Abstract
This study presents an investigation of electrical tree performance as well as the effect of filler concentration of silicone rubber (SiR) filled with atmospheric-pressure plasma-treated silicon dioxide (SiO2) nanofiller. Atmospheric-pressure plasma was used to treat the SiO2 nanofiller surfaces to enhance compatibility with SiR matrices. A fixed AC voltage of 10 kV, 50 Hz was applied to untreated, silane-treated, and plasma-treated nanocomposites with filler concentrations of 1, 3, and 5 wt % to investigate their electrical performance during electrical treeing. The result showed that plasma-treated SiO2 nanoparticles were uniformly well dispersed and formed strong covalent bonds with the molecules of the SiR polymer matrix. The plasma-treated nanocomposites were able to resist the electrical treeing better than the untreated or silane-treated nanocomposites. The increase in filler concentration enhanced the electrical tree performances of the nanocomposites. The result from this study reveals that the plasma-treated nanocomposites exhibited the best result in inhibiting the growth of electrical treeing compared to the existing surface treatment methods used in this study.
Highlights
Electrical treeing is a pre-breakdown phenomenon caused by continuous electrical stress in polymeric insulations
To enhance the silicone-rubber properties for electrical tree performance improvement, silicone rubber is usually mixed with micro-sized filler to create polymer microcomposites
In light of the above, this study presents a comprehensive investigation of the electrical tree performance of silicone-rubber-based nanocomposites filled with SiO2 nanoparticles that have been treated with filamentary plasma discharges under atmospheric pressure
Summary
Electrical treeing is a pre-breakdown phenomenon caused by continuous electrical stress in polymeric insulations. The growth of an electrical tree results in the creation of a conductive path between the high-voltage and grounded parts of the insulation, resulting in breakdown. Electrical tree activities have been reported to occur within the areas of weak points (such as cable accessories) due to electric field localization [1]. Cable accessories such as joints, terminations, and stress cones are commonly made of silicone rubber. To enhance the silicone-rubber properties for electrical tree performance improvement, silicone rubber is usually mixed with micro-sized filler to create polymer microcomposites. Studies have shown that the use of nano-sized filler in polymer nanocomposites demonstrates improved properties compared to unfilled polymer or microcomposites [2,3,4]
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