Enhancing the High Voltage XLPE Cable Insulation Characteristics Using Functionalized TiO 2 Nanoparticles

Abstract

The current research aims to study the influence of loading Titanium Dioxide (TiO 2) nanoparticles on the dielectric, thermal and mechanical properties of the commercial Cross-Linked Polyethylene (XLPE) used as the main insulation in power cables. Using the concept of composite, XLPE/TiO 2 nanocomposites samples were prepared by the melt blending method with different ratios of nanoparticles (0.5, 2, 3.5 and 5% wt/wt). The surface treatment of TiO 2 nanoparticles was carried out to reduce the agglomeration of TiO 2 nanoparticles inside the XLPE. The morphology of the prepared samples was studied by X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and the dispersion of nanoparticles in the XLPE polymer matrix is checked using Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM). Thermal analysis test for all samples have been investigated. The dielectric properties, such as dielectric constant (ε r) and loss tangent (tan δ) for XLPE/TiO 2 nanocomposites were measured under frequencies ranging from 1 Hz to 1 MHz. AC Breakdown Voltage (AC-BDV) was also measured using a controlled high voltage testing transformer (50 Hz) under sphere-to-sphere field. The mechanical properties were evaluated by performing the tensile test and tensile strength and elongation values were measured. It was found that nanocomposites with functionalized TiO 2 exhibited better dielectric, thermal and mechanical properties compared to nanocomposites with nonfunctionalized TiO 2.