Conference Record of the 1992 IEEE International Symposium on Electrical Insulation, Baltimore, MD USA, June 7-10, 1992

MECHANICAL AND ELECTRICAL PERFORMANCE OF POLYPROPYLENE PAPER LAMINATES VERSUS CELLULOSE PAPER FOR POWER CABLES Dan R. Watson and John C. Chan Alcatel Canada Wire Inc. Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

ABSTRACT This paper presents the results of laboratory evaluation of polypropylene paper Laminates (PPL's) manufactured by Japanese, European and North American Suppliers, and their comparative performance against the conventional cellulose paper dielectric. The laminates were evaluated as to their physical properties, and the mechanical and electrical performance of model cables constructed from them. All three laminates had similar loss characteristics which were significantly lower than those of cellulose paper. The impulse strength of the Japanese and/or European laminates was approximately 20% higher than that of cellulose paper, whereas the North American laminate exhibited only 10% higher impulse strength. The effect of perforations on the impulse strength of the laminates was also investigated, the idea being that perforations would improve drying and impregnation. Results indicate that perforation geometry significantly influenced breakdown strength.
1.

In the past, the development of a pipe-type PPL cable has been inhibited by the high costs of PPL's as a result of certain proprietary rights or import costs. North American and European sources of PPL's have recently emerged and hence, this study was initiated. This study consisted of the evaluation of PPL's manufactured by Japanese (designated Laminate A), North American (Laminate B) and European (Laminate C) suppliers. Conventional cellulose paper insulation was used as the control. The laminates were evaluated with respect to their physical and mechanical properties and the electrical (loss characteristics and performance impulse breakdown strength) of model cables constructed from them. In addition, a study of the effect of perforations on various properties of the laminate and model cables was initiated, the idea being that perforations would improve drying and impregnation characteristics without impairing electrical performance.
2.

PHYSICAL PROPERTIES

INTRODUCTION

As transmission voltages increase, the feasibility of any underground high voltage cable system is limited by operating costs associated with dielectric losses and installation/maintenance costs. The dielectric losses of any high voltage system are proportional to the dielectric constant, the dissipation factor and the square of the operating voltage. Power cable systems rated 138 kV and above traditionally employ oilimpregnated cellulose paper dielectrics. In light of this, polypropylene paper laminates (PPL's), having lower dielectric constant and dissipation factor, offer substantial advantages over cellulose paper, especially at voltages rated 5 0 0 kV and above. These advantages include lower dielectric losses and higher dielectric breakdown strength (especially in terms of impulse), permitting higher operating stresses and hence reduced insulation wall. This allows the operating voltage of an existing conventional pipetype cable system to be upgraded without replacing the carrier pipe. These advantages make a PPL high voltage cable very attractive to a utility.

The physical properties of the PPL's and cellulose paper were compared as shown in are essentially a Table I. The PPL's paper/polypropylene/paper composite. For the most part, physical properties were measured with an Instron Materials Testing System, This computerized equipment Model 4 2 0 6 . facilitates custom tailoring of test parameters in compliance with ASTM methods.
3.

MECHANICAL PROPERTIES

3.1 SWELLING CHARACTERISTICS

qualitative swelling test was performed on the PPL's. This was done by lapping the laminates onto a 1.6 cm diameter tubular aluminum conductor to an insulation thickness of 1 . 2 5 cm. The rolls were vacuum dried and impregnated with Polybutene 015 impregnating oil and subsequently subjected to short-term aging ( 1 l O O C for 7 days) in Polybutene 06 pipe filling oil[l]. All three laminates remained intact and experienced no rupture of tape.c
A

3.2

DELAMINATION

Delamination is defined as the separation of either paper layer from the polypropylene.
197
0-7803-0649-X/92 $3.00 0 1992 IEEE

TABLE I: Physical Properties of Laminates and Cellulose Paper

~~

PROPERTY Thickness, mm Width, mm Density, g/cm3 Paper Density, g/Cm3

% %

LAMINATE A 0.13 16 0.89

0.88

AMINATE B 0.15 19
0.89

,AMINATE C 0.14 20
0.84

ELLULOSE 0.16 27 0.80 0.78 100

100

NOTES ASTM D202

ASTM D202 ASTM D202

0.74 40 40

0.75 55 36

Paper by Weight Paper by Thickness

47 50

Tensile Strength, N I m m (MD) Elongation,

%

8.2 1.3

8.4 1.4

9.8 <0.0>

9.5 1.6

ASTM D202 ASTM D202

(MD)

