While most published literatures are limited to laboratory scales, this article uniquely deals with a multiscale analysis of a 30 months naturally weathered XLPE samples in two harsh environments. The first site is a marine environment with high humidity level, sea salt content in the air, seasonal variation of temperature, and concomitant radiation doses. The second one is a desert environment characterized by extremely high temperatures, which reached 50 °C during summer, coupled with thermal cycling and large solar radiation doses with UV rays of high energy wavelengths. Modifications in the XLPE insulation characteristics due to weathering were studied using different experimental techniques. The testing matrices included dielectric and mechanical characterization, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurements on fresh and weathered XLPE insulation samples. It is found that the degradation rate was faster in the arid desert climate compared with the coastal one. Furthermore, correlation mechanisms between the obtained results are discussed in order to better understand the weathering degradations.