Insulating materials for next generations of HVAC and HVDC cables

This contribution presents results of scientific cooperations between polymer technologists and high voltage engineers from Sweden, which aim at delivering new material concepts, based on polyethylene compounds with added nano-fillers and voltage stabilizers, for securing increased resistance to degradation by electrical treeing and reduced electrical conductivity in HVAC and HVDC applications. Several promising stabilizers have been tested and characterised and it is shown that their stabilizing efficiency can directly be related to electron affinity of the molecules. It is also demonstrated that, independently of the filler system, a remarable reducion of electrical conductivity can be achieved in polyethylene based nanoconposites.