Electrical insulation is an integral part of power components. The aging of electrical insulation is an undeniable fact that limits the operational lifetime of power components. Apart from regular aging, abnormal stresses and the development of defects are real threats because of their contribution in accelerating the aging rate and thereby leading to a premature failure of the power components. Over the decades, various studies have been carried out to understand the aging behavior of electrical insulation mainly considering electrical and thermal stresses. Similarly, a number of mathematical (aging) models have been developed based on the theoretical and experimental investigations and evidences. However, a dependable formulation of the models that can provide more practical estimation of the insulation degradation profile has not been achieved yet. This paper presents a comprehensive review of the aging models considering single and multistress conditions. Further, the paper discusses possible challenges and barricades averting the conventional models to achieve a suitable accuracy. Finally, suggestions are provided that can be considered to improve the modeling approaches and their performance.

The partial discharge (PD) measurement is an important method used in determining the condition of medium- and high-voltage cable insulation. Considering the propagation velocity of PD signals in power cables is necessary for determining the location of PD defects. However, the determination of velocity is not straightforward due to propagation-related attenuation and dispersion, which distorts the PD pulse waveform. This introduces a degree of uncertainty into the pulse velocity as well as the PD source locations determined based on that velocity, which is usually considered to be of constant value in PD analysis. This paper investigates the accuracy of the pulse propagation velocity measurement in power cables. Tests were performed on a medium voltage power cable in a laboratory setting using two sets of PD-specific measurement equipment: a high-frequency current transformer (HFCT) and an IEC 60270-compliant conventional measurement system. The propagation velocities and their statistical variability were determined using both devices to assess the uncertainty of the propagation velocity measurement. The results indicate that the measured velocity is slightly higher in the case of the HFCT and that the 50% peak threshold value should be used rather than the peak value of PD sensor response waveforms to increase the precision of velocity measurements.