Patent Application
20170244235
The technology disclosed herein relates generally to the field of electric stress relief devices and in particular to an electric field control device for a high voltage cable, to an electric installation and a method of manufacturing the electric field control device.
At a termination end of a high power cable the high voltages will create electric fields and electrical stress, in particular at an outer shield of the cable. High voltage cables therefore need to have some type of stress relief device installed at the termination end thereof for handling these electrical stresses.
A stress cone is one type of such stress relief devices for controlling electric fields particularly at cable terminations, and is in many cases crucial for the functioning and robustness of cable terminations. The stress cones are typically made of two different rubber materials, e.g. semiconducting rubber and insulating rubber, where the shape and difference in material properties guide and distribute the electric field in order to minimize risks of insulation breakdown. A deflector, for instance made of semiconducting rubber, guides the electric field through insulating rubber with high breakdown strength.
In existing high power cable terminations, in particular in high voltage direct current (HVDC) terminations, the stress cone is installed over a field grading adapter in turn mounted over the cable end. A resistive field grading adapter comprising a field grading material redistributes the electric field through its field-dependent conductivity, wherein the electrical conductivity depends on the electric field. The stress cone also provides geometrical field grading in order to control the electric field during transients, such as impulses.
The two separate parts of the stress relief device, i.e. the field grading adapter and the stress cone, installed at the termination of the high voltage cable results in two physical interfaces at which different materials meet. These interfaces may entail shortcomings related for instance to the traditional installation method wherein the field grading adapter is first arranged on the cable end and after which the stress cone is arranged on the field grading adapter. There is a risk of contaminations, e.g. grease and chemicals, being introduced on these parts which may reduce their performance.
The functionality of the stress cone and field grading adapter may further be affected by the presence of voids at the interface being created at the installation. A number of risks have thus been identified and there is a need for improvements in this regards.
An object of the present invention is to solve or at least alleviate at least one of the above mentioned problems.
The object is according to a first aspect achieved by an electric field control device for a high voltage cable. The electric field control device comprises a stress cone and a field grading adapter, wherein the stress cone and the field grading adapter are chemically bonded by vulcanization. The invention provides an electric field control device having an increased operational robustness by having removed a physical interface between the field grading adapter and the stress cone, which could be contaminated during installation. Further, a faster installation is provided as only one body is to be fitted over the power cable end. Further still, the installation is facilitated and made safer in that a single device is to be placed correctly.
In an embodiment, the stress cone comprises a deflector and a rubber part vulcanized together.
In a variation of the above embodiment, the rubber part of the stress cone extends along the length of the field grading adapter, such that the field grading adapter is in contact only with the rubber part of the stress cone. In this embodiment, there is no triple point, i.e. no point at which three different material meet. Risks related to triple points, e.g. dangerously high electric field strength, are thus eliminated.
In an embodiment, the rubber part has essentially the shape of a truncated cone and comprises a circumferential groove at an end thereof opposite a truncated top part of the rubber part, wherein the deflector is arranged along a surface of the circumferential groove. Such groove may be advantageous in some instances, e.g. for providing mechanical support when the electric field control device is being installed.
In an embodiment, the deflector is made of semiconducting rubber and the rubber part is made of insulating rubber.
In an embodiment, the field grading adapter is made of a first field grading material and the rubber part is made of a second field grading material.
In variations of the above embodiment, the first field grading material has different electrical properties than the second field grading material.
The object is according to a second aspect achieved by an electric installation comprising a high power cable comprising an electrical conductor circumferentially surrounded by an insulating layer and conductive shield and comprising an electric field control device according to any of the above embodiments. The electric field control device may be arranged over an edge where the conductive shield is terminated, thus protecting against electric fields created at such location.
The object is according to a third aspect achieved by method for manufacturing an electric field control device for a high voltage cable. The method comprises vulcanizing together a stress cone and a field grading adapter, whereby the stress cone and the field grading adapter are chemically bonded. The method removes the physical interface between the stress cone and the field grading adapter by the vulcanization and thereby reduces the effects of internal defects, such as voids, and contaminants, and thereby also increases the electric breakdown strength of the electric field control device.
In an embodiment, the method comprises, prior to the vulcanizing together the stress cone and the field grading adapter, moulding the stress cone and moulding the field grading adapter.
In an embodiment, the method comprises, prior to the vulcanizing together the stress cone and the field grading adapter, producing the field grading adapter by a taping process comprising wounding a tape made of a field grading material around a cylindrical body.
In an embodiment, the method comprises, prior to the vulcanizing together the stress cone and the field grading adapter, producing the stress cone by a taping process comprising wounding a tape into a body and forming the body into a desired shape of the stress cone.