1.5 <1.7>

Elastic Modulus, Mg/cm2 Compressive Modulus, kg /cm2 (at 2.0 kg/cm2 radial pressure) coefficient of friction StaticJkinetic Polypropylene Melt Temperature, ' C Analysis of Polypropylene

67

56

63 <48>

69

ASTM D202

81

101

81 <01>

70

Pirelli method ASTM D1894

0.5210. SO

0.5310.49

0.S910.51

0.45/0.42

159

159

159

3.51-

DSC

Isostatic Homopolymer 2.812.8

Isostatic Homopolymer 2.712.6

Isostatic Homopolymer 2 -712.7

Infrared spectroscopy

Dielectric Constant, UnagedIAged

from capacitance measurements on model cables

MD Machine Direction < > 1 perforation of 1.27mm diameter per 25mm of laminate

TABLE 11:

Delamination Characteristics of Laminates. Qualitative and Quantitative Evaluation of Inter-layer Bond Strength. CONDITION OF LAMINATE as received after impregnation and short-term aging after impregnation and long-term aging INTER LYER BOND STRENGTH, N/15mm E LAYER1 E LAYER/OUTS ) (INS I LAMINATE C LAMINATE B LAMINATE A
0.35/0.51
0. 1810. 20

METHOD OF EVALUATION
90 Peel Test

o .14/o. 1 8
0.11/0.12
-10

o. 8411.07
0.3610.72

90 Peel Test
90 Peel Test

-10.17

-1 0.69

no AEIC CS2-90 after impregnation and short-term aging delamination AEIC CS2-90 after impregnation and long-term aging no delamination

no no delamination delamination no complete delamination delamination

198

Susceptibility of the PPL's to delamination was evaluated as follows:

1) Dry as received

Perform 90 peel test 2) After impregnation and short-term aging (7 days at 110Oc) Perform 90 peel test and AEIC CS2-90 test 3) After impregnation and long-term aging (150 days at 105OC) - Perform 90 peel test and AEIC CS2-90 test

measures more than 30% of the tape width and equal or greater distance along the length of the tape, shall be considered to have failed the test. Cable samples which exhibit tape failures for 5% or more of the total number of cable tapes shall be considered to have failed the test. An examination of the results in Table I1 indicate that Laminates A and C retained about 50% of their interlayer bond strength after both short-term and long-term aging. However, the fact that Laminate B passed the AEIC test after the short-term aging test, but not after long-term aginq, puts the validity of a short-term delamination test in question.
4.

3.2.1

90 Peel Test

The test set-up for the 90 peel test is shown in Figure 1. The test consists of fastening the laminate to a 20 cm diameter wheel which is mounted on bearings and secured in the base of the Instron. The top layer of paper is then manually delaminated from the polypropylene and secured in a pneumatic grip which is attached to the cross head of the Instron. As the cross head (30 cm/min), the paper is travels up separated from the polypropylene at a constant angle of 90 and the interlayer bond strength is measured (TABLE 11).

MODEL CABLE EVALUATION

4.1 MODEL CABLE CONSTRUCTION

direclion 0 1
crosshead frovet

Model cables were constructed by lapping 4 layers of PPL onto a tubular aluminum conductor. The tapes were applied with a butt space of 5-10% of tape width at 65/35 registration. The PPL's were handled with plastic gloves so as to avoid contamination. All model cables incorporated stress control cone terminations. For cable samples subjected to hot impulse testing, a twoelectrode system was used; while samples for long-term aging, a three-electrode guarded system was employed to permit accurate measurements of dissipation factor and dielectric constant [2].
4.2 MODEL CABLE DRYING AND IMPREGNATION

cellulose l a y e r polipropylefle ond ceilulose l o y e r s

Model cables constructed from cellulose paper were vacuum dried at 12OOC for a
0.25

LL C .O w

cd

0 0
0 15
I

I
01
~

Fig. 1. Set-up for 90 peel test.

v) .-

a v ,

a
3.2.2 AEIC CS2-90 Delamination Test The delamination test specified by AEIC CS290 states the following: Tapes are to be removed one at a time from a cable sample. These tapes are then, in the same direction of tape curl, coiled in a roll having a diameter of 2 in. (5 cm) or equivalent to the cable core which ever is smaller. The tape is then reapplied to the cable core. Each tape is then-examined for separation or loss of bond between the components of the laminate. Any such delamination which
199

-+
0 05
I

-?-L+L%-*-L-+~

0 0

~~

~~

L--10

15

20

25

Average Stress, kVfmni

*

Laminate A Laminate B

+
I

Laminate

Cellulose

Fig. 2. Dissipation factor vs. stress of model cables at 8 5 T .

