Water trees in medium voltage XLPE cables: Very short time accelerated ageing tests

This paper describes a pragmatic method to assess the resistance of polymeric insulation cables to water treeing. Water trees are produced in 12 days in the polyethylene insulation of a real cable by use of a high frequency, high voltage power supply. The first objective was to provide a source of information for asset management (remaining lifetime estimation of installed cables) but it is also applicable for the assessment of new products and allows a rapid comparison between different materials.