In an embodiment, the method comprises, wherein the stress cone comprises a deflector and a rubber part, and wherein the method comprises, prior to the vulcanizing together the stress cone and the field grading adapter, vulcanizing together the deflector and the rubber part.
Further features and advantages of the present invention will become clear upon reading the following description and the accompanying drawings.
In the following description, for purposes of explanation and not limitation, specific details are set forth such as particular architectures, interfaces, techniques, etc. in order to provide a thorough understanding. In other instances, detailed descriptions of well-known devices, circuits, and methods are omitted so as not to obscure the description with unnecessary detail. Same reference numerals refer to same or similar elements throughout the description.
In order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention, a brief description of a prior art stress cone arrangement is given with reference to
When the cable 6 is to be connected to e.g. equipment in a substation, is has to be cut and some layers of the cable need to be stripped off, i.e. be removed. The stress cone arrangement 1 is then installed in order to ensure safe operation. At the installation, the field grading adapter 3 is mounted over the cable 6 at the ending thereof so as to cover a surface of the cable 6 from ground to high voltage. The cable 6 is grounded at an outer conductive shield (also denoted outer semicon), and the high voltage is at a connection device of the cable 6. The stress cone 2 is then mounted over, in particular pushed over, the field grading adapter 3, and is thus circumferentially surrounding the field grading adapter 3. This is illustrated in the lowermost part of
The inventors of the present invention have identified the above procedure to pose risks in view of robustness. As mentioned earlier, the two physical interfaces created at the above described installation may introduce contaminations, voids and grease and lower the breakdown strength of the stress cone arrangement, which in turn may endanger the functioning thereof.
The risks and shortcomings of prior art is overcome by various embodiments of the present invention. Briefly, by vulcanizing the field grading adapter and the stress cone at manufacturing thereof, and installing them as a single electric field control device, one or more of the mentioned risks are eliminated.
The stress cone 12 comprises a deflector 14 and a cone shaped rubber part 15, as indicated by reference numeral 12. The deflector 14 may for instance be made of semiconducting rubber, such as carbon black filled Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer (EPDM) rubber. The rubber part 15 may for instance be made of insulating rubber, for example EPDM rubber or field grading material. The stress cone 12 is thus made of two different rubber materials, having different electrical properties. The rubber part 15 and the deflector 14 are chemically bonded to each other by means of vulcanization. The stress cone 12 has a geometrical shape adapted for controlling electric fields in the area of a cable end, and in particular where the semi-conducting shield of the cable is cut away.
The rubber part 15 may have essentially the shape of a cut-off cone, also denoted truncated cone, comprising of a solid material and having a cylindrical bore 18 through along its longitudinal axis. The field grading adapter 13 is in the figure illustrated arranged within this cylindrical bore 18. The outside diameter of the stress cone 12 thus varies from one end thereof to another along its longitudinal axis. At the second end of the rubber part 15 of the stress cone 12, a circumferential groove 17 is provided. The groove 17 may be advantageous in some instances, e.g. for providing mechanical support when the electric field control device 10 is installed. As a particular example, a support of e.g. metal may be fitted into the groove at installation. The support then assures mechanical stability and correct positioning of the electric field control device. The groove 17 thus ensures that the field-grading provided is the desired one by fixating the stress cone in its correct position, which is important for the functioning. However, it is noted that the groove 17 as such is not a part of the actual field grading system and that it could have other designs or be omitted.
The deflector 14 is arranged circumferentially along the surface of the rubber part 15 following the circumferential groove 17. The deflector 14 may have a first thickness closest to the bore 18 of the stress cone 12, which thickness may, but need not, be reduced along its arrangement along the surface of the rubber part 15 as illustrated in
The electric field control device to also comprises the field grading adapter 13. The field grading adapter 13 may comprise a tubular body, e.g. a cylinder of a certain length. The field grading adapter 13 may comprise linear or non-linear resistive field grading material (FGM). A non-linear resistive FGM adapts to the changing electric stresses created in the cable termination end. The resistive non-linear FGM may also respond dynamically to voltage impulse shapes by adapting the conductivity in a non-linear way to the electric field stress experienced. The FGM adapter 13 may be adapted in view of the particular application at hand by adapting its thickness and/or by adapting the FGM to have a desired electric conductivity to meet the expected electrical field stresses of the particular application. The FGM may be characterized in different ways. The conductivity of the non-linear FGM depends on the electric field and varies greatly, in particular to a much larger extent than other materials. The FGM has a field-dependent conductivity that may increase strongly from a low conductivity value to a high conductivity value, i.e. changes from being highly insulating (high resistance) to being highly conductive (low resistance). As a particular, non-limiting example the FGM may have a conductivity in the region of 10−16 or 10−14 Siemens per meter (S/m) in case of being exposed to a low electric field, and change to have a conductivity in the region of 10−3 S/m or 0.1 S/m in case of being exposed to a high electric field. The FGM may for example comprise SiC and/or ZnO and/or carbon black filled polymers, and the characteristics of the FGM may be designed to have a certain conductivity. The FGM may also be designed to have a permittivity (also denoted dielectric constant) set in view of obtaining some capacitive field grading, e.g. by choosing filler material and concentration of the chosen filler material accordingly.
