Composition, Structure and Growth of Water Trees in Polyethene

摘要

Water treeing is a degradation process that deteriorates the polyetheneinsulation of underground cables. It produces tree-like or bush-like hydrophilic structures on a microscopic scale. These so-called water trees are often a cause of cable breakdown. The basic condition required for the occurrence of water-tree growth is the combined presence of an electric field and water, for the occurrence of water-tree growth is the combined presence of an electric field and water, but several other factors have a significant effect on the growth rate of water trees. The present study deals with the composition, structure and growth of water trees in polyethene. The background and the objectives are presented first. Low-density polyethene and the state of knowledge on water treeing are summarized and an outline is presented of the approach followed to study the problem. (Copyright (c) 1990 N.V. KEMA. All rights reserved.)