International Journal of Emerging Technology and Advanced Engineering

Website: www.ijetae.com (ISSN 2250-2459, Volume 2, Issue 10, October 2012)

COMPARISON OF CABLES
Vigya
Electrical Engineering, Harcourt Butler Technological Institute, Kanpur-208002, UP, India
The useful properties of XLPE are temperature
resistance, pressure resistance (stress rupture resistance),
environmental stress crack resistance (esc), resistance to
u.v light, chemical resistance, oxidation resistance, room
temperature and low temperature properties. The Indian
Standard for the cable is IS:7098(Part-I)-1998 and the
insulation is set by standard IS:8130. XLPE Cables can
be summed up by following points:
1) XLPE cables work for the working voltage of
240 V to 500 KV .
2) Conductor Material can be either Copper or
Aluminium.
3) XLPE cables can be either Single Core cables or
Multi core cables depending upon the number of
cores.
4) They can be Unarmoured or Strip Armoured or
Wire Armoured or
Tape Armoured type
depending upon the presence or absence of
Armour .
5) HT / LT Aerial Bunched Cables
6) The Jacketing Material can be of PVC / Flame
Retardant / Flame Retardant Low Smoke /
Zero Halogen (LSOH).
7) General Applications: Fire Survival, Under Water
Cables, Underground burial, installation on trays
and ducts

Abstract - Insulation is a very integral part in

manufacturing of cables. It is very important to decide the
type of insulation for each different conditions where cable
is to be installed. Different parameters are to be used for the
selection of the type of cables which are given in this paper.
This paper gives the comparison between the four types of
electrical cables in their physical properties as well as the
tests conducted on them which is very useful to decide
between the cables.

I.

INTRODUCTION

A power cable is an assembly of two or

more electrical conductors, usually held together with an
overall sheath. The assembly is used for transmission
of electrical power. Power cables may be installed as
permanent wiring within buildings, buried in the ground,
run overhead, or exposed. Cables consist of three major
components: conductors, insulation, protective jacket.
The makeup of individual cables varies according to
application. Power cables use stranded copper or
aluminium conductors , although small power cables may
use solid conductors. Copper has a higher conductivity
than aluminium. It is more ductile and has relatively high
tensile strength. However, copper is more expensive and
heavier than aluminium. Copper is three times as dense
as aluminium, and so aluminium conductor size is much
larger and thus its use does not permit the economical use
for a cable. The construction and material are
determined by three main factors ,viz, working voltage,
determining the thickness of the insulation; currentcarrying capacity, determining the cross-sectional size of
the conductor(s); environmental conditions such as
temperature, water, chemical or sunlight exposure, and
mechanical impact.
II.

B. Polyvinyl chloride
They are commonly abbreviated as PVC, insulated
cables are widely used in various fields. PVC's relatively
low cost, biological and chemical resistance and
workability have resulted in it being used for a wide
variety of applications. For electric cables the PVC is
mixed up with plasticizers. Low voltage copper
conductor PVC cables are extensively used for domestic
home appliances wiring, house wiring and internal wiring
for lighting circuits in factories, power supply for office
automation, in control, instrumentation, submarine,
mining, ship wiring applications etc. due to its high
tensile strength, superior conductivity, better flexibility
and ease of jointing. PVC CABLES
1) Power Cables upto 1.1 KV
2) Control Cables upto 61 Cores
3) Railways Signalling & Auto Cables
4) Screened instrumentation Cables
5) House wiring and Flexible cables
6) Flat Cables for submercible pumps
7) Airport lighting and mining cables.
8) FRLS / FR / HR / Fire Survival Cable

T YPES OF C ABLES

A. Cross-linked polyethylene
They are commonly abbreviated as PEX or XLPE, and
is a form of polyethylene with cross links. The creation
of direct links or bonds between the carbon backbones of
individual polyethylene chains forms the cross linked
polyethylene structure. The result of this linkage is to
restrict movement of the polyethylene chains relative to
each other, so that when heat or other forms of energy are
applied the basic network structure cannot deform and
the excellent properties that polyethylene has at room
temperature are retained at higher temperatures. The
cross linking of the molecules also has the effect of
enhancing room temperature properties.