In accordance with the present invention, the field grading adapter 13 and the stress cone 12 are vulcanized together, providing an electric field control device 10 comprising a single body. The field grading adapter 13 is arranged along the inner surface of the stress cone 12, i.e. along the surface of the bore 18 thereof. In the embodiment illustrated in
In an embodiment, both the field grading adapter 13 and the rubber part 15 are made of FGM material and vulcanized together into a single body. For instance, the rubber part 15 may be made of an FGM material having electrical properties different than the electrical properties of the field grading adapter 13.
The vulcanization process used for vulcanizing together the field grading adapter 13 and the stress cone 12 may for example comprise adding a curative, also denoted cross-linking agent or vulcanizing agents, such as sulfur and use high pressure and high temperature. Other examples of vulcanization processes that can be used comprise hot air vulcanization and ultraviolet (UV) light vulcanization. The curatives used in the vulcanization process may for example comprise the mentioned sulfur, or peroxides. During the vulcanization process, the material is modified in such a way that individual polymer chains are cross-linked (bridged). The merging together of two rubber materials by vulcanization is a known process to enhance both the mechanical and electrical stability of the interface. By choosing the vulcanization parameters carefully, cross-linking of the polymers will occur between materials. By removing the physical interface, the effect of internal defects, such as voids, contaminants etc., is greatly reduced. Such defects are a major cause of electrical failure, and by removing them, as is done by the present invention, the electric breakdown strength can be greatly increased. Further, the mechanical stability of the materials will increase when they are merged. The vulcanization process increases adhesion between the materials, preventing slipping, and greatly reduces crack propagation along the interface.
The electric field control device to comprising the chemically bonded field grading adapter 13 and the stress cone 12 (in turn comprising the rubber part 15 and the deflector 14) comprises a single body. The electric field control device to can thereby easily be installed by simply fitting it over the cable ending, and in particular over the outer shield of the stripped cable 16, i.e. over the semicon edge. This is in contrast to the prior art installation, which requires the installation of two separate bodies, the field grading adapter and the stress cone, with the entailing risks thereof as described earlier.
Besides providing an improved robustness in terms of safety, the electric field control device to also enables a faster installation as only one body is to be mounted on the cable end. The installation can also be made safer in that only one body has to be placed and fitted correctly instead of two as in prior art. The risk of misaligning the adapter and the stress cone with respect to each other is also completely eliminated by the present invention providing a single body to be mounted.
The vulcanization process increases the insulation breakdown strength of the interface between the field grading adapter 13 and the stress cone 12. However, there is still a triple point at the onset of the deflector 14, at which three different materials meet. This triple point is encircled in
This embodiment of the electric field control device boa differs from the embodiment described with reference to
The various features of the electric field control device 10, boa that have been described can be combined in different ways, examples of which are given in the following.
An electric field control device 10, 10a for a high voltage cable 16 is thus provided. The electric field control device 10, 10a comprises a stress cone 12 and a field grading adapter 13, wherein the stress cone 12 and the field grading adapter 13 are chemically bonded by vulcanization. The stress cone 12 and the field grading adapter 13 are connected by means of the vulcanization or crosslinking, thereby forming a single body.
In an embodiment, the stress cone 12 comprises a deflector 14 and a rubber part 15 vulcanized together.
In an embodiment, the rubber part 15a of the stress cone 12 extends along the length of the field grading adapter 13, such that the field grading adapter 13 is in contact only with the rubber part 15a of the stress cone 12. The field grading adapter 13 may for instance comprise a tubular body with an inner surface and an outer surface and the rubber part 15a of the stress cone 12 may be arranged on the outer surface of the field grading adapter 13 such that the field grading adapter 13 is circumferentially surrounded by the rubber part 15a of the stress cone 12. The deflector 14 of the stress cone 12 is arranged entirely on a surface of the rubber part 15a. In use, e.g. arranged over the semicon edge of the power cable 16, the inner surface of the tubular field grading adapter 13 is in contact with the power cable 16 and the outer surface of the tubular field grading adapter 13 is in contact with only the rubber part 15, i.e. not in contact with the deflector 14. This embodiment eliminates a triple point, as described with reference e.g. to
In an embodiment, the rubber part 15 has essentially the shape of a truncated cone and comprises a circumferential groove 17 at an end thereof opposite a truncated top part of the rubber part 15, wherein the deflector 14 is arranged along a surface of the circumferential groove 17.
