Method for treating electrical cable at sustained elevated pressure

1. A method for enhancing the dielectric properties of an electrical cable segment having a central stranded conductor encased in a polymeric insulation jacket and having an interstitial void volume in the region of said conductor, said method comprising:

(a) filling said interstitial void volume with at least one dielectric property-enhancing fluid at a pressure below the elastic limit of said polymeric insulation jacket; and

(b) confining said dielectric property-enhancing fluid within said interstitial void volume at a residual pressure greater than about 50 psig, said pressure being imposed along the entire length of said segment and being below said elastic limit,

whereby the residual pressure within said void volume promotes the transport of said dielectric property-enhancing fluid into said polymeric insulation jacket.

2. The method according to claim 1 , for use with a cable segment where said central stranded conductor is surrounded by a conductor shield, wherein said dielectric property-enhancing fluid used for filling said interstitial void volume saturates said conductor shield and said polymeric insulation jacket with said dielectric property-enhancing fluid, and wherein said dielectric property-enhancing fluid contained within said interstitial void volume has a weight less than the weight of said dielectric property-enhancing fluid required to saturate said conductor shield and said polymeric insulation jacket.

3. The method according to claim 1 , used for enhancing the dielectric properties of an electrical cable segment having a central stranded conductor no larger than:

(i) 4/0 (120 mm 2 ), when said conductor comprises round strands;

(ii) 4/0 (120 mm 2 ), when said conductor comprises concentric strands;

(iii) 250 kcm (225 mm 2 ), when said conductor comprises compressed strands; and

(iv) 1000 kcm (500 mm 2 ), when said conductor comprises compact strands.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said dielectric property-enhancing fluid is selected such that said residual pressure decays to essentially atmospheric pressure within 2 years of containing said dielectric property-enhancing fluid.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said dielectric property-enhancing fluid comprises a mixture of:

(a) at least one dielectric property-enhancing fluid having a diffusion coefficient of greater than 10 −7 cm 2 /second at 50° C.;

(b) at least one dielectric property-enhancing fluid having a diffusion coefficient of between 10 −8 and 10 −7 cm 2 /second at 50° C.; and

(c) at least one dielectric property-enhancing fluid having a permeability of less than 10 −10 g/second-cm at 25° C. and having at least one property selected from the group consisting of:

(i) a diffusion coefficient of less than 10 −8 cm 2 /second at 50° C., and

(ii) a solubility of 0.0001 to 0.02 grams/cm 3 at 25° C., each property being measured in said polymeric insulation jacket.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said dielectric property-enhancing fluid is a mixture containing at least one component having a permeability of less than 10 −10 g/second-cm at 25° C. in said polymeric insulation and containing no more than two water-reactive groups in each molecule, said component having a dielectric constant which is at least twice that of said polymeric insulation jacket.

7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein said component is a cyano-functional alkoxysilane represented by the formula R x R′ y Si(OR″) z , wherein x=1 or 2, y=0 or 1, z=1, 2 or 3, and x+y+z=4, and wherein R is a cyano-containing organic group having 3 to 13 carbon atoms, R′ an organic group having 1 to 3 carbon atoms, OR″ is at least one water-reactive group selected from the group consisting of an alkoxy group having 1 to 3 carbon atoms and an enol ether group.

8. The method according to claim 7 , wherein x=1, y=1, z=2, R is selected from the group consisting of cyanobutyl, cyanopropyl and cyanoethyl groups, R′ is methyl, and OR″ is a methoxy group and said residual pressure is about 100 psig to about 1000 psig.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said dielectric property-enhancing fluid is a mixture of:

(a) at least one antitreeing agent; and

(b) a water-reactive compound having a diffusion coefficient of greater than 10 −7 cm 2 /second at 50° C. in said polymeric insulation jacket, said mixture having an initial viscosity of ≦100 cP at 25° C., wherein said components (a) and (b) are different.

10. The method according to claim 9 , wherein said antitreeing agent is at least one aryl-functional alkoxysilane mixed with at least one water-reactive compound selected from the group consisting of trimethylmethoxysilane and dimethyldimethoxysilane.

11. The method according to claim 10 , wherein said aryl-functional alkoxysilane is selected from the group consisting of phenylmethyldimethoxysilane, phenyltrimethoxysilane, diphenyldimethoxysilane, and phenylmethyldiethoxysilane, and combinations thereof, and said residual pressure is about 100 psig to about 1000 psig.

12. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said dielectric property-enhancing fluid is supplied at a pressure greater than about 50 psig for more than about 2 hours before being confined within in said interstitial void volume.

13. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said pressure used in filling said interstitial void volume is greater than said residual pressure.

14. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said residual pressure is about 100 psig to about 1000 psig.

15. The method according to claim 14 , wherein said residual pressure is about 300 psig to about 600 psig.

16. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said dielectric property-enhancing fluid is a mixture of acetophenone with at least one component selected from the group consisting of methylphenyl bis (1-phenyl ethenyloxy)silane, methylvinyl bis (1-phenylethyleneoxy)silane, p-tolylethylmethyldimethoxysilane, cyanobutylmethyldimethoxysi lane, and cyanopropylmethyldimethoxysilane, and said residual pressure is about 100 psig to about 1000 psig.