Diagnosis on MV XLPE power cable by using frequency variance leakage current analysis

Distribution network system owners and managers are increasingly more conscious on the significance of their ability to improve the condition and reliability of their network system. A combination of pertinent diagnostic testing are sought after for condition assessment. Adoption of the most appropriate diagnostic system between the one that are already developed and practiced and others that are promising but still in development is not an easy task to achieve. The paper presents several case studies conducted on medium voltage XLPE cables. Frequency domain spectroscopy was used for the field measurement. The leakage currents were derived from the measurement and the results were scrutinized on the trends for various cable condition. The information acquired from the results is very important to justify the applicability of the assessment and to develop local database. The evaluations are then utilized to come up with recommendation for the next course of action to be taken, if necessary, on the tested cables.