During the long-term operation of high-voltage cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) cables, the cable will gradually deteriorate under the effect of various aging factors. Thermal aging is one of the key factors directly related to the long-term operation reliability of the XLPE cables. In this paper, the thermal aging samples are prepared for PDC measurement. Based on the polymer trap theory and the extended Debye model, the shape of PDC curve, depolarization charge, parameters of the extended Debye model, aging factor (A), elongation at break retention rate (EB%) and their relationships under different thermal aging degrees are analyzed. The results show that the depolarization current curve and the depolarization charge can preliminarily judge the aging condition of the XLPE, but it is not accurate enough. R3 and τ3 of the branch, with the largest time constant must be the most sensitive to cable aging. With the increase of aging degree, the A shows an upward trend, and has a nonlinear relationship with EB%. Under the aging temperature of 140 ℃, after 15-25 days of aging, the A suggests the samples are in the moderate to severe aging stage, and the PDC test should be performed on carried out for the cables with that have been used for 21 years of operation to evaluate the insulation aging condition. The study reveals that the PDC-based parameters can be serviced as an effective tool for the aging condition prediction of XLPE cable insulation.INDEX TERMS XLPE cable, polarization/depolarization current (PDC), thermal aging, insulation diagnosis, aging factor, elongation at break.

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