Research on Defects of High Voltage Cable Fusion Joint Using XLPE Insulation Material

Abstract

High-voltage cable fusion joints are made on site. Affected by environmental conditions, fusion joints are prone to small defects that are not easy to find, resulting in frequent accidents after the joints are put into operation. There is currently no effective method to detect small defects inside the joint. Therefore, this paper proposes to use digital radiography nondestructive test technology to detect the main insulation and conductor recovery process of high-voltage cable fusion joints. The results show that the digital radiography nondestructive test method can effectively find defects such as microporous bubbles, conductor bending, and eccentricity in the main insulation of XLPE fusion joints. The on-site anatomy demonstrates the accuracy of the test results, and the digital radiography nondestructive test can effectively detect the defects of high-voltage cable fusion joints. Experiments have verified that the decrease of cross-linked pipe temperature and nitrogen pressure can lead to the generation of microporous bubbles in the XLPE main insulation. For conductor bending and eccentricity defects, the limit value of the welding conductor bending gap is 11mm through simulation calculation.