Degradation distribution in insulation materials of cables by accelerated thermal and radiation ageing

The degradation of cables by the accelerated thermal and radiation ageing for nuclear power plant was studied. The thermal oxidation of crosslinked polyethylene (XLPE) as a cable insulation showed the heterogeneous features along the depth of sheet specimens. The degree of oxidation was closely related to the distribution of antioxidant content due to the decay of antioxidant content by the evaporation and radiation decomposition during accelerated ageing. The specific relations were observed between the tensile properties and the yield of oxidation products and also between the oxidation products and antioxidant content in XLPE specimens. The yields and the content and their distribution were detected by FTIR spectra. The oxidation of XLPE containing antioxidant of enough content proceeded proportionally with ageing time or radiation dose at any ageing conditions. When the antioxidant content decreased less than a critical content by thermal and/or radiation ageing, the oxidation rate by thermal ageing increased sharply with ageing time. Therefore, the oxidation at surface of XLPE was much accelerated when the antioxidant decreased to result the heterogeneous oxidation. The mechanical properties depend closely on the degree of oxidation at the surface. The behavior of oxidation was also affected by the types of antioxidant.