Testing Interfaces

The wide use of solid insulating materials combinations in combinations has introduced problems in the interfaces between components. The most common insulating materials are cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE), silicone rubber (SIR) and ethylene-propylene rubbers (EPR). Assemblies of these materials have caused major failures. In the Netherlands, a major black out was caused by interface problems in 150kV cable terminations, causing a cascade of breakdowns. There is a need to investigate the reasons for this and other similar breakdowns. The major problem is expected to lie in the interface between two different materials. Environmental influence, surface treatment, defects in materials and interface, design, pressure and rubbing are believed to have an effect on interface degradation. These factors are believed to increase the possibility of partial discharges (PD). PD will, with time, destroy the insulation and eventually cause breakdown. It is difficult to make a model of the real-life components that can be used to examine all of these phenomena. Some decisions have to be made on how to approach this problem, how to design a test cell and how the tests should be carried out. In this paper, four suggestions on test cells are considered.