Suitable voltage levels for on-site tests of MV and HV-cables with Damped AC to detect service endangering defects

On-site testing of medium and high voltage cables (MV- and HV-cables) is more and more combined with partial discharge (PD-) measurement. Cable-specimens have been artificially damaged to assess the ability of Damped AC (DAC)-voltage compared to 50-Hz-AC-voltage to initiate Electrical Treeing (ET) and to breakdown within an acceptable duration.