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International Journal of Emerging Technology and Advanced Engineering

Website: www.ijetae.com (ISSN 2250-2459, Volume 2, Issue 10, October 2012)
C. Elastomer Insulated cable
These cables are suitable for use where the
combination of ambient temperature and temperature-rise
due to load results in conductor temperature not
exceeding 90C under normal operation and 250C under
short-circuit conditions. This insulation shall be so
applied that it fits closely on the conductor (with or
without either separator or screen) but shall not adhere to
it. The insulation, unless applied by extrusion, shall be
applied in two or more layers and it is applicable to
cables with a rated voltage up to 1 100 volts. The Indian
Standard used for the Elastomer Insulated Electric cable
is IS 14494-1998.
Elastomer Cables
1) Elastomeric Cables and Flexible cords
2) Elastomeric insulated heavy duty HOFR Cables.
3) Welding Cables (General Purpose and HOFR)
4) Ship wiring cables, Pressure Tight Cables and
cables for submerged connection.
5) Railways locomotives and coach wiring cables.
6) Mining Cables Flexible Trailing, coal cutter,
pliable armoured and land line cables
7) Cables for wind Mills
8) Silicone Rubber high temperature cable.

C. Insulation
This will be an extruded layer of XLPE or Elastomer
or Rubber or PVC applied over conductor screen under
triple extrusion process along with conductor screen and
insulation screen.

D. Rubber Insulated cable

These are used in electric utilities such as the
generation and transmission of electricity. Long service
life under normal environment in Nuclear and
conventionally powered generating stations plus safety
considerations are the significant factors of these electric
appliances. When exposed to fire, Silicon offers circuit
integrity, low smoke evolution, and freedom from
halogen acids.

G. Armouring
In case of armoured cables, the armour is applied
helically over inner sheath. For single core cables, it is of
aluminium wires and for multi-core cables, the armour
can be of one among the following options:
1) Galvanized steel wire.
2) Galvanized steel strip.
3) Any metallic non-magnetic wire/strip.

III.

D. Insulation Screen
This will be a layer of semi-conducting cross-linkable
compound which will be applied by triple extrusion
process over the insulation.
E. Metallic Screen
It consists of a layer of copper tape applied helically
with overlap over insulation screen. Other combinations
of metallic screens as per customers requirement can
also be provided on request.
F. Laying-Up
In case of three core cables, the three cores are laid up
with non-hygroscopic fillers like polypropylene(PP)
fillers at interstices and a binder tape is applied with an
overlap. These binder tapes can be of PVC or foamed
Polyethylene. Inner Sheath (Bedding) for Armoured
Cables. Extruded layer of PVC or PE is applied over the
laid up cores for armoured cables.

H. Oversheath
An extruded layer is applied over the armour in case of
armoured cables and over laid up cores in case of
unarmoured cables. Outer sheath material can be either
PVC, XLPE or PE. Other colours may be provided to suit
a range of installation considerations such as the effect of
UV radiations and differing soil compositions. Antitermite formulations can also be supplied in addition to
graphite-coated oversheaths where on-site testing of the
sheath is required.

C ABLE C ONSTRUCTION

A. Conductors
Either aluminium or copper conductors are used.
Conductors up to 800mm will be circular, compacted &
stranded. 1000mm conductor will be circular stranded
type on which a layer of semi-conducting tape will be
applied.
B. Conductor Screen
This will be an extruded layer of semi-conducting
cross-linkable compound applied under simultaneous
triple extrusion process over the conductor along with the
insulation and the insulation screen. The triple extrusion
is a single high precision operation that eliminates the
possibility of any contamination between the layers
which could create irregularities in the electrical field. By
careful material selection and special attention to process
parameters, the insulation screen layers must have the
required degree of stripping force as stipulated by the
applicable national or international standard.

IV.

COMPARISON O F C ABLES

A. Comparison in Characteristics of Cables

1) PVC is thin insulation mainly used in LT side cables
and XLPE is thick insulation used in HT cables.
2) Comparing XLPE with PVC insulated cables, XLPE
has higher current carrying capacity as it can withstand
higher temperature compared to PVC cable.
Moreover, they have high overload capacity, has lower di
-electric and constant power factor.

