Improving the distribution system capability by incorporating ZnO nanoparticles into high-density polyethylene cable materials | Scientific Reports

Scientific Reports volume 14, Article number: 25834 (2024) Cite this article

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This paper introduces a novel insulated cable designed to enhance the distribution system’s capabilities. Accordingly, high-density polyethylene loaded with varying concentrations of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles (NPs) ranging from 0.0 to 5 wt% was prepared using the melt-blending technique. Zinc oxide (NPs) is synthesized by using sol–gel technique and their microstructure was examined by X-ray diffraction. The new insulated cable, HDPE nanocomposite loaded with 1 wt% of ZnO, demonstrates a 43% reduction in the relative dielectric constant and a 16.5% improvement in breakdown strength compared to pure HDPE. The observed changes in both the dielectric constant and breakdown strength offer several advantages in electrical applications. These benefits include a decrease in feeder current at the same loading level, mitigation of inrush transients during load switching, and a reduction in earth fault current values, particularly in unearthed distribution networks with ungrounded cables. A comparative study is conducted between the conventional insulating cable based on the original material (HDPE) and the new insulated cable incorporating ZnO nanomaterial at a ratio of 1.0 wt% of the total cable mass per unit length. This comparison utilizes data from two actual medium-voltage distribution feeders. Both actual feeders are simulated using the EMTP/ATP package. The obtained results prove the efficacy of the developed material cable (polymer doped with ZnO NPs) compared to the base material. The peak and duration of inrush current can be cut to 77.3% and 67% of their original values, respectively. The earth fault current can be reduced to 56.5% in ungrounded networks, while substation current under the normal operation can be cut to 84.3% with the same load currents.

Electric power distribution is vital for transferring power to end-users. Distribution systems are categorized as grounded or ungrounded. In Egypt, the distribution network is grounded on the medium voltage side. Grounded systems offer constant phase voltages of healthy phases during earth faults and prompt fault detection through overcurrent relays1. Ungrounded distribution systems rely on natural capacitance instead of intentional grounding, resulting in minimal earth fault currents2. This brings both challenges and advantages. Firstly, challenges include potential hazards due to high healthy phase voltages approaching line voltage. Secondly, advantages include minimal equipment damage and no urgent need to isolate faults benefit industrial plants, crucial for maintaining uninterrupted production in regions like Nordic countries. Lowering earth fault currents improves system reliability, security, and service continuity. One focus of this study is to reduce fault currents, especially in ungrounded systems by reducing the capacitance of the electrical cable.

The distribution feeder may be an overhead line, underground cable, or hybrid. In medium voltage networks, there’s a shift towards cable lines and a combination of overhead and underground lines, driven by safety and reliability concerns, especially in densely populated areas. While faults are more likely in overhead lines, they’re often transient, caused by lightning or falling trees. Underground cable faults, usually permanent, can be series or shunt faults due to physical damage or insulation breakdown3. Majority are earth faults, posing challenges for researchers. Therefore, this study focus on earth faults.

Distribution feeders in electrical systems require protection against various abnormal conditions such as phase and earth faults, overloading, and overvoltages. Grounded networks typically use overcurrent relays for protection, while ungrounded ones rely on overvoltage relays. Ensuring reliable protection for feeders is crucial. Recently, transient-based protection has been introduced2, particularly in ungrounded networks, but it encounters challenges like misoperation due to inrush currents from events like load switching. Inrush currents, which can be 6–8 times the full load peak current, are influenced by switching angles and feeder configuration4,5. Avoiding the maloperation of protective devices due to magnetizing inrush current in power transformers is a crucial task. Therefore, the instantaneous overcurrent relays installed on the primary side of the transformers should be set to a high value, typically between 125 and 150% of the short-circuit current that occurs at the low voltage side busbar, referenced to the high voltage side6. The transformer instantaneous units need to be overridden during inrush currents using more advanced techniques to avoid the loss of selectivity (preventing power interruption of healthy loads) while maintaining sensitivity. In7, the discrimination between internal faults and magnetizing inrush currents is accomplished by using an artificial neural network optimized with particle swarm optimization. However, the method described in7 requires retraining under any significant change in the system. In8, the reliability of protective devices in power transformers against magnetizing inrush currents is improved by using a fault current limiter. However, the method described in8 will lead to increased costs, particularly when it comes to superconducting fault current limiters. Another focus of this study is reducing the occurrence of protection system malfunctions caused by inrush currents during load switching by reducing the capacitance of the electrical cable. The presented solution is reliable and cost-effective compared to other existing methods7,8.

