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School of Electrical and Computer Engineering
National Electric Energy Testing, Research & Applications Center

CABLE AND CABLE ACCESSORY ASSESSMENT
for Extruded Cable Systems

CABLE QUALITY ASSURANCE

What distinguishes one cable supplier from another? Quality! A well designed, properly installed underground cable will perform reliably for many years, but only if it is well made according to stringent standards and specifications.

The best way to ensurfe that the cable you
buy provides the reliability you expect is to implement a quality assurance test program.

NEETRAC can tailor a quality inspection program to meet your needs at an affordable cost. Typical tests include:

Physical
. . > Dimensional
. . > Wafer exam to detect defects
. . > Inspection under hot oil
. . > Shield bond strength
. . > Volume resistivity

Electrical
. . > Impulse breakdown
. . > Ac breakdown
. . > Dissipation factor
. . > Partial discharge

Shield scuff viewed under hot oil

NEETRAC has broad and extensive experience with a variety of extruded insulation types. When problems are found, we work with you, your suppliers and the manufacturer to resolve any issues related
to cable quality.

Condustor shield contaminant and protrusion

CABLE FAILURE ANALYSIS & REMAINING LIFE ASSESSMENT

When a cable failure occurs, the following questions naturally come to mind:

  • Do I make repairs and leave the cable in service?
  • Do I change out the cable in the entire circuit or only a segment?
  • What caused the failure?
  • Are future failures likely to occur?

NEETRAC has the expertise and experience to evaluate a cable design and recognize the subtle differences that can distinguish one cause of failure from another.

Key failure modes include:

  • Water treeing
  • Loss of shield adhesion or conductivity
  • Imperfections or poor cable design
  • Physical damage
  • Loss of neutral, physical damage
NEETRAC test reports provide a concise, understandable description of what we find, giving you the answers you need to operate your cable system as efficiently and reliably as possible.
Fall-in

Voids

Contaminant

CABLE ACCESSORY FAILURE ANALYSIS

Accessories fail for a number of reasons:

  • Poor product quality
  • Poor workmanship
  • Unusual service condictions

Knowing the true cause of failure is important. With that knowledge you can:

  • Take corrective action
  • Minimize the probability of future failures
  • Selectively replace defective components
  • Improve reliability
  • Satisfy customer concerns.
Interface tracking on a joint

Elbow puncture & burn back

Trifurcating termination

When needed, we have the resources to rfecreate failures. Let NEETRAC work with you to assess the possible causes of failure, identify solutions and recommend possible courses of action.

Last revised on November 29, 2011