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Bjurström A, Edin H, Hillborg H, Nilsson F, Olsson RT, Pierre M, Unge M, Hedenqvist MS. A Review of Polyolefin-Insulation Materials in High Voltage Transmission; From Electronic Structures to Final Products. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2024:e2401464. [PMID: 38870339 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202401464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2024] [Revised: 05/30/2024] [Indexed: 06/15/2024]
Abstract
This review focuses on the use of polyolefins in high-voltage direct-current (HVDC) cables and capacitors. A short description of the latest evolution and current use of HVDC cables and capacitors is first provided, followed by the basics of electric insulation and capacitor functions. Methods to determine dielectric properties are described, including charge transport, space charges, resistivity, dielectric loss, and breakdown strength. The semicrystalline structure of polyethylene and isotactic polypropylene is described, and the way it relates to the dielectric properties is discussed. A significant part of the review is devoted to describing the state of art of the modeling and prediction of electric or dielectric properties of polyolefins with consideration of both atomistic and continuum approaches. Furthermore, the effects of the purity of the materials and the presence of nanoparticles are presented, and the review ends with the sustainability aspects of these materials. In summary, the effective use of modeling in combination with experimental work is described as an important route toward understanding and designing the next generations of materials for electrical insulation in high-voltage transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anton Bjurström
- Department of Fibre and Polymer Technology, Polymeric Materials Division, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, SE-100 44, Sweden
- NKT HV Cables, Technology Consulting, Västerås, SE-721 78, Sweden
- Wallenberg Initiative Materials Science for Sustainability, Department of Fibre and Polymer Technology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, SE-100 44, Sweden
| | - Hans Edin
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Division of Electromagnetic Engineering and Fusion Science, School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, SE-100 44, Sweden
| | - Henrik Hillborg
- Department of Fibre and Polymer Technology, Polymeric Materials Division, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, SE-100 44, Sweden
- Hitachi Energy Research, Västerås, SE-721 78, Sweden
| | - Fritjof Nilsson
- Department of Fibre and Polymer Technology, Polymeric Materials Division, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, SE-100 44, Sweden
- FSCN Research Centre, Mid Sweden University, Sundsvall, SE-851 70, Sweden
| | - Richard T Olsson
- Department of Fibre and Polymer Technology, Polymeric Materials Division, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, SE-100 44, Sweden
- Wallenberg Initiative Materials Science for Sustainability, Department of Fibre and Polymer Technology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, SE-100 44, Sweden
| | - Max Pierre
- Department of Fibre and Polymer Technology, Polymeric Materials Division, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, SE-100 44, Sweden
| | - Mikael Unge
- Department of Fibre and Polymer Technology, Polymeric Materials Division, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, SE-100 44, Sweden
- NKT HV Cables, Technology Consulting, Västerås, SE-721 78, Sweden
- Wallenberg Initiative Materials Science for Sustainability, Department of Fibre and Polymer Technology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, SE-100 44, Sweden
| | - Mikael S Hedenqvist
- Department of Fibre and Polymer Technology, Polymeric Materials Division, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, SE-100 44, Sweden
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Pourrahimi AM, Mauri M, D'Auria S, Pinalli R, Müller C. Alternative Concepts for Extruded Power Cable Insulation: from Thermosets to Thermoplastics. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2024:e2313508. [PMID: 38607958 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202313508] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2023] [Revised: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024]
Abstract
The most common type of insulation of extruded high-voltage power cables is composed of low-density polyethylene (LDPE), which must be crosslinked to adjust its thermomechanical properties. A major drawback is the need for hazardous curing agents and the release of harmful curing byproducts during cable production, while the thermoset nature complicates reprocessing of the insulation material. This perspective explores recent progress in the development of alternative concepts that allow to avoid byproducts through either click chemistry type curing of polyethylene-based copolymers or the use of polyolefin blends or copolymers, which entirely removes the need for crosslinking. Moreover, polypropylene-based thermoplastic formulations enable the design of insulation materials that can withstand higher cable operating temperatures and facilitate reprocessing by remelting once the cable reaches the end of its lifetime. Finally, polyethylene-based covalent and non-covalent adaptable networks are explored, which may allow to combine the advantages of thermoset and thermoplastic insulation materials in terms of thermomechanical properties and reprocessability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amir Masoud Pourrahimi
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, Göteborg, 41296, Sweden
| | - Massimiliano Mauri
- Department of Materials Engineering, Nexans Norway AS, Knivsøveien 70, Berg i Østfold, 1788, Norway
| | - Silvia D'Auria
- Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parma, 43124, Italy