0.25

0.25

g
c ,

0.2

z
Cd

LL C

0.15

0 .c ,

.cn
cn

0.1

0.05

0 0

0 ' 0

20

40

60

80

100

120

Temperature, OC
'

Aging Time, hours(xlOO0)

'

Laminate A Laminate B

+
U

Lominaie Cellulose

Laminate A Laminate B

+
0

Laminate Cellulose

Fig. 3. Dissipation factor vs. temperature of model cables at 15 kV/mm average stress.
minimum of 2 4 hours. Since PPL's have a much lower moisture transmission rate than cellulose paper, a minimum drying time of 7 2 hours was allowed. A 1 hour blank-off test was performed as a criterion for cable dryness. This consisted of blanking off the kettle and ensuring that the loss of vacuum over 1 hour was not more than 50 pm. Once it was established that model cables were dry, they were impregnated with Polybutene 015 which was degassed to approximately 10 ppm moisture.
4.3 4.5

Fig. 4. Aging characteristics of model cables at 85OC.

LONG-TERM AGING OF MODEL CABLES

DISSIPATION FACTOR VS STRESS

Model cables were subjected to long-term aging tests at 85O and 105OC, in order to determine the relative long-term stability of the laminates. The model cables had an applied electrical stress of 20-22.5 kV/mm for the duration of the test. The dissipation factor and capacitance/dielectric constant of model cables at 15 kV/mm (operating stress) was monitored throughout the aging test. The results are plotted in Figures 4 and 5 along with those from a long-term aging test performed on cellulose paper. During the aging test, two of the model cables constructed from Laminate B failed. Dissection of the first cable did not reveal signs that the failure could be attributed to the insulation or cable construction. The second failure resulted from a low oil level in the test cell which lead to electrical tracking and the eventual failure.
4.6

Model cables impregnated with Polybutene 015 insulating oil were placed in high voltage test cells containing Polybutene 0 6 pipefilling oil. Dissipation factor was measured as a function of stress at 85OC. Data were recorded from 3 model cables at this temperature for each laminate and the average dissipation factor was taken. The results shown in Figure 2 indicate that there is negligible difference between the 3 laminates and all three laminates have a significantly lower dissipation factor than cellulose paper.
4.4

IMPULSE BREAKDOWN OF MODEL CABLES

UNAGED AND

AGED

DISSIPATION FACTOR VS TEMPERATURE

Dissipation factor was measured as a function of temperature at 15 kV/mm, the expected operating stress of a full size cable. These data (plotted in Figure 3 ) indicate that the laminates have similar loss characteristics and that these losses are substantially lower than cellulose paper.
200

Impregnated model cables constructed from the three laminates were placed in cells containing Polybutene 0 6 insulating oil and heated to 90C. The model cables were then subjected to impulses with a 1.5 x 50 p s wave shape as specified in ASTM D 3 4 2 6 . Breakdown data are shown in Figure 6. Since, for a given tape, breakdown strength [3], decreases as thickness increases impulse data for the laminates were normalized to the thickness of the cellulose

