The aim of the present manuscript is to contribute to the understanding of material performance of machine insulation film at high temperatures and changing relative humidity (RH). This represents a common stress under normal operation and may lower the material insulation performance. PET film is used as the example material and the complex dielectric permittivity is used as a marker to investigate changes in the dielectric properties. Measurements are carried out with a high precision dielectric spectrometer in a range of 10 -2 ..10 5 Hz at different temperatures (10..125 °C) and RH levels (0..80 %). In addition, evaluation of absorbed water at different RH levels (0..80 %) is done gravimetrically and exhibits a diffusion character according to Fick's law. Moreover, the proportionality of maximum absorption and RH level becomes apparent. Variation of temperature shows altered α and β loss mechanisms as well as changed DC conductivity proportions. The continuous permittivity increase during water absorption indicates the higher (moisture-induced) polar content in the polymer. However, a small portion of water seems to be bound to terminal -OH groups of PET, thus leading to an altered β relaxation. The observed increase of DC conductivity, not only with higher temperature but also with higher water content, points out the humidity-driven charge transport through the dielectric. A further, frequencydependent loss mechanism is only visible above a certain RH level that indicates pure water formation within the polymer. This study shows that even though the level of absorbed water for PET is below 0.4 %, the dielectric spectra reveal significant changes.
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