| | - Roberta Pinalli
- Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parma, 43124, Italy
| | - Christian Müller
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, Göteborg, 41296, Sweden
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Wang JX, Chen YG, Chen JM, Yin ZH, Chen CS, Li YF, Deng T, Guo XB, Zhu MX. Improved Insulating Properties of Polymer Dielectric by Constructing Interfacial Composite Coatings. MATERIALS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 17:59. [PMID: 38203912 PMCID: PMC10779602 DOI: 10.3390/ma17010059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2023] [Revised: 12/14/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024]
Abstract
Polymeric dielectrics exhibit remarkable dielectric characteristics and wide applicability, rendering them extensively employed within the domain of electrical insulation. Nevertheless, the electrical strength has always been a bottleneck, preventing its further utilization. Nanocomposite materials can effectively improve insulation strength, but uniform doping of nanofillers in engineering applications is a challenge. Consequently, a nanocomposite interfacial coating was meticulously designed to interpose between the electrode and the polymer, which can significantly improve DC breakdown performance. Subsequently, the effects of filler concentration and coating duration on DC breakdown performance, high field conductivity, and trap distribution characteristics were analyzed. The results indicate that the composite coating introduces deep traps between the electrode-polymer interface, which enhances the carrier confinement, resulting in reduced conductivity and enhanced DC breakdown strength. The incorporation of a composite coating at the interface between the electrode and polymer presents novel avenues for enhancing the dielectric insulation of polymers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia-Xuan Wang
- College of New Energy, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao 266580, China
| | - Yong-Gang Chen
- School of Science, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao 266580, China;
| | - Ji-Ming Chen
- College of New Energy, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao 266580, China
| | - Zhi-Hui Yin
- College of New Energy, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao 266580, China
| | - Chun-Song Chen
- College of New Energy, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao 266580, China
| | - Yi-Fei Li
- College of New Energy, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao 266580, China
| | - Ting Deng
- College of New Energy, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao 266580, China
| | - Xiao-Bo Guo
- College of New Energy, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao 266580, China
| | - Ming-Xiao Zhu
- College of New Energy, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao 266580, China
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Unge M, Aspåker H, Nilsson F, Pierre M, Hedenqvist MS. Coarse-Grained Model for Prediction of Hole Mobility in Polyethylene. J Chem Theory Comput 2023; 19:7882-7894. [PMID: 37842881 PMCID: PMC10653082 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.3c00210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023]
Abstract
Electrical conductivity measurements of polyethylene indicate that the semicrystalline structure and morphology influence the conductivity. To include this effect in atomistic charge transport simulations, models that explicitly or implicitly take morphology into account are required. In the literature, charge transport simulations of amorphous polyethylene have been successfully performed using short oligomers to represent the polymer. However, a more realistic representation of the polymer structure is desired, requiring the development of fast and efficient charge transport algorithms that can handle large molecular systems through coarse-graining. Here, such a model for charge transport simulations in polyethylene is presented. Quantum chemistry calculations were used to define six segmentation rules on how to divide a polymer chain into shorter segments representing localized molecular orbitals. Applying the rules to amorphous systems yields distributions of segments with mode and median segment lengths relatively close to the persistence length of polyethylene. In an initial test, the segments of an amorphous polyethylene were used as hopping sites in kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) simulations, which yielded simulated hole mobilities that were within the experimental range. The activation energy of the simulated system was lower compared to the experimental values reported in the literature. A conclusion may be that the experimental result can only be explained by a model containing chemical defects that generate deep traps.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mikael Unge
- NKT
HV Cables, Technology Consulting, SE-721 78 Västerås, Sweden
- Department
of Fibre and Polymer Technology, Polymeric Materials Division, School
of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, SE-100 44 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Hannes Aspåker
- NKT
HV Cables, Technology Consulting, SE-721 78 Västerås, Sweden
| | - Fritjof Nilsson
- Department
of Fibre and Polymer Technology, Polymeric Materials Division, School
of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, SE-100 44 Stockholm, Sweden
- FSCN
Research Centre, Mid Sweden University, 85170 Sundsvall, Sweden
| | - Max Pierre
- Department
of Fibre and Polymer Technology, Polymeric Materials Division, School
of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, SE-100 44 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Mikael S. Hedenqvist
- Department
of Fibre and Polymer Technology, Polymeric Materials Division, School
of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, SE-100 44 Stockholm, Sweden
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