The electrical properties of cables, influenced by factors like type, size, conductor spacing, and grounding configuration, differ from overhead lines. Cables have lower impedances due to closer conductor spacing but higher capacitance due to proximity between conductors and sheath, along with insulation’s dielectric constants. This leads to a surge impedance about 13% of overhead lines. Therefore, lowering capacitance increases feeder capacity, which is a focal point in distribution system operation and maintenance (representing the final focus of this study). Finally, one can conclude that the capacitance of the electrical cable is a crucial variable in distribution systems.

Insulating polymers are widely used in electrical distribution systems due to their durable mechanical properties, flexibility, and lightweight9. One of the most significant polymers for insulation is polyethylene. Because of its good hardness, strong corrosion resistance, low absorption of moisture, and ease of processing, polyethylene represents a thermoplastic polymer and is the most extensively produced synthetic polymer10,11,12,13.

Pure HDPE, like the majority of pure insulating polymers, has poor ageing performance, low temperature stability, and flammability, which make it unsuitable for practical use in electrical power systems. Inorganic nanoparticles (NPs) have been introduced to mitigate such problems14,15,16,17,18. Recently, numerous studies have been conducted to improve the dielectric performance of the insulating polymer by incorporating inorganic nanoparticles (NPs) into the insulating polymer under the name "nanocomposite". In addition, the merits of both organic and inorganic materials are combined in nanocomposites. Due to the smallest size of inorganic (NPs), the generated interface zones between NPs and the insulating polymer are enormous. The abundance of interfacial zones in nanocomposite scatters the path of the electric current, traps free electrons, restricts orientated dipoles, and acts as heat sinks to increase the thermal conductivity of the host polymer19,20,21,22.

This paper makes a significant contribution by enhancing the capabilities of the distribution system through the introduction of a novel insulated cable. The newly designed cable incorporates ZnO (NPs) with a concentration of 1.0 wt% into the original material HDPE. This modification results in a 43% reduction in the relative dielectric constant, bringing about numerous advantages in electrical applications. These benefits include a decrease in feeder current for the same loading level, mitigation of inrush transients during load switching, and a reduction in earth fault current values, particularly in ungrounded networks. To evaluate the effectiveness of the new insulated cable, a comparative study is conducted between the conventional insulating cable based on the original material (HDPE) and the innovative insulated cable incorporating ZnO nanomaterial at a ratio of 1.0 wt% of the total cable mass per unit length. This comparison utilizes data from two actual medium-voltage distribution feeders. The performance of the actual feeders is simulated using the EMTP/ATP package.

ZnO nanoparticle has been synthesized using the sol–gel mechanism. The raw materials used in synthesis without further purification are zinc acetate dihydrate [Zn(CH3COO)2.H2O], diethanolamine [HN(CH2CH2OH)2, DEA], and isopropanol alcohol. In this process, isopropanol alcohol served as the solvent, while DEA acted as the stabilizer. Initially, Zn(CH3COO)2.H2O was dissolved in isopropanol with a concentration of 0.4 M by stirring at 60 °C for 1 h. Then, the stabilizer (DEA) was gradually dropped to the obtained solution in a molar ratio three times that of Zn(CH3COO)2.H2O. The mixture was maintained under typical stirring conditions for another hour to form a clear and homogeneous gel. The resulting gel was refluxed for 1 h at 140 °C. Finally, the obtained powder was calcined at 600 °C for 6 h to produce the final nanoparticle powder. The crystal structure of the resulting powder was characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD) with a Philips computerized diffractometer (model XPERT-MPDUC PW 3040) equipped with a CuKα radiation source operating at 1600 W (40 kV and 40 mA), with a wavelength of λ = 0.15406 nm.

