Mathematical model of thermal breakdown of electrical insulation made of polymer composite

A nonlinear one-dimensional mathematical model of a thermal breakdown of an electrical insulation having the shape of a hollow circular cylinder caused by the difference of the electric potentials on the cylindrical surfaces is constructed. The cylinder is made of the material that is a composite with a polymer matrix modified by dispersed inclusions improving characteristics of the insulation. The quantitative analysis of the model is carried out for tasks when the density of the heat flow on the inner surface of the cylinder and conditions of convective heat exchange on its outer surface are given. The results of this analysis allow us to determine the possible applications of polymer composites as dielectrics in various high-voltage electrical and electrophysical devices, particularly, as the electrical insulation of conducting strands of high-voltage DC cables.