025~------

/ -

120
~ ~

~~~

% E d

____/ d

/'

A - Laminale A C - Larninoie C

- Laminate B D - Cellulose

106
7

103
7

S
L

02

U . C 0 .+
(d

0151
I

0 1 -

.v)
v)
'b .

$-+5&--l-:-ixL~
0051
1

c .

._.__.--e
!_==---*?
~

% 5

40

I B

E -~ -~
~ ~~

Q
1

00
1

20
4

Aging Time, hours(x1000)

'

Laminale A Laminate B

Laminate C Cellulose

Unaged

Aged

Fig. 5. Aging characterrstics of model cables at; 105C

tapes. Laminate B had an impulse breakdown strength 10% higher than cellulose, whereas Laminates A and C were 20% higher.
4.6.1

Fig. 6. impulse breakdown strength of unaged and aged model cables.

perforations have not affected the impulse breakdown strength of the model cables suggesting that perforation geometry has a significant influence on impulse breakdown. Included in Figure 7 is a diagram of perforation layouts and geometries.
5.

PERFORATED LAMINATES

The effect of perforations on impulse breakdown strength of model cables was also investigated. Initially this investigation was performed on Laminate A . Perforations were made by pushing 0.51 mm diameter pins through the laminate which created perforations with a cone-shaped geometry having a diameter of 0.43 mm and a density of 3 per 25 mm length of tape. This resulted in a lower breakdown strength, which was thought to occur because of the stress enhancement associated with the perforation geometry. In order to determine if this was the case, model cables were constructed with the same laminate and perforation layout, however the perforations were rolled smooth (or nearly so) before tapes were applied to the conductor. These model cables had a higher breakdown strength, but still lower than model cables constructed from unperforated tapes. In order to evaluate the effect of perforation geometry on impulse breakdown, a cylindrical-shaped perforation which was assumed to provide a more uniform electric field was used. Perforations were made with a punch which left a 1.3 mm diameter hole. Two sets of model cables were constructed from Laminate C which contained 1 perforation per 25 mm and 2 perforations 25 mm. Figure 7 indicates that thZer cylindrical-shaped
201

DISCUSSION

This study evaluated the laminates as to the ease with which the paper is delaminated from the polypropylene both quantitatively ( 9 0 peel test) and qualitatively ( A E I C CS2 90). Results indicate that while laminates A and C lose 50-70% of their inter-layer bond strength after both short-term and long-term aging tests, they retain enough to meet the delamination requirement specified in A E I C CS2-90. Laminate B, however, seems to retain what little bond strength it has after short-term aging, but not after long-term aging. This suggests that a short-term aging test is not a reliable method to evaluate candidate laminates. Results of dissipation factor vs stress, temperature and long-term aging, show that there is no appreciable difference between laminates A , B and C. However, the laminates in general offer significant advantages over conventional cellulose paper in terms of loss characteristics.

6. 1)

CONCLUSIONS All three laminates exhibited markedly lower loss characteristics than cellulose paper. The dissipation factor as a function of stress, temperature and aging time was 113 that of cellulose paper. Laminates A and C had approximately equivalent impulse breakdown strengths which were approximately 20% higher than cellulose paper. Laminate B was only 10% higher than cellulose paper. Delamination of the laminates did not effect breakdown strength or loss characteristics, but would most probably impair the mechanical characteristics of a full-size cable (thermomechanical bending properties in particular) [ 5 ] .

101

97
a7

4)

The perforation geometry had a significant influence on impulse breakdown strength, with cylindricalshaped perforations being less harmful than cone-shaped perforations.

Laminate A

REFERENCES:
W 4 perf125 mrn (unsrnooihsd)
Y-1 perf (1 27 rnrn dla)1%5 rnm

V-Uqperforated laminate

1.

X-2 perf125 mm (smoothed) 2- 2 pert (1.27 m m dra)lZ5 rnm

Fig. 7.Impulse breakdown strength of model cables constructed with perforated laminates.

J.C. Chan, K. Hajra and Z.S. Paniri, "Polypropylene/Paper Laminates as High Voltage Power Cable Insulation8I, 1984 IEEE Conference Record of International Symposium on Electrical Insulation, Montreal, June 11-13, 1984. Chan and K. Hajra, IIEffects of Conductor Screening and Oil-Types on the Electrical Characteristics of Model Cables", IEEE Trans. on Electr. Insul., El-16, No. 5, October 1981. VOL.
J.C.

2.

3.

Results from the study of perforated laminates indicate that impulse breakdown strength is reduced when perforations have a raised or cone-shaped geometry. This is thought to occur as a result of the enhanced electric field gradient. This is supported by impulse breakdown data for model cables constructed from Laminate C which have a larger, yet more uniform cylindrical-shaped perforation. While the results indicate that perforations had a marginal effect on the physical properties of the laminates, it is expected that the mechanical properties (especially bending characteristics) of full-size cables would be impaired. Future work should focus on this aspect of the cable design. On the basis of the data available, it can be seen that long-term aging did not reduce the impulse breakdown strength of model cables (Fig. 6). During the early stages of long-term aging, the dissipation factor of the model cables showed an initial decrease. This phenomenon has been associated with voltage conditioning as reported by Blodgett et a1 [ 4 ] .

H.C. Hall and D. Skipper, 'IThe Impulse Strength of Lapped Impregnated Paper DielectricIf, The Proceedings of IEE, Vol. 103, Part A, No. 12, Dec. 1956. R.B. Blodgett and F.H. Gooding, "Parameters Affecting the Increase in Dielectric Loss Due to Carbon Black Paper Screens for Oil-Paper IEEE Summer General Dielectrics", Meeting and Nuclear Radiation Effects Conference, Toronto, Ontario., June
1963.

4.

5.

V.A.A. Banks and A.C.G. Secrett, "Plastic-Paper Laminate for Oil Filled Cables", IEE, Dielectric Materials, Measurements and Applications, July
1975.

202