The distribution system uses conventional HDPE. The concept of the work is to introduce ZnO nanoparticles (1 weight percent) to HDPE insulating cables. Therefore, the additional cost of this concept over the conventional HDPE was caused by NPs. HDPE costs 0.8 $/kg when it is used in the conventional cable.

The cost of one kilogram of new cable increases from 0.8 to 1.342 $ when one weight percent of HDPE is substituted with ZnO nanoparticles. For every kilogram of HDPE, 10 g of ZnO NPs are needed for doping.

To make 10 g of zinc oxide nanoparticles, the following materials are needed:

(isopropanol alcohol, diethanolamine [HN(CH2CH2OH)2, DEA]) with cost (0.34 $)

Zinc acetate dehydrates with cost (0.21$). As a result, the total cost of ten grams of zinc oxide nanoparticles is 0.55 $27.

10 g of zinc oxide nanoparticles, which cost 0.55 $, are substituted for 10 g of HDPE, which cost 0.008 $. Therefore, the cost of one kilogram of new cable increases from 0.8 to 1.342 $ when one weight percent of HDPE is substituted with ZnO nanoparticles. As zinc acetate, the raw ingredient is cheap, the cost of zinc oxide nanoparticles is limited27.

Nanocomposites of HDPE/ZnO with various concentrations of ZnO nanoparticles were fabricated according to the melt blending technique using the facilities of Plastic Technology Center in Alexandria-Egypt. The required amounts of HDPE and ZnO nanoparticles for each composite were mixed together at room temperature (RT) in powder form to ensure the permeation process. The total mass of each composite was maintained at 50 g. Subsequently, the resulting powder mixture was introduced into a two-roll mill with a rotational speed of 30 rpm at a temperature of 140 °C for 10 min. To complete the mixing process, each sample was subjected to a pressure of 30 bar for 15 min at 160 °C using a SAUMYA hydraulic compression mold. The resulting sheets of nanocomposites, with thicknesses ranging from 0.3 to 0.5 mm, were allowed to cool gradually. The schematic diagram for samples preparation and the testing setup procedures is shown in Fig. 1.

Schematic diagram for samples preparation and the testing setup procedures.

The dielectric spectroscopy of the investigated nanocomposites was conducted using the LCR bridge Hioko 3532-50 Hi tester. The tested samples, with a disk shape of 3 cm in diameter, were placed as a sandwich between two copper electrodes. LabVIEW-based software was utilized to record dielectric spectroscopy parameters 15 times for each frequency step during 5 s and to estimate the average value. The DC dielectric strength was measured in accordance with the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standard. The measurements were carried out by gradually increasing the applied voltage at a uniform high ramp rate of 1 kV/s. The voltage supply was automatically disconnected at breakdown, and the voltage reading was considered the breakdown voltage. The DC dielectric strength values were estimated by dividing the measured breakdown voltage by the thickness of the investigated sample.

The electrical cables possess capacitance between the conductor core and the sheath, facilitated by the insulating material. As the length of the electrical cable increases, the total capacitance also increases. This is attributed to capacitors distributed along the cable, operating in parallel. The cable’s capacitance is influenced by the cable’s dimensions and the dielectric constant of the insulating material. Reducing the dielectric constant of the insulating material provides a means to decrease the cable’s capacitance.

The dielectric constant pertains to the ability of a dielectric material to store electrical energy. The selection of the dielectric material type is contingent upon the specific application. Materials with a low dielectric constant find use in electrical power cables to minimize stray capacitance. Conversely, materials with a high dielectric constant are employed in capacitors within electrical batteries to achieve higher stored energy levels. The value of the dielectric constant is determined by the type of dielectric material. For a given dielectric material type, the dielectric constant varies with the frequency of the applied field and the ambient temperature. In the case of the new insulated cable, a reduction in the dielectric constant of the material under the same applied field frequency and ambient temperature is confirmed by altering the structure of the base material. The dielectric constant of the insulating material can be substantially decreased by incorporating nanofillers to create a nanocomposite. This nanocomposite involves the blending of base material HDPE and ZnO NPs filler.

