Analysis of surface degradation of high density polyethylene (HDPE) insulation material due to tracking

In the present work, tracking phenomena has been studied with HDPE material under a.c. voltage, with ammonium chloride as the contaminant. It is noticed that the tracking time depends on the conductivity and flow rate of the contaminant. The diffusion coefficient of the material was obtained. The thermal and chemical stability of the material were identified by carrying out a methodical experimental study. The physico-chemical analyses viz. wide angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), were carried out and it was concluded that the mechanism of tracking process is due to the surface degradation. The surface condition of the insulation structure was characterized for any surface discharges or tracking, using the leakage current measurement, utilizing the wavelet concepts.