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Website: www.ijetae.com (ISSN 2250-2459, Volume 2, Issue 10, October 2012)
XLPE cables are lighter in weight, has smaller bend
radius, and hence lesser installation cost. It also has
higher short circuit rating. XLPE can withstand higher &
lower temperatures insulation is usually thinner but the
resistance is higher, XLPE also has a higher moisture &
chemical resistance.
3) Furthermore the Cable Installation Job for XLPE is
easier than PVC insulated cables because of less Wt, less
Diameter and Less Bending radius. The Volume
Resistivity (ohm-cm) for XLPE(order of 1017) is way
higher than the PVC cables which are of the order of
1014. XLPE cables has insulation resistance of 1000 times
compared to PVC cables.
4) Coming to some of the properties of elastomers,
Elastomer cables are preferred for flexible application
and in congested locations where the bending radii are
very small. Elastomer cables are available from low
voltage upto 33 kV grade. Elastomer cables are also
available with rigid copper conductors and having
properties like Fire Survival, Zero Halogen and Low
toxicity FS properties. Rubber Cables are predominantly
used in special applications like, mining, ship wiring,
transportation sector and Defense applications & earth
moving machines. These materials have the potential to
be recyclable since they can be molded , extruded and
reused like plastics, but they have typical elastic
properties of rubbers which are not recyclable owing to
their thermosetting characteristics. These also require
little or no compounding, with no need to add reinforcing
agents, stabilizers or cure systems. Hence, batch-to-batch
variations in weighting and metering components are
absent, leading to improved consistency in both raw
materials and fabricated articles. These can be easily
coloured by most types of dyes. Besides that, it consumes
less energy and closer and more economical control of
product quality is possible.
5) Comparing the Elastomer and the rubber cables, The
distinction between "elastomer" and "rubber" is often
blurred among engineers; according to Indian Standard
rubbers are a subset of elastomers, being the materials
with irreversible cross-linking, and hence those much
more suited for demanding quantitative engineering
specifications: "Elastomers = macromolecular material
which returns rapidly to approximately its initial
dimensions and shape after substantial deformation by a
weak stress and release of the stress.
"Rubber = elastomer which can be, or already is,
modified to a state in which it is essentially insoluble (but
can swell) in boiling solvent, such as benzene, methyl
ethyl ketone and ethanol toluene azeotrope, and which in
its modified state cannot be easily remoulded to a
permanent shape by the application of heat and moderate
pressure.

NOTE: a rubber in its modified state, free of diluents,

retracts within 1 minute to less than 1.5 times its original
length after being stretched at normal room temperature
(18C to 29C) to twice its length and held for 1min
before release"
6) Comparing Rubber cables with PVC insulated cables,
the first point which turns out to be advantageous for
Rubber cable is that the Rubber insulation remains in the
best condition after a long span of time,say,25-30 years
and remain soft and pliable even when the temperature is
low. PVC insulation ,on the other hand, becomes stiff
making it difficult to fold and the soft PVC loosens its
softening agent over years, making it brittle and prone to
rip. Even at the time of disposing, burning PVC emits
toxic dioxin, which is responsible for causing cancer and
does, when dumped scantly dissolve.
B. Comparison of cables in their testing methods
1) General tests are similar for all the cables. Let the
comparison is made in between the cables in the High
Voltage test, which is Type, Routine and Acceptance test.
On the XLPE cables, High Voltage Test at Room
Temperature is performed by testing the cables to
withstand a voltage of 3 kV ac (rms) at a frequency of 40
to 60 Hz or an ac voltage of 7.2 kV, between conductors
and between conductors and ECC (if any) for a period of
5 minutes for each test connection.
On the PVC cables, High Voltage Test at Room
Temperature is performed by testing the cable to
withstand an a.c. voltage of 3 kV( rms ) or a dc voltage of
7.2 kV. The duration of test shall be 5 minutes for each
connection. The High Voltage Test ( Water Immersion
Test ) is done in two parts; a.c. Test ;the core or cores (
not exceeding five cores in the case of multicore cables )
shall be carefully removed from a sample approximately
3 m long taken from the finished cable. They shall be so
immersed in water bath that their ends protrude at least
200 mm above the water level. The temperature of the
water bath shall be 6OC for cores with general purpose
PVC insulation and 70C for cores with heat resisting
PVC insulation. After 24 hours, a voltage of 3 kV ( rms )
shall be applied between the conductors and water. This
voltage shall be raised to 6 kV ( rms ) within 10 seconds
and held constant at this value for 5 minutes. If the
sample fails in this test, one more sample shall be
subjected to this test.
There shall be no failure in the repeat test. And d.c.
Test ; the cores which have passed the preliminary test in
a.c test shall be subsequently tested with a d.c. voltage of
1.2 kV in the same water bath at the same temperature.
The core shall withstand this voltage for 240 hours
without breakdown.