The XRD pattern of the synthesized ZnO powder is presented in Fig. 2. It can be observed that all diffraction lines indicate the formation of the wurtzite structure type of ZnO, based on standard crystallographic data recorded in the reference pattern (JCPDS 36-1451). The crystallite size (D) of ZnO nanoparticles was calculated from the line broadening of X-rays using Scherrer’s equation23,24. The estimated values of D for all detected diffraction lines revealed that the obtained ZnO powder had a nano-size ranging from 28 to 41.5 nm, with an average value of approximately 35 nm.

XRD pattern of the synthesized ZnO powder.

Table 1 shows the variation of dielectric constant (ε′) at a frequency of 10 kHz and DC breakdown strength of HDPE as a function of ZnO NPs concentration. As observed in Table 1, ε′ of HDPE decreases with increasing ZnO NPs concentration up to 1 wt% and then slightly increases for further concentrations. The impact of NPs on the degree of freedom of polymer chains and the dipole–dipole interaction of densely packed NPs are the causes of this non-monotonic alteration that occurs in nanocomposites as filler concentration increases. This dependency indicates a well-established interaction zone between NPs and the HDPE matrix. FE-SEM is used to analyze the distribution of ZnO NPs in the HDPE sample. Figure 3 displays the FE-SEM for HDPE/3 wt% ZnO NPs nanocomposite. This figure shows that there is more contact between the NPs and the polymer matrix due to the absence of agglomerations and the uniform distribution of NPs. Specifically, the improvement in the number of interaction zones at 1 wt% and 3 wt% is attributed to the good dispersion of ZnO NPs throughout the polymer matrix, reducing chain movement due to physical bonding, thereby decreasing molecular polarization contribution. For concentrations greater than 1 wt%, the number of interaction zones between the polymer matrix and NPs decreases due to the probable increase in NPs agglomeration density. Table 1 also shows that the recorded breakdown strength for nanocomposites with concentrations of 1 and 3 wt% is higher than those for pure samples. In comparison to a pure HDPE sample, the increase in dielectric strength for the HDPE/1 wt% ZnO NPs sample was 17.1%. The observed trend in breakdown strength, dependent on the concentration of nano-fillers, supports the role of interfacial area in distributing electric stress and the path length of breakdown. It’s vital to note that during the manufacturing process of polymer foils, void defects and electromechanical stress-induced cracks may emerge. These imperfections are crucial in enabling the injected electrons to obtain enough energy from the electrodes. This more energy further starts the electron avalanche and raises the likelihood that macromolecules will ionize. This causes the final breakdown and conducting channel growth to occur more quickly16,21. Nevertheless, ZnO NPs added to the polymer matrix may function as heterogeneous nucleation agents, promoting crystalline development and lowering the likelihood that macroscopic border voids would occur as a result21,22. The breakdown strength values grow to up to 3 weight percent of ZnO, indicating that high interfacial area is made possible by such low filler concentrations. The distribution of electric stress and extension of the breakdown path can result from this enormous interfacial region16,22. The addition of ZnO NPs, at 1 and 3 weight percent, to the HDPE matrix results in an increase in the number of trapped charge carriers, which helps to slow down carrier mobility and postpone final breakdown.

FE-SEM micrographs for HDPE/3 wt% ZnO nanocomposites.

The smallest value of the dielectric constant and the highest value of breakdown strength are obtained with a 1.0 wt% concentration of NPs. Therefore, the composite with this concentration of NPs is selected and compared with pure polymer HDPE. A comparative study is conducted between the conventional insulating cable based on the original material (HDPE) and the new insulated cable. The comparison is carried out using two typical medium voltage distribution feeders.

The newly proposed material clearly demonstrates an improvement in short-time breakdown strength. Electric strength measurements not only served the purpose of assessing short-term behavior under electrical stress but also provided indications for the design of constant-stress (life) tests. The adopted design-test procedure was based on the classic inverse-power law25,26.

where L is the lifetime, E is the electric field, Eh and th are the limits of the electric field and corresponding failure time, and n is the so-called endurance coefficient.

