Partial discharge characterisation of low density polyethylene composite with nano-silica fillers

Abstract

Partial discharges (PD's) due to artificial voids in samples of LDPE nano- composite sheet have beat investigated in this work. PD's may cause the degradation of insulating materials and may affect the lifetime of high-voltage apparatus. An experimental work using sphere ball-plane electrode system (CIGRE Method II) and a 1.0 mm LDPE composite sheet was carried out Different percentages of nano- s2i.cs (0%. 2% and 4*4) were used. PD experimental results, such as PD magnitude and PD number (both PD pulse polarities), as functions of the applied stress duration at a specified applied voltage were compared. Surface morphology of specimens were also presented and tins conforms with the PD findings The experimental results show that the PD characteristics of the LDPE generally improve with the introduction of nano-silica, the composite with 4% nano-silica content having the least partial discharge activities.