In an embodiment, the deflector 14 is made of semiconducting rubber and the rubber part 15 is made of insulating rubber.
In an embodiment, the field grading adapter 13 is made of a first field grading material and the rubber part 15, 15a is made of a second field grading material.
In variations of the above embodiment, the first field grading material has different electrical properties than the second field grading material. The FGM material of the field grading adapter 13 may for instance be chosen to have a conductivity and/or permittivity different than the conductivity and/or permittivity of the FGM material of the rubber part 15, 15a, e.g. by choosing filler material and concentration of the chosen filler material accordingly, as has been described earlier.
In an aspect, the present invention provides an electric installation comprising a high power cable 16 comprising an electrical conductor circumferentially surrounded by an insulating layer and conductive shield and comprising an electric field control device 10, 10a as described.
The vulcanization process used for vulcanizing together the field grading adapter 13 and the stress cone 12 may for example comprise adding a curative and use high pressure and high temperature, as has been described earlier. Other examples of vulcanization processes that can be used comprise hot air vulcanization and ultraviolet (UV) light vulcanization. The curatives used in the vulcanization process may for example comprise the mentioned sulfur, or peroxides, as has also been mentioned earlier. The vulcanization parameters should be chosen carefully, and may be adapted in view of the material(s) chosen and/or the application at hand. The removal of the physical interface by the vulcanization according to the present invention reduces the effects of internal defects, such as voids, contaminants etc., and thereby increases the electric breakdown strength of the electric field control device 10. Further, the mechanical stability of the materials will increase when they are merged. The vulcanization process increases adhesion between the materials, preventing slipping, and greatly reduces crack propagation along the interface.
In an embodiment, the method 20 comprises, prior to the vulcanizing 21 together the stress cone 12 and the field grading adapter 13, moulding 22 the stress cone 12 and moulding 23 the field grading adapter 13.
In another embodiment, the method 20 comprises, prior to the vulcanizing 21 together the stress cone 12 and the field grading adapter 13, producing the field grading adapter 13 by a taping process comprising wounding a tape made of a field grading material around a cylindrical body. The field grading adapter 13 may then be vulcanized.
In an embodiment, the method 20 comprises, prior to the vulcanizing 21 together the stress cone 12 and the field grading adapter 13, producing the stress cone 12 by a taping process comprising wounding a tape into a body and forming the body into a desired shape of the stress cone 12. The stress cone 12 may for instance be formed into a shape such as the cone-shape that has been described earlier. The forming of the body of tape into a desired shape may be performed for instance by means of cutting or turning (in a lathe). The tape may be made of a material such as rubber or field grading material. The stress cone 12 may then be vulcanized.
The field grading adapter 13 produced by a taping process and the stress cone 12, also produced by a taping process, may then be mounted together and vulcanized into a single body.
Alternatively, the field grading adapter 13 and the stress cone 12 are produced in a single taping process, wherein the field grading adapter 13 is first produced e.g. as described above. The stress cone 12 is next produced by wounding a tape around the field grading adapter 13 into a body, which is then formed into the desired shape of the stress cone 12. The stress cone 12 and the field grading adapter 13 may then be vulcanized together.
It is noted that in still other embodiments, the stress cone 12 may be produced in a different way than the field grading adapter 13. For instance, the stress cone 12 may be produced in a taping process while the field grading adapter 13 is moulded, or vice versa.
In an embodiment, the stress cone 12 comprises a deflector 14 and a rubber part 15, 15a, and the method 20 comprises, prior to the vulcanizing 21 together the stress cone 12 and the field grading adapter 13, vulcanizing together the deflector 14 and the rubber part 15, 15a. The stress cone 12 produced e.g. by the taping process may be provided with a deflector 14 e.g. produced in a taping process, and the stress cone 12 and deflector 14 then be vulcanized together.
The invention has mainly been described herein with reference to a few embodiments. However, as is appreciated by a person skilled in the art, other embodiments than the particular ones disclosed herein are equally possible within the scope of the invention, as defined by the appended patent claims.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2014/067930 | 8/22/2014 | WO | 00 |
