Advanced OPPC Accessories for the Use on Power Lines up to 36 kV

Reinhard Girbig, Hans-Werner Korporal

Draka Comteq Germany GmbH & Co. KG
Moenchengladbach, Germany
+49-2166-134-1517 reinhard.girbig@draka.com / +49-2166-134-1846 hans-werner.korporal@draka.com

Abstract
In this paper, we describe optimised accessories for the use with
OPPC (OPtical Phase Conductor) on medium voltage power lines
up to 36 kV. Materials and design considerations will be
discussed as well as the high voltage performance and ease of
installation, which lead to an extension of OPPC applications to
the power distribution networks.
Keywords: OPPC; optical phase conductor; high voltage power
line; separator.
1. Introduction
In the range of optical aerial cable on power lines, OPPC and its
associated accessories like separators and joint boxes have
increased their importance during the past years [1]. So far, the
focus was on the trunk network with voltage levels ranging from
36 kV to 245 kV. With the successful implementation of OPPC
technology on such lines, power utilities start to look for a further
expansion on the distribution part of their networks.
Up to now, the distribution networks were dominated by
dielectric solutions like ADSS and OPAC (OPtical Attached
Cable) typically wrapped or lashed cables. These have in common
that they are additionally put on the poles or towers adding load to
the tower construction and/or increasing ice and wind loads. In
some cases, such additional load can even bar the realisation of a
project. That is when OPPC technology comes in handy.
Assuming a good electrical and mechanical match between the
phase conductor and the replacing OPPC such load issues can be
avoided completely. Moreover, the attached cable solutions need
significant maintenance compared to an OPPC solution.
Furthermore, in some areas, particularly such of importance for
tourism, the utilities get no permission to add additional cable to
the poles.

Figure 1: Ordinary 36 kV separator on a 15 kV line
OPPC technology can help because there is except for the
separators, which look like insulators, nothing added to the lines.
The use of the existing OPPC accessories for 36 kV [2, 3] is
possible but not always advisable. There are several reasons: First,
they are fairly bulky (Figure 1). With a length of 940 mm and a
weight of appr. 30 kg they were designed for strong tower
constructions with enough free space. Contrary to that, many of the
distribution lines are installed on concrete or wooden poles with
limited space. Definitely, they would be a thorn in the flesh of the
tourism lobby.
Secondly, the existing accessories were designed for point-to-point
connections which means for the separators, they were used as line
terminations only. The distribution networks, in general, are more
meshed, with more branching and in-line switches (Figure 2). With
respect to separators, it means a lot more of them are necessary to
maintain the network's flexibility.

Figure 2: Bridging a line switch with 2 ordinary 36 kV
separators on a 15 kV line
Another issue for any installation on power lines is the time needed
for the line outage. For good reasons this time has to be as short as
possible. For an ordinary OPPC installation the outage time is
roughly the sum of cable stringing, installation of accessories and
splice works. To improve, it is possible to optimise the different
operational steps and materials but still the gain is small. Therefore,
the idea was to remove the separator splice works which is a major
part from the calculation i.e. to do the splicing after re-energising
the line.
From the above, it was evident that new accessories especially
suiting the medium and low voltage line requirements had to be
developed and tested in a field installation.
International Wire & Cable Symposium 389 Proceedings of the 56th IWCS
2. Accessory Design
Before going into design details, let us resume the functional
requirements for this new technology:
Approved composite insulator design
Light weight, small-sized separators.
Optical fibres pass separator without being cut
(spliceless).
Optical fibres are spliced in a separate joint box in an
electrically safe area.
In-line OPPC joint box for cable connection on high
potential.
All accessories are suited for cables with fibres in a
stainless steel tube.
Fulfilling these requirements led to the accessories described in
the following chapters.
2.1 Spliceless Separator
2.1.1 Insulator body. Achieving the requirements for light
weight and small size was the easiest task. Based on our experience
with the larger separators made in approved composite technology
and with the electrical requirements given in IEC 60071-1 [4], we
defined the dimensions for the insulating body, first (Figure 3).

Figure 3. Spliceless separator - insulating body
The interior part of the insulating body is a tube made of high-
strength FRP with fibres of electrical grade (E)-glass. The housing
and the sheds consist of UV-resistant high temperature vulcanised
(HTV) silicone rubber; the outer diameter is 30 mm.
In order to optimise the model range, we split the separators into
four types: Two voltage levels with two pollution classes, each.
The following tables show the main properties of the separator with
respect to the insulating part; Table 1 for a voltage level of 24 kV
and Table 2 for 36 kV, respectively.


