Space charge behavior in silicone rubber from in-service aged HVDC composite insulators

Space charge behavior in sheds removed from service aged 500 and 800 kV HVDC silicone rubber insulators and compared to a stored reference insulator is reported in this paper. The aim of this investigation is to evaluate the material aging. The investigations are made under electric field of ±20 kV/mm at room temperature using pulsed electro-acoustic technique. Based on the results, the electric field distribution and mobility of charge carriers, considering the contributions of de-trapping process from both shallow and deep traps, are deduced. It is concluded that space charge concentration in the aged material increases compared to that in the reference material and the dynamics of the charge decay changes. The understanding of this behavior provides a means of possibility assessing insulator material aging.