Research on Water Content and Physicochemical Properties of Insulating Materials for Water-Soaked XLPE Cable

The buried environment of cross-linked polyethylene (XPLE) cable is relatively severe, and some ones are even immersed in water directly. In this paper, an XLPE cable was soaked in foul water to simulate the cable’s actual water area environment, lasting for three years. The water content in the insulation layers of water-soaked cable was measured by infrared spectrometer and moisture analyzer, and the crystal morphology and physicochemical properties of the insulation layers were investigated by differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and tensile testing technology. The results showed that a small amount of water did enter into the cable insulation owing to the increasing of hydroxyl (-OH) content, and followed being verified by moisture analyzer. The degree of crystallinity of water-soaked cable insulating material is also increased, and the mechanical properties were deteriorated.