Investigation of the acoustical material properties of polymers used in power cable insulation systems and their temperature dependency

For the electrical insulation of modern medium voltage and high voltage power cables a sophisticated three layer insulation system is used, which consists of an inner and outer semiconductive layer and the cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) insulation layer in between. To ensure a high quality of the insulation system the production of the insulation system is monitored, while certain tests can only be done after finishing the production step. Especially during cooling of the cross-linked insulation system, ultrasonic diagnosis can be used for monitoring purposes as a non-destructive measurement technique. Ultrasonic technique offers a variety of information about the production quality, including the detection of defects and checking of the layer thicknesses. Furthermore, a method for the…