Without long-term tests, we can only observe that the values of the endurance coefficient, n, are consistent with those reported in the literature, typically ranging from 15 to 20 at 20 °C26. This suggests that the estimation thus obtained can be considered a valid tool for designing stress inference, assuming that this stress is determined by Eq. 1. Figure 4 depicts the endurance coefficient values for conventional and new insulated materials. Significant differences in endurance coefficient values are apparent from the lifelines obtained for conventional and new insulated cables, as shown in Fig. 4. The endurance coefficient values indicate that the lifetime of the new insulated material cable is higher than that of the conventional material cable.

Endurance lines at 20 °C for both conventional and new insulated material cable.

Two typical electrical medium voltage distribution systems are selected for the comparative study, as shown in Fig. 5a and b. The first system is an actual ungrounded electrical medium voltage feeder taken from the electricity network in Finland, as shown in Fig. 5a. This system is nonhomogenous, consisting of underground cable segments cascaded with overhead lines. Both the underground cable segment and the overhead line segment are modeled with π-circuits, and their parameters are illustrated in Tables 2 and 3.

(a) Single line diagram of a typical medium voltage system in Finland. (b) Single line diagram of a typical grounded medium voltage system in Quaisna-Menoufia-Egypt.

The second system is a typical grounded electrical medium voltage distribution system in Menoufia, Egypt, as shown in Fig. 5b. This system only consists of underground cables. Each underground cable segment is also modeled with π-circuits, with parameters identical to those illustrated in Table 2. The length of each underground cable segment and each load value are declared in Table 4. Both actual feeders are simulated using the EMTP/ATP package.

A comparison is conducted between conventional and new insulated cables. The comparison is carried out from the perspectives of inrush current, earth fault current magnitude, and feeder capacity for the two real simulated systems.

The inrush currents resulting from load switching with conventional and new insulated cables are illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7 for different switching angles (90° and 0°) for phase voltage "a" of the ungrounded distribution feeder, representing the first simulated system. Figures 6 and 7 demonstrate that the instantaneous values of the inrush current and its duration are reduced with the new insulated cable compared to the conventional insulated cable. Specifically, by incorporating NPs into the conventional base material, the peak value of inrush current (Iinrush_p) is reduced from 194 to 150 A at a switching angle of 90° and from 159.5 A to 124 A at a switching angle of 0°. Additionally, the duration of transient current (Δt shown in Fig. 6b and c) is reduced from 0.016 s to 0.012 s at a switching angle (α) of 90°. Similarly, the duration of transient current (Δt shown in Fig. 7b and c) is reduced from 0.0164 s to 0.0115 s at a switching angle of 0°. In other words, the peak value of inrush current (Iinrush_p) is reduced to 77.3% or 77.75% of its original value at a switching angle of 90° or 0°, respectively. Simultaneously, the duration of transient current (Δt) is reduced to 75% or 70.12% of its original value at a switching angle of 90° or 0°, respectively, with the first simulated system.

The inrush current waveforms due to the load switching at 90° angle for phase a voltage waveform of the first feeder with both of conventional and new insulated cable. (a) Three phase voltage waveforms with switching instant at peak for phase voltage a. (b) Three phase current waveforms declaring inrush current due to switching with the conventional insulated cable. (c) Three phase current waveforms declaring inrush current due to switching with the new insulated cable.

The inrush current waveforms due to the load switching at 0° angle for phase a voltage waveform of the first feeder with both of conventional and new insulated cable. (a) Three phase voltage waveforms with switching instant at zero crossing for phase a. (b) Three phase current waveforms declaring inrush current due to switching with the conventional insulated cable. (c) Three phase current waveforms declaring inrush current due to switching with the new insulated cable.

