Investigation of Nanocomposite Polypropylene for DC Capacitors: A Feasibility Study

This paper presents a preliminary feasibility investigation, in the framework of a recent European project, GRIDABLE, aiming at the development of nanostructured Polypropylene, PP, materials as insulation for DC LV-MV capacitors and MV-HV cables. Results of electrical property characterization of various types of PP-SiO2 materials for DC capacitors are presented in this paper, focusing on breakdown strength and space charge measurements. They indicate that the nanofiller may influence the degradation rate of materials, modifying the space charge accumulation dynamics and extent, as well as the threshold field value for space charge accumulation. Statistical analysis of breakdown voltage shows that the presence of nanoparticles may also improve noticeably the breakdown behavior.