Table 1. Spliceless separator, 24 kV - main properties
Tension, Um kV 24
Pollution class (IEC 60815) II IV
Number of sheds 3 5
Creepage mm 575 855
Arcing distance, min. mm 219 259
Dry lightning withstand volt. kV 50*
Wet power frequency
withstand voltage
kV 145*

Table 2. Spliceless separator, 36 kV - main properties
Tension, Um kV 36
Pollution class (IEC 60815) II IV
Number of sheds 4 7
Creepage mm 740 1190
Arcing distance, min. mm 259 349
Dry lightning withstand volt. kV 70*
Wet power frequency
withstand voltage
kV 170*
* Nominal figures according to IEC 60071-1
2.1.2 Metallic end fittings. To get a complete separator
(Figure 4), the insulating body has to be equipped with metallic end
fittings.

Figure 4. Complete 36 kV, class II separator
Their purpose is twofold: First to hermetically seal the inner tube to
protect it against moisture ingress, and secondly to block the
insulating fluid which is injected into the tube during installation.
Furthermore, the end fittings provide means for the separator tower
attachment and include a sealed fibre in- and outlet. The described
configuration allows for cables with an outer diameter range from
10 mm to 28 mm with one steel tube ranging from 2.5 mm to
3.5 mm.
Tables 3 and 4 show the overall dimensions and weights of the
different separator types.
International Wire & Cable Symposium 390 Proceedings of the 56th IWCS
Table 3. Spliceless separator, 24 kV - dimensions
Tension, Um kV 24
Pollution class (IEC 60815) II IV
Diameter of sheds mm 138
Overall height mm 629 669
Weight (appr.) kg 3.8 4.2

Table 4. Spliceless separator, 36 kV - dimensions
Tension, Um kV 36
Pollution class (IEC 60815) II IV
Diameter of sheds mm 138
Overall height mm 669 759
Weight (appr.) kg 4.0 4.6

Compared with an ordinary 36 kV, class II separator (Figure 1), the
height reduction for the spliceless separator is 370 mm and the
weight is decreased by 22 kg, which is quite a significant advantage.
It is also economically adapted as the cost of the new separator
including an ordinary closure is just half the cost of the large one.
2.2 In-line OPPC joint box
The in-line OPPC joint box is used for connecting two OPPC
without leaving the high voltage level. It is designed to be installed
self-supporting, in-between the jumper cable, either at a tension or
suspension tower [1].
In general it is not used very often in the distribution networks
because there are hardly any ture end-to-end connections, unlike
with the trunk networks. Due to switches and branching, there are
more separators needed than in-line joint boxes.
Just like with the existing separators, the joint box had to be tailored
to fit to the reduced dimension scenario of the distribution networks.
Figure 5 shows the final joint box.

Figure 5. In-line joint box
It is made of seawater resistant aluminium alloy and can take up to
144 crimp splices or 72 heat-shrinkable splices. The cable clamping
range is the same as for the separators; the number of steel tubes per
OPPC can be three. The main characteristics are given in Table 5.
Table 5. In-line joint box - characteristics
Tension, Um kV 90
Short time current, I
2
t kA
2
s 3600
Continuous current A 1000
Overall height mm 240
Overall width mm 405
Weight (appr.) kg 10

