Quantifying Properties for a Mechanistic, Predictive Understanding of Aqueous Impact on Ageing of Medium and Low Voltage AC and DC Cabling in Nuclear Power Plants

The project objective is to develop a mechanistic, predictive model of medium and low voltage cable failure based on the primary environmental degradation parameters of aqueous immersion time, temperature and the oxidation extent. The fundamental properties of cable materials under accelerated ageing conditions will be quantified and developed into an equivalent circuit model, which considers multiple mechanisms of degradation including the hypothesized advance of pores. The measurement protocol will determine the response of intrinsic physical properties of the cable including the water reaction-diffusion coefficient, water volume fraction, strain to break, modulus and impedance to the three primary controlled degradation factors. The specific aims are:  Quantify the degradation of prevalent medium power cables as a function of: o Immersion time o Temperature o Oxidation  Develop a mechanistic, predictive model for probabilistic failure of cables due to arcing