The Good, The Bad and The Ugly Cable Insulation.
The Basic Fundamentals of the Cable Insulation:
The Basic discernment of the Cable Insulation properties structure the foundation for the assessment of a cable operability. These same root provide the basis for formation like of various physical and electrical tests and measurements are cost-effective, meaningful and warranted, and are all beginning for the evaluation of present or regular cable test .
Properties of Cable Insulation:
Insulation performance always influenced by the different factors, Some of which include:
Thermal bridging.
Surface emissivity (“ε” value)
Density.
Thermal conductivity (“k” or “λ” value)
Specific heat capacity.
Insulation thickness.
The insulating ability of a material is studied as this opposite of thermal conductivity (k).Low thermal conductivity is always to high insulating capability (Resistance value).
What is Good Cable Insulation?
As we know all about that the good insulation always has the high resistance and the poor insulation having the relatively very low resistance.
The actual resistance values depend upon the factors as the moisture or temperature content of the insulation it can be higher or lower (resistance decreases in moisture or temperature ). When with any insulation system the voltage is impressed ,then some current leak around the insulation. During the testing with the direct high voltage ,insulation absorption current, capacities charging current and by-pass current are all need present to some degree.
Reasons why a Cable Insulation has failed?
When the design limit get exceed by the magnitude of the leakage current ,then cable deliver energy will be no longer efficiently.
The main Failure of cable insulation breakdown is often similar with the low efficiently of solid or liquid cable insulation materials used inside the high voltage transformers or the capacitors in the electricity distribution grid, and at end in a short circuit or a blown fuse. The Cable insulation that has already been damaged and pierced just due to the compression of the heat (heat shrinking, soldering), (cable ties, strain reliefs) or stripping.
The reason of a cable failure depend on many substances such as oil, water and chemicals can contaminate and made the reason for the shorten the life of cable insulation and cause the serious problems.
All insulation cable deteriorates will naturally with the age, especially due to the high loading and when it is not the physically damaged it get exposed to the elevated temperature. In this case, there will be a distributed flow of the leakage current at while a test or energized.
Cable fault location is the action of locating the periodic faults like cable insulation faults in the underground cables, and It is an application of an electrical measurement systems. So first just find that the method or the group of methods is best for locating the underground cable insulation faults? just Find the location of the underground cable fault that doesn’t have to be like finding a needle in a haystack. It tells the life of a cable is dominated to the aging of a cable insulation system.