CABLES & WIRES

LABORATORY

ELECTRICAL RESEARCH AND

DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION
(Accredited by the National Accreditation Board for Testing
and Calibration Laboratories, Govt. of India)

FOUR DECADES OF SERVICE TO ELECTRICAL UTILITIES & INDUSTRIES

1. INTRODUCTION
Various types of cables are used for household wiring, domestic appliances, railways, industrial and urban distribution
systems, safety alarms and find special applications in hospitals, lifts and conveyers. Any situation may become critical due to
failure of a cable and therefore various national / international standards are in force to govern the quality of a cable.

ERDA is fully equipped with all required facilities for testing and evaluation of PVC, XLPE, Elastomer, aerial bundelled, FR –FRLS,
FS, LT / HT cables up to 66 kV and their respective raw materials.

2. ACCREDITATIONS & RECOGNITIONS

ERDA is Accredited / Recognized as under:
International Accreditations/Recognitions
Intertek (ASTA-BEAB) for Switchgear, Cables & Transformers
?
Underwriters' Laboratories (UL) for Certification Testing of Switchgear Product
?
TÜV Rheinland (India) Pvt. Ltd.,
?
Certification after Recognition of Agent's Testing (CARAT), TÜV-PS, Germany
?

National Accreditations/Recognitions
National Accreditation Board for Testing & Calibration Laboratories (NABL) Government of India
?

Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS)

?

Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), Government of India for LOCA Qualification and Seismic testing of electrical
?
equipment
Bureau of Energy Efficiency for Standards & Labeling Programme for Motors & Pumps, Geysers, Refrigerators, Lamps,
?
Transformers etc.
Department of Scientific & Industrial Research (DSIR), Government of India
?

Gujarat Electricity Regulatory Commission, Madhya Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission and
?
Rajasthan State Electricity Regulatory Commission for Energy Meters
Director of Boilers, Government of Gujarat
?

Charity Commissioner, Government of Maharashtra

?

Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), Petroleum Conservation Research Association (PCRA), Gujarat Energy
?
Development Agency (GEDA), Maharashtra Energy Development Agency (MEDA), Office of Chief Electrical
Inspector, Government of Gujarat, Energy Management Centre (EMC), Kerala in their respective jurisdictions for
Energy Audit
Directorate General - Factory Advice Service and Labour Institute (DGFASLI), Mumbai for increased safety motors
?

Petroleum Explosive & Safety Organisation (PESO)

?

Well Known Remnant Life Assessment Organization under Indian Boiler Regulations, 1950
?

Integrated Headquarters, Ministry of Defence (Navy) for EMI/EMC testing of Naval Equipment in Western Region
?

3. MAJOR TESTING FACILITIES

Complete testing facilities for Type tests, Acceptance tests, Routine tests as well as Special tests are available in accordance
with national and international standards:

3.1 Non Electrical Test & Capability

15
Accelerated Ageing Ovens
? Digital High Resistance Meter – 10 Ohms, 1000 V
?
Thermal Stability Test
? Flexing, Bending, Wear Resistance, Abrasion
?
Automatic Hot Set Test
? Resistance Test Apparatus
Kelvin Double Bridge
? Universal Testing Machine
?

High Accuracy 0.2 Class Automatic Universal Testing Advanced Vision System for
Kelvin Double Bridge Machine with Extensometer Dimension Measurement
 Programmable Ozone Test
Tubular Aging Oven
Chamber

3.2 Flammability and Special Test Capability

UV / Xenon Weathering
? Fire Survival – Cat C, W and Z
?
Oxygen Index & Temperature Index
? Toxicity Index
?
Smoke Emission – 3m3 Chamber
? Flammability Test as per IS, IEC, ASTM, SS-424/1475
?
Flammability on Single Cable / Bunched Cable
?
as per IS, IEC, BS and IEEE

Oxygen Index and Temperature Computerized Smoke

Fire Survival – Cat CWZ Set Up
Index Set Up Density Meter

Computerized Smoke Programmable Xenon Arc

Emission Set Up Weather Chamber
3.3 Electrical Test Capability
Partial Discharge Bridge & Balance Detector
? Universal Schering Bridge(Tan Delta Bridge)
?
High Current Source (Induction type) up to 4000 A
? Faraday Cage
?
High Voltage – 600 kV RMS
? Online 120 kA Short Circuit Test Laboratory
?
Impulse Test Facilities upto 1600 kVp, 80 kJ
?