Therefore, one can conclude that the proposed insulated cable provides an opportunity to avoid maloperation of the installed protection system. The same conclusion is drawn for the grounded distribution feeder, representing the second simulated system, as shown in Figs. 8 and 9. Consequently, one can conclude that the Iinrush_p is reduced to 80.4% or 78% of its original value at a switching angle of 90° or 0°, respectively, with the second simulated system. Simultaneously, the Δt is reduced to 69% or 67% of its original value at a switching angle of 90° or 0°, respectively, with the second simulated system.

The inrush current waveforms due to the load switching at 90° angle for phase a voltage waveform of the Egyptian grounded, second, feeder with both of conventional and new insulated cable. (a) Three phase voltage waveforms with switching instant at peak for phase voltage a. (b) Three phase current waveforms declaring inrush current due to switching with the conventional insulated cable. (c) Three phase current waveforms declaring inrush current due to switching with the new insulated cable.

The inrush current waveforms due to the load switching at 0° angle for phase a voltage waveform of the Egyptian grounded, second, feeder with both of conventional and new insulated cable. (a) Three phase voltage waveforms with switching instant at peak for phase voltage a. (b) Three phase current waveforms declaring inrush current due to switching with the conventional insulated cable. (c) Three phase current waveforms declaring inrush current due to switching with the new insulated cable.

The earth fault current value is significantly reduced with the new insulated cable compared to the conventional insulated cable when the distribution feeder is ungrounded, as depicted in the first feeder illustrated in Fig. 10. Under this condition, the earth fault current circulates only through the capacitors. Figure 10 illustrates the instantaneous waveforms of earth fault current with both conventional and new insulated cables. The earth fault current value is reduced from 39.3 to 22.2 A (root mean square value). One can conclude that the earth fault (If) current value is reduced to 56.5% of its original value with the first simulated system. This reduction decreases the energy absorbed by the electric arc. Consequently, the fault arc may not sustain itself.

The earth fault current waveforms when the first feeder is ungrounded network. (a) The earth fault current waveform when the network is ungrounded network with conventional insulated cable. (b) The earth fault current waveform when the network is ungrounded network with new insulated cable.

The difference between the earth fault current values associated with both conventional and new insulated cables decreases with decreasing grounding resistance, as illustrated in Fig. 11. Figure 11a shows that the capacitor value almost does not affect the earth fault current value with a low impedance grounding system. Figure 11b demonstrates that the capacitor value significantly influences the earth fault current value with a high-impedance grounding system. The maximum change occurs when the distribution feeder is ungrounded. The same conclusion is reached for the grounded distribution feeder, representing the second simulated system, as shown in Figs. 12 and 13.

The earth fault current values as a function of grounded resistance for the first feeder. (a) The earth fault current value with different low impedance grounding resistance with both of conventional and new insulated cable. (b) The earth fault current value with different high impedance grounding resistance with both of conventional and new insulated cable.

The earth fault current waveforms when the Egyptian, second, feeder is ungrounded network. (a) The earth fault current waveform when the network is ungrounded network with conventional insulated cable. (b) The earth fault current waveform when the network is ungrounded network with new insulated cable.

The earth fault current waveforms when the Egyptian feeder is grounded network. (a) The earth fault current value with different low impedance grounding resistance with both of conventional and new insulated cable. (b) The earth fault current value with different high impedance grounding resistance with both of conventional and new insulated cable.

The feeder current for the same loading level is approximately reduced from 19.1 to 16.1 A for the first simulated systems, as illustrated in Table 5. The substation current (Isup) is reduced to 84.3% of the original value while maintaining the same load currents with the first simulated systems, providing an opportunity to increase the feeder loading capacity. With the new insulated cable, the reduction of stray capacitance through the transmission system leads to decreased reactive power drawn from the supply, resulting in reduced power losses through the transmission system. Furthermore, the cable size can be reduced, thus lowering the cost, as the selection of the cable size depends on load current, fault current, and voltage drop28,29.