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Silicon Rubber
5 N/mm2
Butyl Rubber
4.2 N/mm2
3) Hot Set Test is served as a means for determining
whether or not the depending properties are fully realized
after cross-linking. The temperature for testing for XLPE
cables is 200 3C under load for 15 minutes and
mechanical stress of 20 N/cm2, elongation under load is
175% maximum and permanent elongation is not more
than 15%. For PVC cables, the permanent elongation can
be in negative value with maximum limit of 12%. For
Elastomeric cable testing, temperature is set at 2503C
and the maximum limit for elongation and permanent set
is 175% and 15%.
4) Cold Bend Test is carried out to ascertain the
suitability or withstandability of the insulating materials
at low temperatures or frost conditions. The temperature
set is around -40C. The thickness of the insulation is
kept such that the insulation doesnt get cracked up.
Depending upon the type of cable used, the thickness of
insulation is varied. Generally single PVC has insulation
thickness of .711mm and wire thickness of 1.88 mm,
stranded red copper has 0.9398 and 2.3114 respectively,
silicon rubber cable has 0.9652 and 2.3876 respectively.
5) Ageing in air oven test makes an assessment of change
in tensile strength and elongation of material. The
treatment given to XLPE cable for the accelerated ageing
of air consists of keeping the cable in temperature of
135 3C. The tensile strength variation is 25%
maximum and Elongation variation is 25%. The
treatment given to PVC cables constitutes of keeping the
cable under temperature of 80 2 C,1002C,1352C
for Type A, Type B and Type C insulation respectively
for 7 days. Tensile strength variation is 20%,25% and
25% respectively and elongation variation is 20%, 25%,
35%. The Elastomer insulated cables are kept under
temperature of 70C for IE 1, 135C for IE 2,IE 3,IE 4
and 200C for IE 5 insulation cable for duration of 10,7
,7,7,10 days respectively and Tensile strength variation is
observed as 40%, 30%, 30%, 50%, 20%
respectively. The variation of elongation at break is
40%, 30%, 30%, 50%, 20%.
6) Shrinkage test is to determine theshrinkages due to
residual strain which is relieved on heating. This test is
important to be carried out so that these shrinkages do
not cause any problem in terminations where heating of
cables is observed. The XLPE insulated cables should
allow only 4% maximum shrinkage when cable is
subjected to 1303C for 1 hour duration. And the PVC
cables is kept under 150 2C temperature for 15
minutes and the maximum shrinkage has to be 4%.
7) Loss of mass test for insulation and sheath is done to
find out the progressive changes in the cable when they
are exposed to elevated temperature and the changes
depend on the severity of exposures.

On Elastomer insulated cables, the High Voltage Test

is performed as Type/Acceptance Test and Routine Test.
The Type test for 1.1 kV grade cables is carried out by
removing the power/pilot core(s) from a sample
approximately 3 meters long, taken from the finished
cable. They shall be so immersed in a water bath at room
temperature that their ends protrude at least 200 mm
above the water level. After 24 hours, an ac voltage of 3
kV (rms) shall be applied between conductor and water.
This voltage shall be raised to 6 kV (rms) within 10
seconds and held constant at this value for 5 minutes. If
the sample fails in this test, one more sample shall be
subjected to this test which shall pass. For 3.3 kv and
above grade cables the type /acceptance tests shall be
four hours test. The cables shall withstand without
breakdown, an ac voltage equal to 3 U, when applied to
the sample between conductor and screen / armour (and
between conductors in case of unscreened cables). The
voltage shall be gradually increased to the specified value
and maintained for four hours. This test is applicable to
power cores only.
The Routine test is performed by testing the cable to
withstand, without breakdown a power frequency ac
voltage as specified below in the table. The voltage shall
be applied and increased gradually to the full value and
maintained for five minutes. The test shall be carried out
at room temperature.

