Investigating the Physiochemical Effects of Aging Silicone Oil Using Sonication as a means of Mimicking Electrical Aging

Silicone oils are used in cable sealing ends owing to their combination of excellent dielectric properties, high oxidation resistance, and thermal stability. This paper aims to investigate how electrical stresses induced by sharp edges and protrusions inside the insulating device could lead to alterations in the chemical and dielectric properties of the silicone oil. Herein, electrical stress in the silicone oil samples is induced using a sonication technique. The physicochemical changes in the aged oil samples are analyzed using UV-vis spectroscopy, Fourier-Transform Infrared spectroscopy and dielectric response spectroscopy. The results provide experimental evidence that the proposed method can be adopted as an alternative method for reproducing the effects of electrical stress on oil samples.