Effect of Morphological Structure on Electroluminescence and Breakdown in Polyethylene

Electrical degradation of insulation in power cables can sometimes be associated with defects at the interface between the semiconductive shield and the dielectric insulation. The interfacial region between the semiconductive shield and insulation is a special region, which would be influenced by an evolution of the local morphological characteristics. In this study, we investigated the pre-breakdown of various polyethylenes under divergent electric fields, by semicon needles, utilizing electroluminescence behavior. The effect of polyethylene insulation morphology was also correlated to dielectric breakdown.