Electrical Material Characterization Studies on Power Cable Dielectric Materials subjected to Thermal Aging

Electric power is almost entirely transmitted through polymer insulated cables or wires in every home, factory, plant or apparatus. If the temperature of a cable increases, it would be an indication that some accidents or malfunctions such as inflow of excess electric current occur in the cable. The generated heat, indeed, degrades the polymer insulations in cable, thus, making it unsuitable and unsafe for extra service. Therefore, it would be markedly valuable if the thermally-degraded portion in a cable can be located precisely without destroying the cable. In this project the electrical properties of cables are studied and emplyed as potential indicators to diagnose thermally-degraded regions of the cable. As a result, possible malfunctions in cables due to heat-overloads can be detected in an efficient, fast, low-cost, and non-destructive way which elevates the safety and lowers catastrophic risk in power transmissions.

Faculty Supervisor:

Sheshakemal Jayaram

Student:

Amin Bandpy

Partner:

Kinectrics Inc

Discipline:

Engineering - computer / electrical

Sector:

Energy

University:

Program: