• Power Delivery System

• Electricity from the Generating Site (the Power Plant) is delivered

to residential, commercial and industrial customers through a
system of wires (overhead) or cables (underground), switches,
protection & control devices and transformers
 Presentation
on
Electrical Cables
&
Accessories
Manufacturing Process of Electrical Power Cables

Sheathing Inner
Taping Sheathed
Conductor Armouring
cables
Laid Up
(CU / AL) Armoured
Cables
Cables
Drawing Laying Up
(For Multi Core)
Sheathing

Cores
Wires Finished
Cables
Testing and
Packing
Bunching Insulation
Stranding

Conductor
Manufacturing Process
Wire Drawing
Finest Electrolytic Grade 99.9 % Pure
Copper or Aluminium
 The process reduces the wire rods to
Specified or desired wire diameter.
 Annealing & Tinning of fine copper wires. Conductor
(CU / AL)

Drawing

Wires
Manufacturing Process
Stranding
The individual strands are bunched together
to form a conductor of specified size.
Conductor
(CU / AL)

Drawing

Wires

Bunching
Stranding

Conductor
Manufacturing Process
Insulation
Extruders

Triple Extrusion line for HT cables

Manufacturing Process : Copper Screening

Only for HT Cables above 6.6 KV Grade

Copper tape with the number/color marking is applied over the cores.
Where required “Water blocking tape” can also be provided.
Copper tape Screening & Copper wire screening.
Manufacturing Process
Laying Up
Lay up to 100 cores with Extruded/taped inner sheath

Conductor
Laid Up
(CU / AL)
Cables

Drawing Laying Up
(For Multi Core)

Cores
Wires

Bunching Insulation
Stranding

Conductor
Manufacturing Process
Armouring
Armouring up to 72 Wires.
Round and Flat armour.
Sheathing Inner
Taping Sheathed
Conductor Armouring
cables
Laid Up
(CU / AL) Armoured
Cables
Cables
Drawing Laying Up
(For Multi Core)

Cores
Wires

Bunching Insulation
Stranding

Conductor
Manufacturing Process
Sheathing
Emboss/Print on line on outer sheath.

Sheathing Inner
Taping Sheathed
Conductor Armouring
cables
Laid Up
(CU / AL) Armoured
Cables
Cables
Drawing Laying Up
(For Multi Core)
Sheathing

Cores
Wires Finished
Cables

Bunching Insulation
Stranding

Conductor
Manufacturing Process
Quality treated wooden / steel Drums for winding the finished cables
before final testing & delivery.
Sheathing Inner
Conductor Taping Sheathed Armouring
Laid Up cables
(CU / AL) Armoured
Cables
Cables
Drawing Laying Up
(For Multi Core)
Sheathing

Cores
Wires Finished
Cables
Testing and
Packing
Bunching Insulation
Stranding

Conductor
Emphasis On Design

Four major parameters of cable design to

illustrate the proper design

Conductor
Insulation
Armouring
Sheathing
Conductor
 The heart of the cable is the Conductor.
Conductor
 Example of selection of the no of strands in a conductor.

WHY 19 STRANDS ARE REQUIRED

FOR 70 SQ.MM. CONDUCTOR? 1
d =2.24mm.
NO OF STRAND:-19 SIZE:-2.24mm

d’=PITCH CIRCULAR DIAMETER

FOR FIRST LAYER = 2X2.24mm =
4.48mm
NO. OF WIRES IN FIRST LAYER =
d’X3.14/d = 4.48X3.14/2.24
6 WIRE
3 1 2 d ’=2Xd
Conductor 1
NO. OF WIRES ACCOMODATED IN FIRST LAYER = 6
1 1
0
1 1
1
d ”=PITCH CIRCULAR DIAMETER
FOR SECOND LAYER = 4X2.24mm =8.96mm
NO. OF WIRES IN FIRST LAYER = d”X3.14/d
= 8.96X3.14/2.24 2 2
12WIRE
2 2
2 1 1
2
1 0 1
2 2
1 1
2 2
2 2
THAT IS WHY 70 SQ.MM.=19 /2.24 [1+6+12]
Conductor
When conductors are not properly shaped, they have gaps , sharp edges
in between the wires, which may lead to failures , after a period of time.

Gaps also increase Conductor Resistance

A properly designed conductor

is smooth and compact.
Conductor
If the compaction is not proper, it can lead to air gaps, which increase
conductor resistance.

 A Bad Design of Conductor Can Cause

 3% to 9% Transmission loss,Failure due to Sharp
Edges.
Insulation
 A good Insulation should have:

 High insulation resistance

 High dielectric strength

 Good mechanical properties

 Tenacity & elasticity should not be affected by

chemicals.
Should be non hygroscopic.
Insulation

 Uniformity of Insulation Thickness & Eccentricity

 Avoids increase in charging current and

lessens the voltage drop

 If dielectric is not uniform, it leads to increase

in the capacitance of the conductor and
resultant higher temperature.
Laying up & Inner Sheath

 The cores are laid up, along with fillers & suitable
binding tape, ensuring circularity. It is an
international practice to have filler inserted
between the cores, to prevent displacement of
the cores in manufacturing as well as in laying of
cable at site.
Laying up & Inner Sheath
 Many times cores are laid up with nylon/cotton
twine, which results in cores getting damaged,
which effects not just the insulation thickness
but also, the overall performance of the cable.
Laying up & Inner Sheath
 CABLE WITH NON HYGROSCOPIC
POLYPROPYLENE TAPE & FILLERS

 PP tape & Filler has very high melting point i.e.

160 C.
 Has very high insulation resistance property
i.e. 150 Mohm/km
 Works as water barrier, prevents water
penetration inside the cable.
 Less flexibility than other types of
polyethylene, which prevents the cores from
displacement in the cable.
Armouring
 Apart from mechanical protection, an important feature of
Armour design is to provide effective conductance of
earth fault current. When designing an armoured cable,
the selection of minimum number of armour wire/strips
plays a very important role
Armouring
Example : 3.5 C X 240 SQ.MM A2XFY cable.
Min. 34 strips require for 100% coverage.
And with this the armour resistance at 20 C
will be 1.62 ohm/km & short circuit current
carrying capacity will be 4.2 kA/Sec,
where as the Max requirement as per IS 7098 part I
is 1.64 ohm/km
If we use 30 strips in place of 34,
there will be a gap and the armour
resistance will be increased to 1.79 ohm/km &
short circuit current carrying capacity
will come down to 3.7 kA/sec
Armouring
 Armouring protects the cable from mechanical damage.

Maintain minimum 95% coverage to protect the cable from any

mechanical damage because of sharp edges.

Badly Armoured Cables

Outer Sheathing
 This Protects the Overall Cable
 Embossing / printing options on the outer sheath.
Emphasis On Quality
 Stringent Quality checks at each and every level.
 Raw materials.
 In Process.
 Finished goods.

EMPHASIS ON QUALITY : TESTING LABS

Emphasis On Quality

 Raw Material Testing

The major raw materials in a Cable are :-
 Copper/Aluminium Rods
 PVC/XLPE Compounds
 Armour Wires/Strips
Emphasis On Quality : R.M.Testing
 Copper/Aluminium Rods
 Tensile Strength
 Resistivity
 Purity
 Surface Finish
 Diameter

•Aluminium Rods
Emphasis On Quality : R.M.Testing
 XLPE & PVC Compounds

 Tensile Strength & Elongation

 Hot set
 Volume Resistivity
 Ageing
 Thermal Stability
 Density Galvanized Steel Wires / Strips
 Tensile Strength & Elongation
 Dimensions
 Zinc Coating (Dip Test)
 Torsion/Winding
 Resistivity
Emphasis On Quality
 In process quality checks are performed at each and every stage of
manufacturing
 Stage wise details of Quality checks performed are shown in the next
set of folios.