The maximum electrical tension of 90 kV was derived by a
corona and radio interference (RIV) test. Therefore, this joint box
can also be used on higher voltage levels. Optionally it can be
equipped with an eye on top to allow for a suspended attachment.
3. System considerations
What we have not covered yet is the requirement of a splice-free
passing of the fibres through the separator and its further way to a
separated splice box. The solution will be given in the following
chapter.
The starting situation is that you arrive with your OPPC on top of
the separator. You dismantle all stranding wires on a length of
several meters except for the steel tube containing the fibres. Fix
the OPPC in the clamp, cut and dismantle the steel tube; finally
feed the fibres through the separator. Now the real problem shows
up. What to do with the fibres leaving the separator at the bottom?
They have to be protected and the separator has to be sealed to
avoid humidity ingress and leakage.
First thing is, a really long-term, temperature stable sealing
system directly working on the optical fibres, without
endangering them, is not available. Taking a plastic pipe to
protect the fibres would give enough mechanical stability for the
sealing but creates further drawbacks. The fibres have to be
threaded through a several meters long plastic pipe which is not
an easy task, particularly when standing in pouring rain in the
fields. Moreover, the plastic pipe has to be filled with some
compound to avoid leakage of the separator. This method seems
to be no viable solution.
Fortunately, there is a fairly simple way to overcome the
problems: Cut the steel tube and pull it back carefully for the
required distance - the length of the dielectric, insulating body - in
the worst case appr. 400 mm. Seal and clamp the steel tube at the
bottom of the separator and feed it through a protective pipe,
either corrugated steel or UV-resistant plastic. This pipe will go to
an ordinary aerial cable closure out of the reach of the high
voltage. Pulling tests have proven that it is possible to pull-back
around 10 m of steel tube without too much effort and without
damaging the fibres.
The sealing of the steel tubes at the top and bottom of the
separator is assured by a water and gas tight sealing kit. It is a
modified version of kits used for connecting and sealing metal
pipes. For stranded steel tube OPPC it comes in handy to use a
tube straightening tool.
International Wire & Cable Symposium 391 Proceedings of the 56th IWCS
4. Testing
Before getting a permission to install anything on a power line,
extensive testing has to be performed to assure the suitability for
the use on such lines.
4.1 Separator testing
Although we already successfully tested separators on voltage levels
from 36 kV up to 245 kV, the new separators were exceeding the
tolerable design changes, specified in IEC 61462 [5]. Therefore, part
of the design tests, notably the tracking and erosion test according to
IEC 62217 [6] had to be repeated. For the electrical testing
according to IEC 60383 [7] and IEC 60060-1 [8], the 24 kV
separator had been chosen. It passed all tests successfully.
Figure 6 shows the separator during the wet power frequency
withstand voltage test.

Figure 6. 24 kV separator - wet power frequency
withstand voltage test at 85 kV
4.2 In-line joint box testing
Besides the normal mechanical and environmental tests like water
tightness, temperature cycling and cable pull-out force, a corona and
RIV test has been performed to evaluate the influence of the joint
box shape with respect to the high voltage level. The test results led
to a classification of the joint box to a maximum voltage of 123 kV
according to IEC 60071-1. The RIV test result for 82 kV was 38V
or 31.6 dB, respectively.
Although the maximum voltage was 123 kV, we decided to use the
joint box only up to 90 kV.
5. Field installation
To prove the practicability of the new technology, a field
installation on a 20 kV line was realised in April 2005. Although
it was only a short line of 2 km length, it included as much
difficulties as possible like installation constraints and a hilly
terrain with complicated access to the poles. This was done on
purpose by the power utility to check the new technology under
severe conditions. The power outage time was set up to 5 days
and the training of the linemen doing the accessory installation
was requested to be held on site, during installation.
5.1 OPPC design
The phase conductor to be replaced was an all-aluminium alloy
148-AL4. The OPPC requirements were 36 optical fibres and of
course, a 'best match' for the other conductor characteristics. A
comparison of conductor and OPPC is shown in Table 6.
Table 6. Comparison between conductor and OPPC
Type
Conductor
148-AL4
OPPC
143-AL4, 36 SMF
Figure

Diameter [mm] 15.75 16.0
Weight [kg/km] 415 425
Rated Tensile
Strength [kN]
47.7 46.5
DC-Resistance
[/km]
0.224 0.229
Minimum bending
radius [mm]
- 240
5.2 Line demands
The line was a typical 20 kV line with one electrical system
installed on concrete poles (Figure 7) including one branching
pole, with a branch line running to a nearby farm.

Figure 7. 20 kV line - branching pole in front
Furthermore, the power utility insisted on using all kind of
clamps, like suspension clamps, jumper clamps and special
detachable clamps - used as line breakers - they normally install
on such lines for the OPPC installation, as well.
International Wire & Cable Symposium 392 Proceedings of the 56th IWCS
More complications were created by the suspension pole
construction. As can be seen in Figure 7 (pole in the background),
the metal top construction had a rhombical shape and as the centre
phase conductor had been chosen for replacement, the stringing
sheaves had to be reduced to a diameter of 200 mm which was
less than half of the OPPC's minimum bending radius.
To increase the likelihood of a success, we tested every single
clamp under different installation conditions in the run-up to the
field installation. In a special tensile test on a sheave test bench
we checked the maximum tolerable pulling tension with a
200 mm sheave under different angles.
The result of all the testing allowed us to create a set of rules for
the cable stringing with a maximum safety for the OPPC and the
optical fibres.
The OPPC installation was planned for two cable sections with the
branching pole as a natural cut. At this point it was mandatory to
install two separators (Figure 8) to allow for an independent shut-off
of the different line sections. Figure 9 demonstrates the situation for
the termination pole.

