Electrical and Electro-Chemical Treeing Effect in Polyethylene and Crosslinked Polyethylene Cables

Abstract

Numerous polyethylene (PE) and crosslinked polyethylene (XLP) cable samples recovered from the field after one to seventeen years of service have been studied in relation to treeing phenomena. Special test circuits for laboratory growth of electrical and electro-chemical trees have been developed. Based on numerous tests, general recommendations for minimizing the treeing effect in PE and XLP cables as well as for testing these cables for tree development have been made.