Wire Drawing : R. M. Testing

 Diameter
 Surface finish
 Tensile/Wrapping test for Aluminium
 Annealing/Elongation test for Copper
 Resistivity
Stranding : Quality Checks
 No. of strands
 Stranding Sequence
 Surface finish
 Resistance Insulation : Quality Checks
 Conductor screening (HT)
 Thickness
 Tensile strength & Elongation
 Hot Set test
 Surface finish
 Type of Compound
 Dia. Over conductor
 Dia. Over insulation & Insulation screening (HT)
Copper Screening : Qulaity Checks
 No. of wires / Diameter of wire (Wire Screening)
 Gap between wires (Wire Screening)
 Lay length (Taping / Wire screening)
 Tape Overlap (Taping)

Laying Up Quality Checks

 Sequence of Laying
 Diameter over laid up cores
 Lay length
Inner Sheath : Quality Checks
 Thickness

 Diameter over inner sheath

 Surface finish

Armouring : Quality Checks

 Dimension of wire/strip

 Diameter over armouring

 Gap between wires/strip

 No. of wires/Strip

 Direction of lay and lay length

Outer Sheath : Quality Checks

 Thickness
 Diameter over outer sheath
 Tensile strength & Elongation
 Surface finish & Marking/Embossing
 Colour of sheath & Type of Compound
Emphasis On Quality Checks
 Finished Goods testing
 Routine tests are carried out as per relevant standards on each cable
length.
 Type tests are carried out for each LOT (One manufacturing length)
 Acceptance tests and Inspections can be arranged as per requirements of
customers.
Testing Facilities should include :
Partial Discharge
FRLS Testing
Oxygen Index
Smoke Density
Halogen Gas
High Voltage / Impulse Voltage
Emphasis On Quality
 Packing & Marking  Packing Drums
 Testing of End sealing.
 Testing of packing and wooden drums
 Inspection for marking and scripts

 Inspection of Marking on sheath

CABLE LAYING
&
INSTALLATION
Planning
Cable installation involves selection of cable route, mode of installation
i.e. underground, in duct or cable ladder/ trays, associated accessories and
man power
For cable laying it is very essential to get acquainted with the visible as
well as hidden obstacles and following activities are recommended prior to
the actual laying work

 Inspection of cable route

 Trial holes to check thermal resistivity & underground
obstacles.
 Excavation (Trenching) & preparation of cable bed
 Laying of necessary pipes
 Drum handling & cable pulling equipment including pay
off jacks
 Arrangement of filling.
 Back filling
Inspection of cable route :
The cable route is first inspected as per the main plan for visible
obstruction such as trees, manholes, road crossing etc.

Trial Holes:
After inspection of the cable route, it is advisable to have the
knowledge of the underground obstruction. Trial holes are generally
taken at every 50 meters interval along the planned cable route up to
10 cm below the planned depth of laying. The route is then inspected
for underground obstruction e.g. water lines, drainage lines,
telephone cables, power cables or other utilities etc.

After this the cable route is finalized keeping in view that it should
be straight as far as possible and proper depth is permissible. It is
then marked suitably for trenching
Excavation work
After proper marking of the route, the excavation is started.
Generally excavation is done manually, however, depending on the
terrain other methods such as mechanical force, thrust bore or
trench ploughing can be employed. Compressed air tools are used
for breaking rocks & excavation across road.

Depth of laying
As a general rule, the desired depth of cable for underground laying is
as under -
LV Power & Control cables : 0.75 m
HV Power cables up to 11 kV : 0.9 m
HV Power cable 22 & 33 kV : 1.05 m
EHV Power cable : 1.2 m
The actual depth of laying is, however, decided
depending on the under ground obstacles. The deeper
laying cause reduction on current carrying capacity.
Clearances :
 The desired minimum clearances are as under-
 Power to Control cables : 0.2 m
 Power to communication cables : 0.3 m
 Power cables to gas/water main : 0.3 m
 Inductive influence on sensitive control cable on account of near
by power cable should also be checked.

Width of trench :
 The width of trench depends on no & diameter of cables to be laid. For
HV & EHV cables the width of excavation is generally as under-
 No. of Cables HV Cables EHV Cables
 3 0.65 m 0.8 m
 4 0.85 m 1.05 m
Sand bedding:
 Sand bedding of minimum 10 cm is provided for the cables laid
directly in ground for protection. The grain size of sand should
preferably be less than 8 mm. The material with high volume weight
ratio has a good distribution among grain sizes and it has normally
low thermal resistivity, even when it has lower moisture.

