Insulated Cables

Constructional Features
• All electric cables consist of three essential points.
(a) The conductor for transmitting electrical power.

(b) The insulation, an electrical insulating medium, needed to insulate

the conductor from direct contact with earth or other objects, and

(c) External protection against mechanical damage, chemical or

electro-chemical attack, fire or any other dangerous effects external to
the cable.
Other Major Parts of Cable
1. Conductor Screen
2. Insulation Screen
3. Conductor Sheath
4. Filler
5. Bedding / Inner Sheath
6. Individual Screen, Drain Wire, Overall Screen (Instr. Cables)
7. Armour
8. Outer Sheath
Conductor Screen
• A semi-conducting tape to maintain a uniform electric field and
minimize electrostatic stresses (for MV/HV power cables).
• Conductor Screen is semi-conducting material because Semi-
conducting materials do not conduct electricity well enough to be a
conductor but will not hold back voltage.
• It “smoothens” out the surface irregularities of the conductor. The
conductor shield makes the voltage on the inside of the insulation the
same.
• e.g. Carbon Black that is dispersed within a polymer matrix
Simulation
Insulation – Desirable Characteristics
The main requirements of the insulating materials used for cable are:

1. High insulation resistance.

2. High dielectric strength.

3. Good mechanical properties i.e., tenacity and elasticity.

4. It should not be affected by chemicals around it.

5. It should be non-hygroscopic because the dielectric strength of any material goes very
much down with moisture content.
Vulcanized Rubber
• Rubber in its natural form is highly insulating but it absorbs moisture
readily and gets oxidized into a resinous material; thereby it loses
insulating properties.

• When it is mixed with Sulphur along with other carefully chosen

ingredients and is subjected to a particular temperature it changes into
vulcanized rubber which does not absorb moisture and has better
insulating properties than even the pure rubber.

• It is elastic and resilient.

Vulcanized Rubber
The four main types are:
(i) Butyl rubber (85°C),

(ii) Silicon rubber (150°C),

(iii) Neoprene (Fire Resistant), and

(iv) Styrene rubber (Insulating and sheathing of cables).

Polyethylene
1. Low density polyethylene

2. High density polyethylene

3. Linear low density polyethylene

4. Crosslinked polyethylene
Protective Coverings
• Armouring the cables with steel tapes or galvanized steel wires.
• A bedding of compounded fibrous material under the armour is used to
provide a cushion between the sheath and the tapes or wires.
• SWA - Steel wire armour, used in multi-core cables,
• AWA - Aluminium wire armour, used in single-core cables.
• When an electric current passes through a cable it produces a magnetic
field. The magnetic field will induce an electric current in steel armour
(eddy currents), which can cause overheating in AC systems.
• The non-magnetic aluminium armour prevents this from happening.
• Conductor Sheath
A conductive sheath / shield, typically of copper tape or sometimes lead
alloy, is used as a shield to keep electromagnetic radiation in, and also
provide a path for fault and leakage currents.
Lead sheaths are heavier and potentially more difficult to terminate than
copper tape, but generally provide better earth fault capacity.
• Filler
The interstices of the insulated conductor bundle is sometimes filled,
usually with a soft polymer material.
• Bedding / Inner Sheath
Typically a thermoplastic or thermosetting compound, the inner sheath
is there to keep the bundle together and to provide a bedding for the
cable armour.
Cables for 3-Phase Service
1. Belted cables – up to 11 kV

2. Screened cables - from 22 kV to 66 kV

3. Pressure cables - beyond 66 kV.

Belted Cables
Belted Cables
• The belted type construction is suitable only for low and medium
voltages as the electrostatic stresses developed in the cables for these
voltages are more or less radial i.e., across the insulation.
• However, for high voltages (beyond 22 kV), the tangential stresses
also become important. These stresses act along the layers of paper
insulation. As the insulation resistance of paper is quite small along the
layers, therefore, tangential stresses set up leakage current along the
layers of paper insulation. The leakage current causes local heating,
resulting in the risk of breakdown of insulation at any moment.
• In order to overcome this difficulty, screened cables are used where
leakage currents are conducted to earth through metallic screens.
Screened cables

H Type (Named after H. Hochstadter) S. L. (separate lead)

Advantages of H-type cables
• Firstly, the perforations in the metallic screens assist in the complete
impregnation of the cable with the compound and thus the possibility
of air pockets or voids (vacuous spaces) in the dielectric is eliminated.

• The voids if present tend to reduce the breakdown strength of the cable
and may cause considerable damage to the paper insulation.

• Secondly, the metallic screens increase the heat dissipating power of

the cable.
Advantages of S. L. type cables
• Firstly, the separate sheaths minimize the possibility of core-to-core
breakdown.

• Secondly, bending of cables becomes easy due to the elimination of

overall lead sheath.

• However, the disadvantage is that the three lead sheaths of S.L. cable
are much thinner than the single sheath of H-cable and, therefore, call
for greater care in manufacture
Cable Laying Procedures- Direct Laying
• In this method, a trench of about
1·5 m deep and 45 cm wide is
dug.
• The trench is covered with a
layer of fine sand (about 10 cm
thickness) and the cable is laid
over this sand bed.
• The sand prevents the entry of
moisture from the ground and
thus protects the cable from
decay.
Cable Laying Procedures- Direct Laying
Advantages
(i) It is a simple and less costly method.
(ii) It gives the best conditions for dissipating the heat generated in the cables.
(iii) It is a clean and safe method as the cable is invisible and free from external
disturbances.
Disadvantages
(i) The extension of load is possible only by a completely new excavation which
may cost as much as the original work.
(ii) The alterations in the cable netwok cannot be made easily. (iii) The
maintenance cost is very high.
(iv) Localisation of fault is difficult.
(v) It cannot be used in congested areas where excavation is expensive and
inconvenient.
Cable Laying Procedures- Draw-in system
• In this method, conduit or duct of
glazed stone or cast iron or concrete
are laid in the ground with
manholes at suitable positions
along the cable route.
• The cables are then pulled into
position from manholes.
• Three of the ducts carry
transmission cables and the fourth
duct carries relay protection
connection, pilot wires.
Cable Laying Procedures- Draw-in system
• Advantages
(i) Repairs, alterations or additions to the cable network can be made without
opening the ground.
(ii) As the cables are not armoured, therefore, joints become simpler and
maintenance cost is reduced considerably.
(iii) There are very less chances of fault occurrence due to strong mechanical
protection provided by the system.

• Disadvantages
(i) The initial cost is very high.
(ii) The current carrying capacity of the cables is
Types of Cable Faults
• Open-circuit fault-
For this purpose, the three conductors of the 3-core cable at the far end are
shorted and earthed.

• Short-circuit fault-
The two terminals of the megger are connected to any two conductors.

• Earth fault-
One terminal of the megger is connected to the conductor and the other
terminal connected to earth.
Loop Tests For Location of Faults
• Murray Loop Test- Earth Fault
Murray Loop Test- Short-Circuit Fault
Calculation of Fault Distance
Varley Loop Test

It differs from Murray

loop test in that here the
ratio arms P and Q are
fixed resistances.

Balance is obtained by
adjusting the variable
resistance S connected
to the test end of the
faulty cable.
Permissible Current Loading