Arc tracking resistance of polymeric materials in oxygen deficient conditions

Polymeric materials are used as liners in pipelines in the oil industry. In some applications, they are subjected to electrical stress in a high-pressure gaseous medium that can have little or no free oxygen. Contact with liquid contamination is a distinct possibility. In order to understand the behavior of polymeric materials under such conditions, a series of laboratory tests were performed using the ASTM - D 2303 Inclined Plane (UP) testing arrangement. Testing was performed under ambient as well as high-pressure conditions produced by nitrogen and methane. The results indicate that the tracking and erosion resistance of materials obtained under ambient conditions can be significantly different from, those obtained in oxygen deficient high-pressure media.