Laying of Ducts/ pipes:

 Steel, cast iron, plastics, cements or earthenware ducts or
cable ducting blocks are used for cables crossing
roads/railway tracks. Spare ducts for future expansions
should also be provided and should be properly sealed off.
Buried ducts or ducting blocks should project into footpath
or up to the edge of road, where there is no footpath, to
permit smooth entry of cable without un-due bending. The
duct/pipe should be mechanically strong to withstand the
impact due to traffic when laid across road/railway tracks.
Laying of Ducts/ pipes (Continued):
 The pipe/duct are generally laid at depth 1.0 & 1.2 metres
across road and railway racks respectively. The diameter of
duct or pipe should be at least 1.5 times the outer diameter of
cable.

 Single core cable should never be laid individually in steel

ducts. However, it is permissible to lay all three cables of same
system in one duct.
Transportation of cable drum:
 The cable drum must be handled properly to avoid any damage
to cable during transportation. It is important that cable drum
stands on the flanges during transportation, well fixed to the
transport vehicle. Loading of drum should be done by crane or
forklift. A ramp or crane should be used for unloading cable
drums from vehicle. Where it is not possible, a temporary ramp
with approx. inclination 1:3 to1:4 should be constructed and
cable drums should then be rolled over the ramp by means of
ropes and winches. An additional sand bed at foot of the ramp is
also helpful to brake the rolling of cable drum. Where it is
necessary to roll the cable on ground, it should be done slowly
and carefully. The drum should always be rolled in the direction
of arrow marked on the drum to avoid unwinding & loosening of
cable in the drum as shown in the figure.
Transportation of cable drum:
Pulling of cable:
 The cable drum shall be placed such that there is minimum inconvenience.
Cable drum is normally placed on jacks at starting point, in such a way that
direction arrow points to the opposite direction of the pulling, and a wire
winch at the other end of the pulling distance of the trench. The pulling wire
can be connected to the cable either by a cable stocking or directly to the
conductor in such a manner that water or soil cannot enter the cable. Except
for wire armoured cables, the cable is normally pulled by the conductor with
pulling force limiting to the following -

 Aluminum conductor : 30 N/mm2

 Copper conductor : 50 N/mm2

 The cable should be pulled from the top of the drum. To prevent crossing of
turns on the drum due to sudden stop in pulling, a brake should be arranged
at the cable drum as shown in figure and a man should be placed there to
operate this brake rapidly.
Pulling of cable drum:
Pulling of cable:
 With temperature below 30C, the cables should be warmed before the
laying out, otherwise the bending can damage the insulation/protective
covering of cables. The cable laying should be carried out swiftly so that
the cable does not cool down too much.

 Warming of cable may be achieved by storing the cable drum for

adequately longer period, not less than 24 hours, in a heated building or in
a tent with hot air heaters

 To protect the cable from damage during pulling out, cable

rollers should be used, placed at suitable intervals. Bends
must be arranged very carefully and cable is not allowed to
bend beyond the limit specified as mention here under.
Closely spaced and well fixed angle rollers are skid plates
should be used at all corners
Pulling of cable:

 MINIMUM PERMISSIBLE BENDING RADIUS

PILC Cables PVC/XLPE Cables
Cable Voltage single Multi single Multi
rating core core core core

Up to 1.1 kV 20 D 15 D 15 D 12 D
3.3 kV to 11 kV 20 D 15 D 15 D 12 D
22 kV & 33 kV 25 D 20 D 20 D 15 D
Above 33 kV - - 20 D
- D = outer diameter of cable
Filling:
After laying the cable, sand should be filled in the trench to completely
surround the cable. The grain size of sand shall be less than 8 mm. The
thickness of sand in all direction of the cable surface should normally not
be less than 10 cm.
Backfilling:
Normally the backfill consists of material excavated earlier from the trench.
However, bigger stones or pieces of rock should be removed.

