Josef Kindersberger

The paper presents measurements on the electrical performance of polyethylene with respect to the inception voltage of a needle-plate arrangement as well as the breakdown voltage of PE films in a sphere-sphere arrangement and an extruded cable insulation. The tests were performed with dc and lightning impulse voltage at 20 °C and 90 °C. By measuring the electrical conductivity as a function of temperature and electrical field strength it was possible to calculate the field distribution in the PE insulation of cables. Breakdown voltages with different temperature differences across the PE-insulation were measured and the results are discussed.