The chemical composition of water trees in EPR cable insulation

The earlier observation of carboxylate ions in vented water trees in service-aged XLPE cable insulation is extended to bow-tie trees in lab-aged XLPE cable insulation, and to bow-tie and vented trees in EPR cable and slab specimens. Carboxylate anions were the major carbonyl-containing functionality in the treed regions, except for cases where ester functionalities (from antioxidants or shield materials) or aromatic carbonyl species (curative residues) had accumulated. Ketonic oxidation products were detected, but at a lower level than carboxylates. The experimental difficulty of detecting carboxylate ions in the presence of interfering absorptions from methylene blue dye and clay filler was circumvented by the use of a derivatization technique involving sulfur tetrafluoride and with hydrogen chloride, which converted carboxylate ions to acid fluorides and carboxylic acids respectively. Some examples of initiation sites for water tree formation in EPR are provided. When a particulate initiation site of bow-tie trees in EPR could be identified, a common feature was the presence of transition metal ions.<>