Partial Discharge Characteristics of Polymer Nanocomposite Materials in Electrical Insulation: A Review of Sample Preparation Techniques, Analysis Methods, Potential Applications, and Future Trends

Abstract

Polymer nanocomposites have recently been attracting attention among researchers in electrical insulating applications from energy storage to power delivery. However, partial discharge has always been a predecessor to major faults and problems in this field. In addition, there is a lot more to explore, as neither the partial discharge characteristic in nanocomposites nor their electrical properties are clearly understood. By adding a small amount of weight percentage (wt%) of nanofillers, the physical, mechanical, and electrical properties of polymers can be greatly enhanced. For instance, nanofillers in nanocomposites such as silica (SiO2), alumina (Al2O3) and titania (TiO2) play a big role in providing a good approach to increasing the dielectric breakdown strength and partial discharge resistance of nanocomposites. Such polymer nanocomposites will be reviewed thoroughly in this paper, with the different experimental and analytical techniques used in previous studies. This paper also provides an academic review about partial discharge in polymer nanocomposites used as electrical insulating material from previous research, covering aspects of preparation, characteristics of the nanocomposite based on experimental works, application in power systems, methods and techniques of experiment and analysis, and future trends.

A review of thermoplastic elastomeric nanocomposites for high voltage insulation applications

“…Besides, microcomposites exhibit interfacial polarization at low frequency due to the existence of microparticle interfaces which leads to increased dielectric constant. Microcomposites are also susceptible to partial discharge which may alter the dielectric properties of these materials, making them less effective as insulators .…”

The search for enhanced dielectric strength of polymer‐based dielectrics: A focused review on polymer nanocomposites

“…[ 28,29 ] Some reviews discuss the partial discharge (PD) characteristics of polymer nanocomposites. [ 30 ] Some articles only review the electrical treeing studies on how nanofillers mitigate insulation failure in nanocomposites in long‐term breakdown regime. [ 31,32 ] Some articles review the thermoplastic elastomer blends for high voltage cable application, and electro‐active polymers such as silicones for actuation application.…”

A Review on Nanocomposite Based Electrical Insulations

“…Since the last decade, use of nanofiller in XLPE insulation has been gaining much attention. The XLPE nanocomposites have shown some excellent characteristics such as space charge mitigation, improved breakdown strength and resistance against water as well as electrical trees, which makes XLPE nanocomposite a promising material for cable insulation [67][68][69][70][71][72]. The major developments carried out in the field of XLPE nanocomposites is reviewed in the following discussion.…”