Event details
Presentation title: Polypropylene/elastomer blend as a promising material for recyclable cable insulation: The importance of compatibility.
Abstract: Polypropylene with high melting point, excellent dielectric property and non-crosslinking molecular structure has been considered as a potential candidate for recyclable power cable insulation both in DC and AC systems. The direct usage of polypropylene as cable insulation is usually restricted since its stiffness is high, the transportation and the layout of cable route will face big challenges. In order to improve the flexibility of polypropylene, a method based on elastomer blending has been proposed. The blending of polyolefin elastomer has been proved to have positive effects on polypropylene as cable insulation. In this presentation, the role of compatibility between the polypropylene and the elastomer will be focused on. Two types of elastomers with different compatibilities with isotactic polypropylene will be compared, their influences on the electrical properties of polypropylene/elastomer blend, such as breakdown strength, space charge accumulation, trap distribution and electrical treeing will be discussed. The results may suggest that the elastomer with better compatibility results in better electrical properties with acceptable mechanical and thermal properties. The importance of compatibility should be taken into deep consideration when developing the polypropylene/elastomer blend as cable insulation in the future.
Biography: Yu Gao received the Ph.D. degree from School of Electrical and Information Engineering, Tianjin University, China in 2009, then he joined in High Voltage and Electrical Insulation Lab in Tianjin University as a lecturer. In 2012, he was promoted as an associate professor in the field of high voltage and electrical insulation technology. From December 2017, he has been working as an Academic Visitor in the University of Southampton, UK. His research interests include ageing phenomena of polymer insulating materials, pulsed power technology and its application in environment engineering, overvoltage mechanism and protection for power system. He has published over 30 peer-reviewed journal papers, more than 60 conference papers, two book chapters with respect to polymer ageing under radioactive environment as author and co-author. He is active in international academic affairs, attending a number of conferences like ISEIM, ICD (ICSD), ISH, ICPADM, CMD and ICHVE. He was awarded the “Most Valuable Poster Presentation” in ISEIM2017. He is a member of IEEE DEIS and a member of DEIS Technical Committee on Nanodielectrics.