Dielectric study at microwave frequencies of water-treed crosslinked polyethylene

The dielectric properties of water-treed crosslinked polyethylene (XLPE) were studied by using a hollow microwave waveguide system between 135 MHz and 13.6 GHz. The dielectric loss of water-treed XLPE is proportional to water content. Water-treed XLPE has a low relaxation frequency, which is probably due to bound water. The binding water in trees was confirmed by the lower apparent water diffusion rate in treed XLPE than in undamaged controls measured with a radioactive tracer method.<
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