Investigation on property of electrical tree in crosslinked polyethylene/montmorillonite composites

The power cable is an important component in the power system, and crosslinked polyethylene is widely applied to power cables, electrical tree of XLPE is a troubled one of the reasons widely used XLPE. In the paper crosslinked polyethylene/montmorillonite composites were prepared by peroxide crosslinking method and melting intercalation process, and the processes of electrical tree in initiation and growth were studied by the test system of electrical tree. The results showed when the montmorillonite (MMT) content was the same; the electrical trees induced rate of XLPE/18-MMT-3 is lowest. It showed that montmorillonites treated with different modifiers were impact on property of resisting electrical tree. The property of resisting electrical tree in XLPE/MMT composites was the best, when MMT content was 1%, and that property of resisting electrical tree was improved, when the content of MMT was appropriate.