Hang Xu

Bio: Hang Xu is an academic researcher from Tianjin University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Space charge & Charge carrier. The author has an hindex of 6, co-authored 8 publications receiving 248 citations.

Space charge behaviors of PP/POE/ZnO nanocomposites for HVDC cables

Abstract: Polypropylene (PP) has been paid much attention due to its high melting point, excellent electrical insulting performance and thermoplastic property, which is potential to replace the XLPE as HVDC cable insulating material. Blending PP with polyolefin elastomer (POE) is an effective way to modify its stiffness and brittleness at room temperature. However, space charge behavior of PP/POE blend, as a great concern under dc stress, is not clear and needs further investigation. To research the space charge behaviors, pure PP, PP/POE blend and its nanocomposites with different contents were prepared. Then, mechanical properties, permittivity constant, breakdown strength, volume resistivity, space charge behaviors and trap level distribution were investigated. The results indicate the addition of POE enhances the mechanical flexibility of PP greatly, and nano-sized ZnO doping has little effect on the mechanical flexibility of PP/POE blend. The nanocomposites show lower permittivity constant, higher breakdown strength and higher volume resistivity than the PP/POE blend. Compared to pure PP, the space charge accumulation and electric field distortion get severe in PP/POE blend. However, by nanoparticles doping, space charges are remarkably suppressed, which is related to the increased trap level density in nanocomposites. It indicates the PP/POE/ZnO nanocomposites have much potential for HVDC cable application, which show high mechanical flexibility as well as excellent electrical performance.

Trap Modulated Charge Carrier Transport in Polyethylene/Graphene Nanocomposites

Abstract: The role of trap characteristics in modulating charge transport properties is attracting much attentions in electrical and electronic engineering, which has an important effect on the electrical properties of dielectrics. This paper focuses on the electrical properties of Low-density Polyethylene (LDPE)/graphene nanocomposites (NCs), as well as the corresponding trap level characteristics. The dc conductivity, breakdown strength and space charge behaviors of NCs with the filler content of 0 wt%, 0.005 wt%, 0.01 wt%, 0.1 wt% and 0.5 wt% are studied, and their trap level distributions are characterized by isothermal discharge current (IDC) tests. The experimental results show that the 0.005 wt% LDPE/graphene NCs have a lower dc conductivity, a higher breakdown strength and a much smaller amount of space charge accumulation than the neat LDPE. It is indicated that the graphene addition with a filler content of 0.005 wt% introduces large quantities of deep carrier traps that reduce charge carrier mobility and result in the homocharge accumulation near the electrodes. The deep trap modulated charge carrier transport attributes to reduce the dc conductivity, suppress the injection of space charges into polymer bulks and enhance the breakdown strength, which is of great significance in improving electrical properties of polymer dielectrics.

Effects of thermal conductivity on dc resistance to erosion of silicone rubber/BN nanocomposites

Abstract: Silicone rubber (SiR) is widely employed as an insulating material in transmission lines because of its excellent electrical properties and superior performance under wet and polluted conditions. However, the discharges that occur during operation can cause electrical erosion on the surface of silicone rubber insulators. The thermal conductivity of insulators has a correlation with the resistance to tracking and erosion. This study attempts to clarify whether the addition of boron nitride (BN) particles can improve the resistance to tracking and erosion of SiR by increasing its thermal conductivity. Before the tests, specimens were prepared by dispersing nano-BN particles into room temperature vulcanizing (RTV) silicone rubber at different loadings. In this paper, the dc test has been developed from the current IEC 60587 inclined plane tracking and erosion test to compare the phenomena occurring during the tests. Temperature distribution was observed by an infrared thermal imager. The experimental results indicate that the filled specimens have a lower degree of surface damage than the unfilled specimens. In addition, with the increase in content of fillers from 0 to 7 wt%, the thermal dissipation is improved and both the erosion depth and the weight loss show a decreasing trend, which proves the resistance of silicone rubber to tracking and erosion is improved.

Suppressing interface charge between LDPE and EPDM for HVDC cable accessory insulation

Abstract: Space charges are likely to accumulate at the interface between insulation materials with different properties, which may lead to accelerated degradation of insulation systems. Cable accessories made of ethylene-propylene-diene terpolymer (EPDM) are considered to be the weakest part of HVDC cable system due to the existence of the interface between cable insulation and itself. Direct-fluorination can be applied to adjust the electrical properties of polymer insulation. Therefore, this paper intends to investigate the effects of direct-fluorination on the interface charge distribution between LDPE and EPDM composite insulation. The EPDM samples were fluorinated for 0, 15, 30 and 60 min, and LDPE for 0 and 30 min, respectively. The interface charge distribution were measured under 20 kV/mm. Obtained results show that the polarity of interface charge is the same with the voltage applied on EPDM sample, which can be verified by the Maxwell-Wagner-Sillars (MWS) theory. The fluorination for 30 min effectively suppresses the interface charge accumulation between LDPE and EPDM. However, excessive fluorination leads to significant accumulation of interface charge. Though fluorination of both dielectrics has the same effect with the single fluorinated EPDM on interface charge behaviors, more hetero-charges injection in the vicinity of cathode. The interface charge accumulation and dissipation process depends on not only the time constant but the surface state controlled by the fluorination time. As a consequence, the approximate direct fluorination can effectively suppress the interface charge accumulation of cable accessories and will make a potential application for the dc cable accessories.

Effects of mechanical stretching on space charge behaviors of PP/POE blend for HVDC cables

Abstract: Polypropylene (PP) blended with polyolefin elastomer (POE) has been considered as a potential choice to replace XLPE as HVDC cable insulating material, which shows excellent performance in electrical, mechanical and thermal properties. The space charge accumulation, formed under dc stress in PP/POE blend, would distort the local electric field, and furtherly lead to partial discharge or premature breakdown. During the processes of fabrication, installation and operation, the cable insulating material may be exposed to mechanical stress. In order to study the influence of mechanical stretching on space charge behaviors, PP/POE blends were prepared and stretched to different ratios of 1, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3 and 1.4, and the space charge behaviors in polarization and depolarization processes were measured and analyzed. The results indicate that a larger number of space charges accumulate in stretched specimens after polarization for the same time, and they decay faster than those in original specimens during depolarization process. Besides, the trap depth decreases with the increasing elongation ratio and then increases at a higher elongation ratio. The microstructure changes of PP/POE blend after mechanical stretching is considered to be responsible for the observed phenomena.

Polymeric insulation for high-voltage dc extruded cables: challenges and development directions

Abstract: High-voltage DC (HVDC) power transmission plays a key role in the global power grid today and will continue to play a key role in the future, particularly for high-voltage, largecapacity, long-distance power transmission and regional power grid interconnection [1]. HVDC was first developed in the 1930s as a reliable technology that can effectively convert AC electricity produced at the point of generation to DC electricity for transmission. In 1954 the world’s first commercial HVDC project connected the Swedish mainland and the Island of Gotland with a ±100 kV mass-impregnated cable with a power rating of 20 MW [2], [3]. Since the 1960s the number of HVDC systems has grown rapidly with the maturation of thyristor and transistor technologies. Two main technologies were developed in the past half century: