Electric field modeling of 11KV XLPE cable with rectangular voids at multiple locations

In this paper, an electric field simulation study is performed on an 11 kV XLPE cable model consisting of rectangular voids. XLPE cables are one of the pivotal components of electrical power transmission and distribution. However, the presence of internal defects, aging and moisture ingression can lead to the inception of partial discharge (PD) activities, which severely affect the insulation quality of XLPE. Considering this, in this simulation study, electric field enhancement in XLPE insulated is calculated under different void configurations (series and parallel). Simulation studies are also performed in varying void locations. Based on the result presented in this simulation study, it can be observed that electric field enhancement is higher when the voids are in serial configuration and the distance between the voids is minimum. Results presented in this simulation study will help visualize the PD inception in XLPE cable. This study is also helpful in insulation design and condition monitoring of XLPE cable.