For the second simulated system, the feeder current is detailed in Table 6. The substation current (Isup) remains approximately constant at full load. Conversely, for light loads, the substation current of the new insulated cable (Isup) is reduced to 95% of the original value. At full load, large loads with significant reactive power may be compensated using high-capacitance cables rather than low-capacitance cables. Finally, Table 7 compares the performance of the presented insulated cable with that of a conventional insulated cable under different conditions, highlighting the merits of the presented insulated cable. The peak and duration of the inrush current can be reduced to 77.3% and 67% of their original values, respectively. Additionally, the earth fault current can be lowered to 56.5% in ungrounded distribution networks, while the substation current can be decreased to 84.3% with the same load currents.

The melt-blending approach was used to manufacture high-density polyethylene loaded with different amounts of zinc oxide (ZnO) NPs ranging from 0.0 to 5 wt%. Zinc oxide (NPs) are made by the sol–gel method, and X-ray diffraction was used to analyze the microstructure of the material. The produced ZnO powder had an average nano-size of about 35 nm. HDPE’s ε′ falls as ZnO NP concentration rises to 1 weight percent, after which it slightly increases. The endurance coefficient results show that the recently developed material cable has a longer lifespan than the traditional material cable. The polymer doped with ZnO NPs at a concentration of 1.0 wt% used for insulation cable has a positive effect on the inrush current for both grounded and ungrounded systems, as well as decreasing the feeder current for the same loading level. It also has a positive effect on fault current for ungrounded and high-impedance grounded systems, while it does not affect the grounded system. Additionally, it increases the dielectric strength for the short-term and lifetime of the cable compared to the base material. Therefore, the new insulated material (polymer doped with ZnO NPs) would be preferred for use in insulation cable. The performance of the introduced insulated cable is compared with that of the conventional cable under various conditions, showcasing the following advantages of the introduced cable:

The new insulated cable reduces stray capacitance in the transmission system, decreasing reactive power drawn from the supply and lowering power losses. This allows for smaller cable sizes and reduced design costs under the same load conditions or the potential for increased loads with the same cable size.

Earth fault current can be reduced to 56.5% of its original value, decreasing energy absorbed by the electric arc and potentially preventing sustained fault arcs.

The proposed insulated cable helps prevent protection system malfunctions from inrush currents, reducing peak and duration of inrush current to 77.3% and 67% of their original values.

All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article. You can contact the corresponding author for any data request from this study (e-mail: [email protected]).

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The authors extend their appreciation to the Deanship of Scientific Research at Northern Border University, Arar, KSA for funding this research work through the project number “NBU-FFR-2024-1250-05”.

Open access funding provided by The Science, Technology & Innovation Funding Authority (STDF) in cooperation with The Egyptian Knowledge Bank (EKB).

Electrical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Damanhour University, Damanhour, Egypt

Mahmoud A. Elsadd

Basic Engineering Science Department, Faculty of Engineering, Menoufia University, Shebin El-Kom, 32511, Egypt

Ragab A. Elsad & Shehab A. Mansour

Department of Physics, College of Science, Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Maryam Al Huwayz

Department of Physics, College of Science, King Faisal University, 31982, Al Ahsa, Saudi Arabia

Shehab A. Mansour

Department of Electrical Engineering, College of Engineering, Northern Border University, 1321, Arar, Saudi Arabia

Mohamed S. Zaky

Electrical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Menoufia University, Shebin El-Kom, 32511, Egypt

Nagy I. Elkalashy & Mohamed A. Izzularab

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Conceptualization, M.A.E., R.A.E., M.A.H.; Software, R.A.E., M.A.E.; Formal analysis, S.A.M., N.I.E.; Writing—original draft, R.A.E., M.A.E.; Writing—review and editing, N.I.E., M.S.Z., M.A.I.; Supervision, N.I.E., M.S.Z., M.A.I. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Correspondence to Mohamed S. Zaky or Nagy I. Elkalashy.

The authors declare no competing interests.

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A. Elsadd, M., Elsad, R.A., Huwayz, M.A. et al. Improving the distribution system capability by incorporating ZnO nanoparticles into high-density polyethylene cable materials. Sci Rep 14, 25834 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-67854-5

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Received: 21 April 2024

Accepted: 16 July 2024

Published: 28 October 2024

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-67854-5

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