Patent ID: 11887753
Assignee: BATTELLE MEMORIAL INSTITUTE
Field: Measurement (Instruments)
Classification: CPC G  H | IPC G  H

Claim 10:
11. A method for nondestructively assessing cable insulation age-related damage without contacting the insulation but measuring through the outer jacket; the method comprising:
engaging a first (narrow) tine gap interdigital capacitor assembly engaged with a first portion of the exterior of the cable jacket, the first tine gap interdigital capacitor assembly comprising a first electrode, and the engaging comprising aligning the first electrode on the exterior of the cable jacket;
determining a first capacitance or dissipation value of the jacket and insulation using the first tine gap interdigital capacitor assembly;
engaging a second (wide) tine gap interdigital capacitor assembly with a second portion of the exterior of the cable jacket, the second tine gap interdigital capacitor assembly comprising a second electrode, and the engaging comprising aligning the second electrode on the exterior of the cable jacket;
determining a second capacitance or dissipation value of the jacket and insulation using the second tine gap interdigital capacitor assembly, wherein the first and second tine gap interdigital capacitor assemblies have different gap widths and corresponding depths of field; and
estimating capacitance or dissipation factor of the cable insulation using a calibrated regression model, wherein said estimating includes calibrating the regression model by determining 2-factor linear regression coefficients of the regression model based on the first and second values.