Heterophasic Polypropylene Power Cable Insulation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current power cables face challenges in achieving a balance between heat resistance, mechanical strength, and environmental friendliness, as well as flexibility, bendability, impact resistance, thermal stability, cold resistance, installability, and workability, due to the limitations of existing insulating materials such as cross-linked polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride.
Innovation Solution
A power cable with an insulating layer formed from a heterophasic polypropylene resin composition that includes a rubbery propylene copolymer dispersed in a crystalline polypropylene matrix, offering a non-cross-linked thermoplastic resin with specific flexural modulus, peak ratio, and xylene insolubility ranges, along with the use of a nucleating agent and insulating oil to enhance heat resistance and mechanical properties while ensuring recyclability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) is used as the base resin of the insulating material, then heat resistance and mechanical strength are improved, but environmental friendliness deteriorates because the resin cannot be recycled and must be disposed by incineration
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical structure parameter of the polypropylene resin by controlling the propylene monomer peak ratio and xylene insolubility to specific ranges, achieving a non-cross-linked structure that maintains mechanical strength while enabling recyclability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a composite insulating layer combining heterophasic polypropylene resin with specific compositional ratios, creating a material that achieves both mechanical strength and environmental friendliness through optimized material composition
2Temperature
If polypropylene resin is used as a base resin, then environmental friendliness and heat resistance are improved, but flexibility and bendability deteriorate due to high rigidity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies the polypropylene resin parameters by controlling the propylene monomer peak ratio (0.3 to 2.0) and xylene insolubility (10% or less), which adjusts the molecular structure to reduce rigidity while maintaining heat resistance
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates local quality variations in the insulating layer by forming a heterophasic structure with specific phase distributions, where different regions have optimized properties for both heat resistance and flexibility
3Object-generated harmful factors
If non-cross-linked high-density polyethylene (HDPE) or low-density polyethylene (LDPE) is used as the insulating material, then environmental friendliness is improved because the resin is recyclable, but heat resistance deteriorates resulting in low operating temperatures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a composite heterophasic polypropylene resin system combining different polypropylene phases with specific compositional ratios, achieving heat resistance comparable to cross-linked materials while maintaining recyclability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the fundamental parameter of using non-cross-linked thermoplastic polypropylene resin instead of cross-linked polyethylene, achieving both environmental friendliness and improved heat resistance through superior material selection
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a power cable including an insulating layer formed of an insulating material that is environmentally friendly and has not only high heat resistance and mechanical strength but also excellent flexibility, bendability, impact resistance, thermal stability, cold resistance, installability, workability, etc., which are trade-off with the physical properties.