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Reliability
Power cable diagnostics enable Consulting engineers have been specifying DC Hi-Potting to com-
mission newly installed power cable systems for the past century.
consulting engineers to specify and While this cable test is very popular, the question remains whether
it is effective in locating cable system defects that may cause future
commission cable systems cable system failures? If not, is there an adequate alternative to
ensure that the cable system is free of defects and has been prop-
erly installed per the requirements of IEEE cable system standards?
Here, I will address this topic based on experience obtained over
the past ten years. But first, some history.
HISTORY OF CABLE TESTING were aware that the primary failure their factories. While the factory par-
The origin of shielded power cable mechanism of this type of insulated tial discharge test—known as a corona
(5-kV-rated cable and above) testing cable was partial discharge (over test back in the ‘60s—was able to
goes back approximately 100 years, 95%). In order to implement cable detect partial discharge in their cable,
when paper-insulated lead-covered manufacturing quality controls it was it involved expensive equipment and
(PILC) cable was first installed in necessary to develop the means to required a fabricated shielded environ-
the rapidly expanding United States detect this electrical phenomenon in ment to conduct the test.
electrical distribution grid. While it
was not fully understood at the time,
the primary failure mechanisms of
PILC cable falls into two categories:
The NETA Testing Specs
PILC cable will fail either thermally, The National Electrical Testing Assn. Maintenance Testing Specifications was de-
mostly due to moisture ingress, veloped for use by those responsible for the continued operation of existing electri-
which tends to increase insulation cal systems and equipment to guide them in specifying and performing the necessary
conductivity (approximately 40% of tests to ensure that these systems and apparatus perform satisfactorily, minimizing
failure incidences); or it fails due to downtime and maximizing life expectancy.
the electrical phenomenon known as
The NETA Acceptance Testing Specifications is a document to assist designers,
partial discharge (approximately 60%
specifiers, architects, and users of electrical equipment and systems in specifying
of failure incidences).
required tests on newly-installed power systems and apparatus, before energizing, to
The development of the DC Hi-Pot
ensure that the installation and equipment comply with specifications and intended
test (now categorized by IEEE as a
use as well as with regulatory and safety requirements.
Type 1 Destructive Withstand Test) by
the cable manufacturers was very suc- NETA’s specifications include topics such as Applicable Codes, Standards, and
cessful in causing conductive defects References; Qualifications of the Testing Agency; Division of Responsibility; General
to fail in the PILC cable. However, Information concerning Testing Equipment; Short Circuit Analysis and Coordinating
at that time the technology to detect Studies; System Function Tests; and Thermographic Surveys.
partial discharge activity in the cable
A major featured section includes tests to be performed on Switchgear and Switch-
did not exist. Since the DC Hi-Pot
board Assemblies, Transformers, Cables, Metal-Enclosed Busways, Switches, Circuit
test equipment was inexpensive and
Breakers, Network Protectors, Protective Relays, Instrument Transformers, Metering
simple to use, it was quickly adopted
and Instrumentation, Grounding Systems, Ground Fault Systems, Rotating Machinery,
for field use throughout the electrical
Motor Control, Direct Current Systems, Surge Arresters, Capacitors, Outdoor Bus
industry.
Structures, Emergency Systems, Automatic Circuit Reclosers and Line Sectionalizers,
When extruded dielectric cable (i.e.
Fiber-Optic Cables, and Electrical Safety Equipment.
HMWPE, XLPE, EPR) was introduced
in the 1960s, the cable manufacturers
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