Table 1: Voltage Grade of Cable for Routine Test

2) Tensile Strength Test and Elongation at break of

insulation and sheath. By testing for the Tensile strength
and Elongation at break, it is observed that the XLPE
cables have a tensile strength of 12.5 N/mm2 and
elongation is of 200 to 300%. PVC cables have tensile
strength ranging from 20 to 30 N/mm2 for the sheath and
15 to 20 N/mm2 for the core and elongation is of 300 to
400% and Rubber and Elastomer cables have tensile
strength depending upon the material as shown below::
Natural Rubber
5 to 7 N/mm2
Ethlyene Propylene
4.2 N/mm2
Polychloroprene, Chlorosulphonate and Nitrile Butadiene
8 to 11 N/mm2

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The cables are exposed to a temperature of 802C for
7 days and maximum loss of mass observed is 2 mg/cm2.
8) Water Absorption test is carried out to indicate the
degree of water absorption and thus the quality of
compound used. The XLPE cables are kept under
temperature of 852C for 14 days and the maximum
water absorbed value is 1 mg/cm2. PVC cables are given
the same treatment but the maximum water absorbed is
10 mg/cm2. The Elastomeric cables are subjected to
average stress of 800 V/mm2 and the maximum water
absorbed is 10% for first seven days and 3% for the next
seven days.
9) Cold Blend and Cold Impact test, sometimes the
cables have to be laid in the area of low temperature
climatic condition or frost. Due to constant exposure of
cables to low temperature or frost conditions, the
insulation or sheath of the cables becomes hard and
brittle. Any impact on the surface of the sheath or cable
under these conditions may fracture the insulation, thus
making it weak or causing it to fail. The suitability of the
insulation material against low temperature brittleness is
determined with the help of an impact test conducted on
the cable maintained at a specified low temperature. In
this test, the cooled cable is placed on an anvil inside a
cold chamber and an indenter dropped on its upper
surface to give it a specified impact. The effect of impact
is then checked to evaluate the quality of the cable
insulation. The Cold Bend test is for cables diameter
<12.5mm and is subjected to temperature of -152C and
the cables under Cold Impact Test have diameter >12.5
mm is subjected to temperature of -5 2C. Mainly PVC
cables are used under these cold conditions.
10) Oil resistance test of cables has now become a
critical performance parameter as cables that were able to
sustain functional and operational integrity a decade ago
would not be adequate to survive in the environment of a
present day manufacturing site. Certain types of PVC
have a lower degree of oil resistance while Elastomeric
insulated cables have better oil resistance. The cable is
tested at oil temperature of 100 2C for 24 hours. The
tensile strength variation is 40% maximum and
elongation variation is 40% maximum.
11) Partial Discharge testing of cable is done to check for
voids and cavities inside the dielectric of cables. Voids of
minimum 1mm may cause Partial Discharge level of
about 1pC but the voids lesser than 1 mm cant be
detected.
12)Hot Deformation test for cables is designed to
determine the resistance of PVC insulation and sheaths to
pressure at elevated temperatures. The apparatus consists
of a support on which the test specimen is kept and a
stainless steel blade of a specified thickness with an
arrangement to apply the specified load on the cable
under test through the blade.

