Electrical characterization of EPDM-based insulation systems through high voltage dielectric spectroscopy and space charge analyses

This paper presents the preliminary characterization of EPDM insulation systems used for nuclear power cables. Electrical characterization is achieved by means of high voltage dielectric spectroscopy and pulsed electroacoustic (PEA) methods for space charge measurements in order to evaluate both the AC and DC performance of the considered materials. Results show that the increase of the applied electric field does not significantly impact the real part of permittivity, while it leads to the reduction of the dielectric losses at power frequency. On the other hand, PEA measurements claim that little quantity of positive charges are injected and trapped inside the material.