Figure 8. Separator installation on branching pole


Figure 9. Separator installation on termination pole

5.3 Installation
After the stringing of the two OPPC sections we started the first
separator assembly on a termination pole. Notwithstanding the idea
of fibre splicing only after energising the line, we immediately
spliced all fibres from the OPPC to the approach cable to make sure
that everything went right during the assembly. After a slight
correction, the fibres inside the separator had been stressed a little
bit, everything was alright. Taking into account that it was the first
real assembly and the linemen were not trained on it, the result was
very good.
Figures 10 and 11 show the assembled separators on the different
poles.

Figure 10. Separator mounted on branching pole


Figure 11. Separator mounted on termination pole

International Wire & Cable Symposium 393 Proceedings of the 56th IWCS
The assembly of the remaining separators proceeded without any
problems, on time.
To sum up, the successful installation had approved the concept; all
expectations had been fulfilled. The system is fully operational since
two years now without any difficulties.
6. Conclusions
The presented paper demonstrates that by using optimised
accessories and new installation methods, the range of application
for OPPC can be extended to low and medium voltage lines. The
shown solutions are highly reliable, economical and easy to
install. They present an excellent alternative to dielectric solutions
like ADSS and OPAC.
7. References
[1] Girbig, Bernon, Chaussecourte, Le Gac, OPPC Solutions
for 63 kV, 90 kV and 225 kV Power Lines, International
Wire and Cable Symposium Proceedings 2005, pp. 570-574
(2005).
[2] Girbig, Jansen, Hg, New Generation of Optical Phase
Conductor Accessories for Different Voltage Levels,
ROC&C'2003, IEEE section Mexico (2003).
[3] Girbig, Jansen, Hg, Advanced OPPC Accessories for
Medium and High Voltage Applications, WireChina 2004
Technical Conference, Shanghai (2004).
[4] IEC 60071-1, Insulation co-ordination - Part 1:
Definitions, priciples and rules, Ed. 7.0 (1993)
[5] IEC 61462, Composite Insulators - Hollow Insulators for
Use in Outdoor and Indoor Electrical Equipment -
Definitions, Test Methods, Acceptance Criteria and Design
Recommendations, Ed 1/CD (2004)
[6] IEC 62217, Ploymeric Insulators for Indoor and Outdoor
Use With a Nominal Voltage > 1000 V - General
Definitions, Test Methods and Acceptance Criteria,
Ed 1/CDV (2004)
[7] IEC 60383, Insulators for Overhead Lines With a Nominal
Voltage Above 1000 V - Definitions, Test Methods and
Acceptance Criteria, (1993)
[8] IEC 60060-1, High-Voltage Test Techniques - Part 1:
General Definitions and Test Requirements (1989)
8. Pictures of Authors

Reinhard Girbig
Draka Comteq Germany GmbH & Co. KG
Bonnenbroicher Str. 2-14
41048 Mnchengladbach
GERMANY

Reinhard Girbig (1954) obtained his Dipl.-Ing. degree from the
Ruhr-University-Bochum in 1982 and joined the company in
1987. After working in different fields of fibres, fibre optic cables
and installation techniques, he is now in charge of the D&E
department for optical aerial cables.

Hans-Werner Korporal
Draka Comteq Germany GmbH & Co. KG
Bonnenbroicher Str. 2-14
41048 Mnchengladbach
GERMANY


Hans-Werner Korporal (1951) obtained his high voltage
electrician degree from the Duisburger Kupferhtte and qualified
as a certified engineer. He joined the company in 1974. After
working in different fields of product and process development
for CATV, copper and optical telecommunication cables, he is
now working as a development engineer in the D&E department
for optical aerial cables.


International Wire & Cable Symposium 394 Proceedings of the 56th IWCS