Dielectric Properties of Polyvinyl Chloride with Wollastonite Filler for the Application of High-Voltage Outdoor Insulation Material

Even though polymer composite materials have been widely used as an outdoor insulation material, their life expectancy is still unknown. Thus, to develop a better insulation, it is important to determine the electrical properties of the polymeric materials. As mentioned in previous researches, adding filler to the polymer will help to increase the performance of insulating materials. In this paper, a new polymeric insulation material for high-voltage application, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) with the addition of Wollastonite CaSiO3 filler is presented. It was expected that the combination of filler with PVC would give better result when experiencing ageing process. The material would be put into tracking and erosion resistance test first and then analysed in accordance with BSEN 60587: 2007. It would then be further tested through tan delta and dielectric strength test. The thermal heat transfer would be measured before, during and after the ageing process. Water absorption test was also conducted to observe the hydrophobicity characteristics of the insulation material. The water absorption test was based on ASTM D570-98. Comparison would then be made between the PVC with filler and PVC without filler based on the result obtained from the experiment. The results showed that based on the physical characteristics, the addition of filler to PVC gave better results in term of hydrophobicity performance, meanwhile based on the inclined plane test, all samples passed the satisfied condition. However, not all electrical testing showed satisfactory results and further testing should be conducted.