9523336 Menzel At present there is no quantitative test that will predict the remaining life of a power cable or assess the extent of damage an insulator has sustained. We have developed a technique using laser induced fluorescence which does predict quantitatively the remaining life of power cable artificially aged in a laboratory. Tests on a few pieces of cable removed from service indicate that this should also work on field aged cables. The laser fluorescence technique will be applied to cables removed from service for which the power company can specify cable type and length of service. The goal is to produce a reliable and quantitative method for predicting remaining cable life. We already have qualitative results that show this may be feasible. Success in this work will result in a method by which sensors can be applied to power cables to determine the remaining service life. Cables could, therefore, be scheduled for replacement before failure. ***