A set of weights is provided to give the specified load

on the test specimen. The cable is kept under temperature
of 80C for four hours, and the depth of indentation is
maximum 50 percent.
13) Heat shock test is performed to find out cracking of
thermoplastic insulation and sheath of cables on
overheating. The test specifies the heat treatment given to
the thermoplastic insulation and sheath at accelerated
temperature of 150C and duration of one hour to
ascertain the withstand ability at that condition. It is only
a visual examination. The specimen is wound over a
smooth round shaped mandrel for three turns in a close
helix and then the mandrel is kept in an oven at a
specified temp. and for the duration specified. At the end
of this period the samples are cooled in air for one hour.
The test specimen is then examined for any cracks visible
to naked eye.
14) Ozone Resistance Test is carried out for Elastomeric
cable because of concentrations of ozone, that are
reached in our natural environment, are able to cause
deep cracks in elastomeric materials, that normally lead
to a failure of a component. The cables are subjected to
.025 to .030 percent for 30 hours and the cable passes this
test if the cable is free of cracks.
15) Bleeding and Blooming Test is used to check the
stability of colour of the sheath so that there is no chance
of staining of the cores. For the test, cable is subjected to
50C for 72 hours and then filter paper or indicator
compound is observed for any stain.
16) Insulation Resistance Test consists in measuring
the Insulation resistance of a device under test, while
phase and neutral are short circuited together. The
measured resistance has to be higher than the indicated
limit from the international standards. A mega ohmmeter
(also called insulation resistance tester, tera ohmmeter) is
then used to measure the ohmic value of an insulator
under a direct voltage of great stability. For best result ,
the insulation resistance of cable is kept around 200 mega
ohms per km at starting. For PVC cables, the insulation
resistance constant is around 36.7 M km at 27C and
.036 M km at maximum rated temperature. For
Elastomer Cables, these values are 700 M km and 3.67
M km. The insulation resistance of XLPE is around
1000 times higher than of PVC cables.
17) Spark Test in cables is done for evaluation of
insulation and sheathing materials for specific uses. This
test is also used for In-line fault testing on single
conductors and jackets during the extrusion or rewinding
process.
V.

P ARAMETERS FOR SELECTION OF T YPES O F C ABLES

The parameters of the cables are selected for

determination of the cable type and size. The parameters
are as follows:

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Website: www.ijetae.com (ISSN 2250-2459, Volume 2, Issue 10, October 2012)
1) Voltage at which the cable is subjected to: Voltage
Grade of cables specifies the safe voltages which the
insulation of the cable can withstand. Cables are usually
classified according to the voltage for which they are
manufactured accordingly they are classified as; Low
voltage cables, up to and including 1000 volts ; Medium
voltage cables, starting 2000 volts up to and including
33kv; High voltage cables, above 33kv up to and
including 150kv; Extra high voltage cables, 220kv,
400kv and 500kv.
2) Current carrying capacity; the current carrying
capacity of a cable is called Ampacity. Ampacity is
defined as the maximum amount of electrical current a
conductor or device can carry before sustaining
immediate or progressive deterioration and is
the rms electric current which a device or conductor can
continuously
carry
while
remaining
within
its temperature rating.
In cables,
installation
regulations normally specify that the most severe
condition along the run will govern each cable
conductor's rating. Cables run in wet or oily locations
may carry a lower temperature rating than in a dry
installation. Ampacity rating is normally for continuous
current, and short periods of overcurrent occur without
harm in most cabling systems.
3) Short Circuit values; the short-circuit current rating
is the maximum short-circuit current that a component
can withstand. Failure to provide adequate protection
may result in component destruction under short circuit
conditions. Short circuits and their effects must be
considered in selecting cables. These cables should have
a short circuit rating which is the highest temperature the
cable can withstand during an electrical short circuit
lasting up to about half a second.
4) Ambient temperature; Ambient temperature simply
means "the temperature of the surroundings. Ambient
temperatures play a major role in personal comfort, as
well as the function of many types of machines and
equipment, and various methods can be used to control
ambient temperature. Usually, control methods are
designed to keep the temperature stable, as temperature
fluctuations can cause discomfort. The transfer of heat,
whether by conduction, convection or radiation, depends
on temperature difference - heat flows from hot to cold at
a rate which depends on the temperature difference
between them. Thus, a cable installed near the roof of a
boiler house where the surrounding (ambient)
temperature is very high will not dissipate heat so readily
as one clipped to the wall of a cold wine cellar.
5) Voltage drop; a primary concern when installing
lengths of cables is voltage drop. The amount of voltage
lost between the originating power supply and the device
being powered can be significant. All cables have
resistance, and when current flows in them this results in
a volt drop.

