Abstract
This review takes into account articles and standards published in recent years concerning the application of the Pulsed Electro Acoustic (PEA) method for space charge measurement on High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) cables and mini-cables. Since the 80s, the PEA method has been implemented for space charge measurements on flat specimens in order to investigate space charge phenomena and to evaluate the ageing of dielectrics. In recent years, this technique has been adapted to cylindrical geometry. Several studies and experiments have been carried out on the use of the PEA method for full size cables and HVDC cable models. The experiments have been conducted using different arrangements of the measurement setup and focusing attention on different aspects of space charge phenomena. In this work, the importance of space charge measurement is highlighted and the state-of-the-art PEA method application to full size cables and mini-cables is described. The main aim of this paper is to offer a complete and current review of this technique. In addition, limits on the use of PEA method are examined and main possible directions of research are proposed in order to improve the applicability, reliability, and replicability of this method.
Highlights
During the last decades, the interest on DC transmissions has grown
The initial installation of extruded High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) cables manufactured with the same insulating materials used for HVAC application has highlighted the occurrence of premature ageing of cables due to the injection, formation, and accumulation of space charge within the insulation layer
In order to investigate these phenomena, several non-destructive techniques for space charge measurement within insulating materials have been developed by researchers
Summary
The interest on DC transmissions has grown. This is due to the need of increasing the transnational exchange of electrical power, strictly related to the increase of the availability of energy produced by renewable randomly distributed sources, installed offshore and/or at long distances from the users. Thanks to a relatively simple measurement system and a good spatial resolution, the Pulsed Electro Acoustic (PEA) method is currently the most reliable way to detect space charge accumulation into the dielectric material of HVDC cables [3]. The PEA method is physically based on the measurement of the acoustic waves generated by the vibrations of charge carriers, laying into the dielectric material, by means of a superimposed pulsed voltage applied between the electrodes. The signal applying a small electric field at the sample In this condition, it can be assumed that the charges lay at the amplifier is affected by distortion because of the acoustic reflection and due to characteristic exclusively at the electrode interfaces while no charge is in the bulk of the dielectric.
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