Polarization and depolarization current study in polymeric insulation containing voids

This work presents PDC studies on polymer-based insulations containing voids. PDC measurements were conducted on new Silicone Rubbers (SiR) samples containing various sizes of voids as well as multiple number of voids. DC conductivity of the samples were calculated by using PDC Analyzer via LabVIEW program and the PDC curves were plotted by using MATLAB. Result from this study showed that different sizes and numbers of void affected the conductivity of SiR samples. Increasing sizes of void as well as increasing number of voids resulted in increase in polarization and depolarization currents as well as the conductivity of the SiR samples. This study suggests that PDC measurement can be a tool in analysing and detecting voids in solid insulation.