Extra protection:
Important feeders and cables at places where high digging activity is
expected can be further protected by means of tubes, slabs or troughs

The tubes of non-magnetic material are mainly used at road crossing etc.
The tube diameter should not be less than 2 times the cable diameter. The
current rating of cables laid in tube is reduced up to 80% of the cable
rating in ground. The tubes can be filled with material e.g. Bentonite,
having thermal resistivity equal to the ground, to avoid reduction in ground
rating.
•In trenches, normally extra protection is achieved by providing flat
concrete slabs of size selected according to the expected damage.
Generally slab is 50 mm thick and of sufficient width to cover the
cables. The slabs are placed directly on the sand as shown here
below
•A very efficient protection against cable damage can be obtained by
using concrete troughs. The trough should be completely filled with
the sand.
Warning tape (Specially for EHV cables):
A pre – warning tape, e.g. of yellow PVC, should be laid in the ground
around o.2 to 0.4 metre under the surface and at least o.4 mm above the
cable. In a trench with several cables, the warning tape should not be
spaced more than 0.15 metres apart and the outermost cable should
always be covered by warning tapes.

Special precautions for single core cables:

Except for EHV cables, the spacing between three cables laid in one
plane should generally be not less than the cable diameter. When the
cables are arranged in a duct or on rack, the cables should be secured by
non-magnetic, non-corrosive clamps.
When the cable run is several kilometer long, the cable should be
transposed at 1/3rd and 2/3rd of the total route length.
For cables in trefoil formation, non-magnetic clamps are not essential
and steel, copper, Aluminum or plastic tape may be used to bind the cable
trefoil
The cables do not have to be bound/clamped when laid in ground.
Single core cables should not be installed individually in protective
steel ducts; instead all the three cores should be laid together in
one single duct. Following scheme should be followed when
number of single core cables are in use to ensure balanced current
distribution.
BIRD CAGING
 If the drum is kept on the flange or lifted from one
side & cable unwound, there is all likelihood of twists
in the armour, which would cause deformation
of cores & outer-sheath.

This process of deformation is called

“BIRD CAGING” &
is normally perceived as a manufacturing defect
which is normally a HANDLING defect.
 This can be prevented by unwinding the cable by loading the
drum on jacks & pulling in the proper direction with stocking
or pulling eye.

 Proper Handling of cables is very important, both from

safety as well as long life of the installation.

 The most common causes of cable failure are due to

mishandling of the product at installation stage.

 In the following slides we show you some of the effects

of mishandling of the cables.
Recommendation for Installation
GROUP RATING FACTOR FOR SINGLE CORE
CABLES LAID IN TREFOIL FORMATION

B. Cables laid on Racks/Trays in covered trench with

removable covers where air circulation is restricted, trefoils
A. Cables laid in ground in horizontal formation are separated by 2 cable dia. horizontally and the trays
are in tiers with 300 mm. gap between them.
SPACING BETWEEN TREFOILS 33 KV CABLES
NUMBER OF 3.3 TO 22 KV CABLES
TREFOILS IN NO. OF NO. OF TREFOILS IN HORIZONTAL FORMATION
GROUP TOUCH 15 30 45 TOUCH 15 30 45 RACKS/TRAYS IN
ING cm cm cm ING cm cm cm TIERS 1 2 3
2 0.78 0.81 0.85 0.88 0.80 0.82 0.85 0.88
3 0.68 0.71 0.77 0.81 0.68 0.71 0.76 0.79 1 0.95 0.90 0.88
4 0.61 0.65 0.72 0.76 0.62 0.65 0.71 0.75 2 0.90 0.85 0.83
5 0.56 0.61 0.68 0.73 0.57 0.60 0.67 0.72 3 0.88 0.83 0.81
6 0.86 0.81 0.79

C. Cables laid as in 'B' but in open air

NO. OF NO. OF TREFOILS IN HORIZONTAL FORMATION

RACKS/TRAYS IN
TIERS 1 2 3

1 1.0 0.98 0.96

2 1.0 0.95 0.93
3 1.0 0.94 0.92
6 1.0 0.93 0.90
GROUP RATING FACTOR MULTICORE CABLES

A. Cables laid inside concrete trench with removeable C. Cables laid on cable trays exposed to air, the cables
covers, on cable trays where air circulation is restricted. touching and trays in tiers by 300 mm. The clearance
The cables spaced by one cable diameter and the trays in between the wall and the cable is 25 rnm.
tiers by 300 mm. The clearance of the cable from the wall is 25 mm.