Each current rating table has an associated volt drop

column or table. For small cables, the self inductance is
such that the inductive reactance, is small compared with
the resistance. Only with cables of cross-sectional area 25
mm and greater need reactance be considered. If the
actual current carried by the cable (the design current) is
less than the rated value, the cable will not become as
warm as the calculations used to produce the volt drop
tables have assumed.
6) Method of Installation; there are some basic
requirements and characteristics of installation, viz,
safety
requirements,
assessment
of
general
characteristics, low voltage generating sets, standards,
under voltage. Scope, object and fundamental
requirements for safety applies to all installations and
sets out their purposes as well as their status. Assessment
of general characteristics is concerned with making sure
that the installation will be fit for its intended purposes
under all circumstances. The assessment must be made
before the detailed installation design is started. There are
some regulations where low voltage or extra-low voltage
generating sets are used to power an installation; as the
sole means of supply, or as a backup in case of failure of
the supply, or for use in parallel with the supply. Every
item of equipment which forms part of an electrical
installation must be designed and manufactured so that it
will be safe to use. There is a possibility that low voltage
may cause equipment damage. Should such damage
occur, it must not cause danger.
7) Mutual heating effect due to cable grouping; when
multiple cables are in close proximity, each contributes
heat to the others and diminishes the amount of external
cooling affecting the individual cable conductors.
Therefore, derating is necessary for multiple cables in
close proximity.
8) Economics is also an important factor for selecting the
type of cable. It is to be kept in mind that the cost of the
cable should not be such large that it causes loss and
another cable may fetch the same results in low cost and
loss.
9) Environmental conditions and applications in which
cable operates; each cable operates at its best when it is
installed in its optimum environmental conditions. For
example, Elastomeric Cable is applied in trailing, coal
cutter, wind mill, panel wiring, battery cable and such
other areas. XLPE cables work good in areas where
moisture content is good. Thus, proper cable should be
selected so that the system becomes more efficient.
VI.

CONCLUSION

As per the requirement, the cables need to be chosen

for suitable application and optimum parameters are kept
for its type and size.

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[5 ] D.Basak, Testing Of Power Cables And Its Conformity
presented in Workshop on Instrumentational & Safety Aspects in
Electrical & Environmental Testing of Electrical Appliances ,
January 28-29.2010, NRTC, Parwanoo
[6 ] Steiner, J.P, Martzloff, F.D. , Partial discharges in low-voltage
cables Electrical Insulation, 1990., Conference Record of the
1990
IEEE
International
Symposium
on
3-6 Jun 1990.
[7 ] Kelly LJ. , Cable ampacity practice for low voltage and medium
voltage power cables, Textile Industry Technical Conference,
1988., IEEE 1988 Annual on 4-5 May 1988.
[8 ] For
information
about
cables:
www.sbeecables.com,
www.relemaccables.com, www.pagodacables.com.
[9 ] For
information
about
tests
and
testing
apparatus:www.scribd.com, arinstruments.com, Wind Systems
Magazine,www.sriraminstitute.org.

They should be capable of operating continuously

under the environmental conditions without losing its
efficiency. For installing cable for any application, the
factors such as Volume resistivity, Voltage drop, Short
circuit current rating, disposal etc need to compared and
the best cable is chosen so as to optimize the application.
REFERENCES
[1 ] R.Jocteur et al, Influence of surface and internal defects of
polyethylene electrical routine test on VHV cables ,IEEE Trans.
PAS, Vol PAS-96 No.2, March/April 1977.
[2 ] Hakan Lennartsson ,Senior Technical Service Manager, Borouge
Hong Kong Pte. Ltd., Modern XLPE Materials for Extruded
Energy Cable Systems.
[3 ] Rakowska. A, Service experience with PE and XLPE insulated
power cables Third International Conference on 23-25 Nov
1993.
[4 ] Bernstein, Bruce S., Cable Testing: Can We Do Better? IEEE
Electrical Insulation Magazine, Vol. 10, No. 4, July/August 1994.

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