120 kA Short Circuit Test 1600 kVp, 80 kJ Impulse Partial Discharge Detection
Control Panel test facility Bridge

100 kV HV Transformer Unit with Filter Capacitance & Tan Delta

in PD Free Shield Room Measurement Bridge
4. PRODUCTS COVERED:
Sr.No. Types of Cable Test standard
1. Paper Insulated Lead Sheathed Cables IS: 692, IEC 60055
2. PVC Insulated armored / unarmored cables IS: 694, IEC 60227, BS 6004
PVC Insulated (Heavy duty) electric cables : For working IS: 1554- part 1 , IEC 60502 – part 1,
3. voltages up to & including 1100 Volts IEC 60840, BS: 6007,
4. PVC Insulated (Heavy duty) electric cables : For working IS: 1554- part 2, IEC 60502 – part 2,
voltages from 3.3 kV up to & including 11 kV Volts IEC 60840, BS: 6007,
5. PE Insulated cables IS: 14255
6. Cables for Motor Vehicle IS: 2465

7. Flexible cables for lifts and other flexible connections IS: 4289. IEC 60245, IEC 60227
IS: 7098-part 1, IEC 60502- part 1,
8. XLPE Insulated cable : For working voltage up to 3.3 kV.
BS: 6724, BS: 7211, BS: 7846, BS: 5467
XLPE Insulated cable : For working voltage from 3.3 kV up to IS: 7098-part 2, IS: 7098-part 3, IEC 60502- 2,
9. and including 66 kV. BS: 6724, BS: 7211, BS: 7846, BS: 5467
10. PVC Winding wires for submersible motor IS: 8783
11. Welding cables IS: 9857

12. Elastomer- Rubber insulated cables upto 3.3 kV IS: 9968 – part 1 , IEC 60502
Elastomer- Rubber insulated cables from 3.3 kV up to &
13. including 33 kV IS: 9968 – part 2, IEC 60502

14. Elastomer Insulated Cables for use in mines IS: 14494, BS: 6708
15. Aerial Bunched Cable IS: 14255
ASTM:D-2863, ASTM:D-2843, IEC:60754 – part 1 & 2,
16. Flammability properties
IEC: 60331, IEC:60332 part 1,2&3, NES 713, BS: 6387
Cable accessories for Power cable : for working voltages IS: 13573 (Part –1) : 2011, IS: 13573 (Part –2) : 2011
17.
from 1.1 kV up to & including 33 kV IS: 13573 (Part –3) : 2011, IEC : 60502(Part–4) : 1997

5. RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT

A partial list of major R&D projects completed by the cables laboratory include:
Development of fire resistant coating for cables
?
Study of electrical treeing behaviour in XLPE cables used for working voltages upto 33 kV and remedial measures
?
Development of FRLS cable compounds by chemical modification of PVC
?
Study on the effect of UV radiation on fire resistance characteristics of FRLS cables
?
Online condition monitoring of cables installed in Nuclear Power Plants
?
Development of nano filler based zero halogen fire resistant cable compound
?
Condition monitoring of HT cables by measurement of Capacitance & tan delta, by trending analysis using reference
?
data of cable in good health.

6. CLIENTELE
ERDA cable testing services are utilized by national as well as international clients. Majority of cable manufacturers are
esteemed users of ERDA testing facilities. Services are also extended to various State Electricity Utilities like MGVCL, PGVCL,
DGVCL, MPPKVVCL, MPMKVVCL, CSPDCL, PSEB etc. as well as Railways, NPCIL, Consultants, Certifying authorities, Inspectors
etc. ERDA also provides services to foreign customers from Korea, UAE, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Turkistan, Germany etc.

Main Laboratory Complex

ERDA Road, GIDC, Makarpura, Vadodara–390 010, India
Tel. +91(0265) 2642942, 2642964, 2642377,
3043128-3043131, Fax: +91 (0265) 2638382
erda@erda.org | nilesh.pandya@erda.org
www.erda.org