Electric field criteria for charge packet formation and movement in XLPE

The formation of space charge packets in crosslinked polyethylene (XLPE) tapes from un-aged cable insulation has been studied utilizing the pulsed electroacoustic (PEA) technique. The 150 μm thick sheets were studied under constant applied DC field of 120 kV/mm at a temperature of 20°C for a period of 48 h. After an inception period of ~3.5 h, during which heterocharge accumulates at the anode and increases the local field there, a sequence of positive charge packets was observed to transit the sample starting from near the anode. Calculation of the internal field showed that the packets required a field of ⩾140 kV/mm for their initiation. Reduction of the applied field step-wise from 120 to 80 kV/mm indicated that the charge packet would keep moving as long as the local field at its front was >100 kv/mm, but with a reducing magnitude. A return to an applied field of 120 kV/mm confirmed that the local field required to initiate a new packet was >135 kV/mm. The results are discussed in terms of current theories of charge packet formation. The first packet appears to be a moving front of field ionization. The generation of subsequent packets is governed by the field at the anode and the balance of charge injection and extraction process, which occur there. The nature of the negative charges produced at the ionization front is not clear, but they are unlikely to be electrons