NO. OF NO. OF CABLES NO. OF CABLES

RACKS/TRAYS IN NO. OF TRAYS
TIERS 1 2 3 6 9 1 2 3 6 9

1 0.95 0.90 0.88 0.85 0.84 1 1.0 0.84 0.80 0.75 0.73
2 0.90 0.85 0.83 0.81 0.80 2 1.0 0.80 0.76 0.71 0.69
3 0.88 0.83 0.81 0.79 0.78 3 1.0 0.78 0.74 0.70 0.68
6 0.86 0.81 0.79 0.77 0.76 6 1.0 0.76 0.72 0.68 0.66

B. Cables laid on cable trays exposed to air, the cables

spaced by one cable diameter and trays in tiers by 300 mm. D. Cables laid direct in ground in horizontal formation.
The clearance between the wall and the cables is 25 mm.

SPACING OF CALBLES
NO. OF
NO. OF CABLE NO. OF CABLES CABLES
TRAYS IN IN GROUP TOUCHING 15 cm 30 cm 45 cm
TIERS 1 2 3 6 9
2 0.79 0.82 0.87 0.90
1 1 0.98 0.96 0.93 0.92 3 0.69 0.75 0.79 0.83
2 1 0.95 0.93 0.90 0.89 4 0.62 0.69 0.74 0.79
3 1 0.94 0.92 0.89 0.88 5 0.58 0.65 0.72 0.76
6 1 0.93 0.90 0.87 0.86 6 0.54 0.61 0.69 0.75
RATING FACTOR

C. Rating factors for depth of laying

( for cables laid direct in the ground)
A. Rating factors for ambient air temperature variation

AMBIENT DEPTH OF LAYING (cm) 6 KV, 10 KV AND 20KV AND 30 KV

25 30 35 40 45 50
TEMPERATURE (°C) 15 KV ALL SIZES ALL SIZES

FACTOR 1.14 1.10 1.04 1.00 0.95 0.90 90

105 1.00 ---
120 0.99 1.00
150 0.98 0.99
180 0.96 0.97
or more 0.95 0.96

B. Rating factors for ground temperature variation D. Rating factors for variation in Thermal Resistivity of soil

GROUND THERMAL
15 20 25 30 35 40 45 RESISTIVITY
TEMPERATURE(°C)
OF SOIL 100 120 150 200 250 300
(°ccm/w)
FACTOR
1.12 1.08 1.03 1.00 0.96 0.91 0.87
FACTOR 1.20 1.11 1.0 0.89 0.80 0.73
 CABLE
ACCESSORIES
•SEPARABLE CONNECTORS
– LOADBREAK
– DEADBREAK

•OTHER CONNECTORS
– CABLE JOINTS
– CABLE TERMINATIONS
•Cable Joints Overview
•Utilize permanently crimped connectors
•Housings/Tubings are fully insulated,
shielded and sealed
– Direct buried, vault, submersible and other
severe service applications
– Units designed and tested per IS/VDE/IEEE
Standards to assure system matched
performance and ratings equal to cable
Terminations &
Cable Basics
 While Cable Basics uses the Cable
Termination as the base example, the
same principles apply anywhere a
shielded medium or high voltage cable
is terminated.
Elbows, Joints, etc.
Conductor
+ Conductor shield

Conductor
+ Insulation

+ Conductor shield

Conductor
+ Semi-Con Shield

+ Insulation

+ Conductor shield

Conductor
In case of premolded
terminations
The addition of a stress control
tube tends to “smooth” the
stress concentrations in case
of heat shrink terminations
 Only in case of
premolded terminations
This same cone shape
is incorporated into
most Cable Accessories
 This same cone
shape is incorporated
into most Cable
Accessories
Right angle boot is
used in case of
Heat shrink
Terminations
 Thank You

For more details contact:anitagupta@ieema.org