1a

WATER BLOCKED MV XLPE CABLE

Testing of water
blocked cables

1b

WATER BLOCKED MV XLPE CABLE

Introduction
1. Introduction

2. Why Water Block Cables?

3. How to Water Block Cables
4. Proving Water Blocking
5. Water Penetration Tests
6. Aspects of a Water Blocked Cable Design
7. Impact of Water Blocking on Lugs and Ferrules
8. Aberdare's Test Rig

2.1

WATER BLOCKED MV XLPE CABLE

Why Water Block Cables?
Water + Any conductive parts
This conducts electricity, causing
Safe surfaces to become live and dangerous.
Instead of insulating, insulators conduct electricity.
In PILC electrical trees will form within the insulation.
Conductive path between phases or from phase to earth =
Remedies
Ensure that cables are always dry inside.
Maintain good insulation radials.
At cable ends keep insulation surfaces smooth.
Ensure insulation and sheathing is free of holes!

2.2

WATER BLOCKED MV XLPE CABLE

Why Water Block Cables?
Water + Electrical stress
This will attack ANY polymer, causing
WATER TREES.
A water tree is a regions of reduced insulation strength.
This is the ONLY known ageing chemical process for XLPE.

Eventually a water tree will cause an electrical tree, and

Remedies
Exclude all impurities.
Ensure that the HUMIDITY within the cable is less than 65%.

2.3

WATER BLOCKED MV XLPE CABLE

Why Water Block Cables?
Water + Oxidizing agents
Oxidizing agents attack metals, causing
Armour to corrode, leaving the cable unprotected and unearthed.
Screens to be interrupted, leading to failure.
Ci

Vp

(Insulation)
Vs

Cs

(Sheath)

Example: On A 300 mm 11 kV single core unarmoured with an interrupted

screen, the screen voltage will be 2 kV. This will puncture the sheath, allowing
water access to the screen.
Tracking will take place along the outer semiconcuctor.
The cable will sizzle for a few minute to a few days, then

3.1

WATER BLOCKED MV XLPE CABLE

How to Water Block Cables:
Radial water blocking
Generalized
cable:
Outer sheath
Metallic sheath
Insulation
Conductor

Radially water blocked below the impervious layer.

Use polyethylene for the impervious layer.
Use metal for the impervious layer.
Use both.

3.2

WATER BLOCKED MV XLPE CABLE

How to Water Block Cables:
Longitudinal water blocking
Generalized
cable:

Outer sheath

Metallic sheath
Conductor
Insulation

Block longitudinal water migration by layer.

Water swellable powders, yarns or tapes.
Bitumen.
Unvulcanized rubber.
Solid conductor.

4.3

WATER BLOCKED MV XLPE CABLE

Proving Water Blocking:
Water penetration test
Defined in SANS 1339, which refers to IEC 60502-2, with an amendment.
Includes 10 heat cycles, each lasting 8 hours.
Frequently a poor design will fail within minutes

5.1

WATER BLOCKED MV XLPE CABLE

Water Penetration Tests:
Standard tests
Step

IEC 60502-2

SANS 60840

IEC 62067

SANS 1339

MV XLPE

HV XLPE

EHV XLPE

MV XLPE

Initial sample size

6m

6m

8m

6m

Condition
Sample size

Bend test
3m

Bend test
6m

Bend test
8m

Bend test
3m

Stripped ring

50 mm

50 mm

50 mm

50 mm

Water head

1,0 m

1,0 m

1,0 m

1,0 m

Filling time

5 minutes

5 minutes

5 minutes

5 minutes

Standing time
Heat cycles

24 hours
10

24 hours
10

24 hours
10

24 hours
10

Cycle duration

8 hours

24 hours

24 hours

8 hours

Heating duration

5 hours

8 hours

8 hours

5 hours

Hold time
Cooling time

2 hours
3 hours

2 hours
16 hours

2 hours
16 hours

2 hours
3 hours

Conductor temp (min)

95 C

95 C

95 C

95 C

Conductor temp (max)

< 100 C

< boiling point

< 100 C

< boiling point

Pass criterion

No leak

No leak

No leak

No leak

6.1

WATER BLOCKED MV XLPE CABLE

Aspects of a Water Blocked Cable Design:
Techniques
To water block the complete cable it is imperative that all material interfaces
are either bonded or have water block material between them.
Each stage of the design is analysed and all interfaces water blocked.
Where electrical contact is required semi-conducting materials are used.

