Rapid thermal ramp techniques are widely used to assess the properties of p
olymers (e.g. DTA, TGA, etc.). For certain types of processes, slow thermal
ramp methods can assist the process of assessing the longer term ageing an
d life prediction of a polymeric material in complex environments. We will
illustrate this in relation to recent work on the ageing of Kraft electrica
l insulation paper in insulating oil in relation to the longer term ageing
of oil-filled power cables. In this case the key indicators of degradation
were the degree of polymerisation (DP) and the production of gases capable
of dissolving in the oil and measured by dissolved gas in oil analysis (DCA
).
Kinetic modelling of the change in the DP value was used to generate Arrhen
ius parameters and cable life prediction calculations were made for a range
of potential cable operating temperatures. The DP decreases with age and i
ncreasing temperature in a complex chain scission reaction. In parallel, ab
ove 150 degrees C there is a rapid exponential increase in the evolution of
CO, CO2, CH4, C2H4 and C2H6 with increasing temperature. We found that the
rate of degradation of the paper/oil system is dependent on the degree of
containment of the ageing experiments. These results indicate that containm
ent effects and resulting pressure effects exist in this type of accelerate
d non-isothermal ageing experiment and should be accounted for in practical
ageing environments.
The estimated life of the paper can be calculated if we assume that the Arr
henius parameters are representative of the entire degradation process and
if suitable end-of-life criteria can be defined. It is also possible to cal
culate the average operating temperature of an electrical cable over a fixe
d time period, knowing the starting and finishing DP. Some of the attractio
ns, potential weaknesses and use of the slow thermal ramp method in complex
environments are also discussed. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights
reserved.