Study on insulation performance of EPR cable terminal containing metal particles

Abstract The 35kV EPR cable terminal is widely used in the distribution network. During the production process, metal particles are easily introduced due to environmental and technological reasons, resulting in frequent breakdown of the terminal breakdown accident. In order to study the influence of metal particles on the insulation performance of EPR cable terminals, a model of metal particles defect in cable terminals on the extension line of the main insulation and the control tube is built. The electric field distribution of cable terminals under power frequency voltage is calculated by COMSOL simulation software. At the same time, a sample of cable terminals containing metal particles is made, and local discharge is used. The partial discharge information of the cable terminal sample is tested by the electric test platform. The results show that the introduction of metal particles will increase the electric field distortion inside the cable terminal, strengthen the discharge activity of the cable terminal, and increase the discharge amount significantly, which seriously affects the insulation performance of the EPDM cable terminal.