Study on the damage characteristics of high-temperature superconducting cable insulation under air gap discharge

Abstract This study explores the impact of small air gaps in high-temperature superconducting cables on the insulating material polypropylene-laminated paper (PPLP), and the aging rules and mechanisms of the insulating material during practical uses. An air gap discharge test platform was built to simulate air gap fault defects of superconducting cables in the real operating environment. Hierarchical clustering method was used to divide the gap discharge process of defect model into four stages. Insulation damage assessment was conducted on the intermediate layer PP of the superconducting insulation material PPLP at different discharge stages, revealing surface changes and periodic alterations in dielectric properties. The morphological features, roughness, infrared spectra, dielectric loss, surface resistivity, and other phase characteristics of the superconducting insulation layer material were analyzed at different stages of air gap defects. Molecular group cracking in PP was attributed to the bond breakage on the main chain. These findings provide insights into high-temperature superconducting cable insulation under air gap discharge and provide a guideline for practical applications in semi-conductive industries.