6.2a

WATER BLOCKED MV XLPE CABLE

Aspects of a Water Blocked Cable Design:
Materials

Tapes and Yarns containing Polyacrylate water swellable material.

Tapes can be either semiconducting or non-semiconducting.
Yarns are available in different diameters.
Bitumen is often used to water block wire armouring and also provides
corrosion resistance

6.2b

WATER BLOCKED MV XLPE CABLE

Aspects of a Water Blocked Cable Design:
Materials

Requirements for water blocking materials:

Short term stability
Long term stability
Repeatability of water blocking action
Compatibility between cable materials

6.2c

WATER BLOCKED MV XLPE CABLE

Aspects of a Water Blocked Cable Design:
Materials
Water Swellable tapes

Performance of superabsorbent materials:

Swell Height
Swell speed

6.2d

WATER BLOCKED MV XLPE CABLE

Aspects of a Water Blocked Cable Design:
Materials
Swelling of Superabsorbent materials

6.3a

WATER BLOCKED MV XLPE CABLE

Aspects of a Water Blocked Cable Design:
Conductors
Water blocking of conductors is achieved
using a swellable yarn in the centre and
swellable tapes over each layer of
wires.
Aberdare has completed type tests with
this design.

6.3b

WATER BLOCKED MV XLPE CABLE

Aspects of a Water Blocked Cable Design:
Conductors
Wetting water blocked conductor.

6.4

WATER BLOCKED MV XLPE CABLE

Aspects of a Water Blocked Cable Design:
Copper Tapes
Water blocking of copper tapes is achieved by applying a semi-conducting
swellable tape under the copper tape, which provides electrical contact
between the core screen and copper tape.
Over the copper tape could be water blocked with swellable yarns applied as
a filler during lay up, if required.

6.6

WATER BLOCKED MV XLPE CABLE

Aspects of a Water Blocked Cable Design:
Armour
Water blocking of the armour is achieved by flooding the armour with bitumen
which seals the interstices between the armour wires and enhances the
corrosion resistance of the armour wires.

6.7

WATER BLOCKED MV XLPE CABLE

Aspects of a Water Blocked Cable Design:
Other issues
Special Manufacture
Lead time for materials
Cost increase

7.1

WATER BLOCKED MV XLPE CABLE

Impact of Water Blocking on Lugs & Ferrules:
Concern
Water blocking tape between the layers of a stranded conductor prevents
current from flowing freely between layers.
Over a long length of conductor this is no problem because there is no useful
radial component to current.
It is a concern in the case of lugs and ferrules where there is a significant
radial component to current.
In the steady state the heat sink effect of metals in contact will prevent
dangerous temperatures.

In the transient adiabatic situation short duration high temperatures could

occur.

7.2

WATER BLOCKED MV XLPE CABLE

Impact of Water Blocking on Lugs & Ferrules:
Test method
Comparative testing is carried out between bare conductors without water
blocking components and bare conductors with water blocking components.
Each sample is terminated using lugs, and jointed mid-span with a connector
(ferrule).
The temperatures in the connector, adjacent to the contact between conductor
and connector, as well as of the conductor away from the connector, is
measured.
The conductors are loaded to specific conductor temperatures and the
connector temperatures are measured.
Any increase in the connector temperature for the same conductor
temperature indicates that there is some resistance to radial current at the
connector.

7.4

WATER BLOCKED MV XLPE CABLE

Impact of Water Blocking on Lugs & Ferrules:
Conclusion
Early indications are that there may be a slight increase in resistance to radial
current.
The likelihood of this causing damage to the insulation is low during a fault,
because no insulation should be present at hot spot.
Never-the-less water blocking materials should be removed from conductors
inserted into connectors and lugs, until proven that this is not necessary.

8.4

WATER BLOCKED MV XLPE CABLE

Aberdares Test Rig

Thank you