Examination of State of the Cable Insulation by the Return Voltage.

The relevance of the study is conditioned by the need to determine the state and residual life duration of high-voltage cable lines to identify faulty and maintainable cables. The aim of the article is to determine a reliable scientifically grounded criterion for assessment of insulation characteristics of the cables in use and to perform a comparative analysis of the results obtained by the traditional method of diagnosing insulation with the results of a new method of assessment by the return voltage. In this regard, the article deals with the issues related to the testing of cables having oil-impregnated paper insulation, as well as with the issue of switching from planned replacement of cables to assessment of their actual state and period of residual life. The authors propose to use the method of examining the cables by the return voltage using the device for testing electrical insulation "UDEI-1" developed at the department of Electrification and Automation of the Nizhny Novgorod State University of Engineering and Economics. The article presents the results of measuring the return voltage of three cables that operated under different conditions. The cables had different technical state. The analysis of the estimation of the residual life of cables by the return voltage was carried out using such criteria as the PIRV polarization index, the LIRV electrical conductivity index, and the P-factor. The P-factor is the physical criterion demonstrating the aging of paper-oil insulation by the shape of the return voltage curve. It represents such characteristics of insulation aging as moistening. To compare the results of testing the cables by the return voltage with the conventional methods of diagnostics and to determine the actual technical condition of power cables, the authors applied the method of spatiotemporal reflectometry and the method of measuring insulation resistance with the determination of such indicators of state as insulation resistance normalized per one kilometer, absorption coefficient, and polarization index. The results of this article confirm that the return voltage gives a qualitative assessment of the state and degree of aging of cables with impregnated paper insulation. The authors proposed a new system for evaluation of cable condition by weighting coefficients. In this approach, the determination of residual life of cables with impregnated paper insulation is based on the values of the return voltage. Application of the new system gives opportunity to improve reliability of the power lines. Recommendations for the further operation of the studied cables are given. The materials of the article are of practical value for carrying out complex assessment of the technical condition of power cables by the return voltage and can be useful for drawing up a schedule for replacement or repair of cable lines depending on their actual state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]