Global Industry Events

CIRED
18th International Conference and Exhibition on Electrical Distribution (CIRED)
June 2005, Turin, Italy

There were nearly 700 participants and approximately 350 papers presented during the technical program. An exhibition with 50 participants was hosted as well. Emphasis was on the reliability of network operations and the quality and costs of the energy supply. Dow Wire & Cable presented a paper, "The performance of XLPE water tree resistant insulation systems against the requirements of DIN VDE 276-605/AE," which focused on the German long-term aging test. Click here to request the full paper, or see the article above.

Wire Russia 2005
June 2005, Moscow, Russia

As part of the Wire Russia exhibition, the Russian Cable R&D Institute (VNIIKP) organized a two-day technical seminar on medium voltage (MV) cable technology. As one of the invited speakers, Dow Wire & Cable presented information about "Global experience with TR-XLPE insulation for long life MV cables." The main message was that quality cable compounds and use of long term wet aging qualification tests, in addition to good manufacturing technology, are critical to ensuring long life cables for utilities.

  • The presentation included information about:
  • Critical factors that influence the performance of MV cables
  • Excellent experience and proven field performance in North America of cables insulated with TR-XLPE insulation compounds from Dow Wire & Cable
  • Wide acceptance and global use of TR-XLPE insulation
  • Advances in semiconductive compounds and their contribution to promoting long life cables
  • Recent cable testing results from China and Europe

In addition to Dow Wire & Cable, presentations were also made by VNIIKP, Borealis, Mosenergo (the utility serving the Moscow region and the largest in Russia), CESI, KEMA, Maillefer, and two other equipment manufacturers. VNIIKP gave an interesting overview of the recent history and projected trends of the cable industry in Russia and the former CIS countries.

Mosenergo discussed some details of their MV and HV network in the Moscow region as well as their switch in the late 1990s from paper/oil cables to XLPE extruded cables. CESI and KEMA provided overviews of cable testing and certification protocols and emphasized the importance of cable testing and qualification to ensure that cable designs will provide long life in service as well as cable diagnostics to help manage the reliability of older installed cables. Maillefer provided an overview of modern cable manufacturing technology and process factors affecting the manufacture of quality, long life cables.

The seminar was well attended by managers and technical personnel from all major cable manufacturers in Russia as well as by the two largest utilities, Mosenergo and Lenenergo, serving the Moscow and St. Petersburg regions, respectively.

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ICC 2005
April 2005, St. Petersburg, Florida USA

The 2005 Spring ICC had a focused educational session on the topic of underground residential and commercial low voltage (600 volt) cables. Dow Wire & Cable participated in the session with an overview of the materials and chemistries used in the manufacture of crosslinked low voltage (LV) cables. The presentation reviewed:

  • Types of polyethylene used
  • Key material parameters
  • Advantages/disadvantages of the different grades of polyethylene used in today's 600 volt cables

Additionally, Dow Wire & Cable discussed the peroxide and moisture crosslinking processes used to produce LV cables, why each is used, and presented an overview of the new developments in moisture cure technology. A survey of the 600 volt cable practices by 37 major IOU's was presented by industry consultant Steve Szaniszlo, formerly of Dow Wire & Cable. He explained that for 90C rating the majority of today's LV cables use an Al conductor with a two-layer ruggedized material design which provides better resistance to mechanical abrasion. The majority of the utilities' failures with their LV cables is due to mechanical damage caused by "dig ins."

Today's LV cable designs, manufacturing practices and industry specifications were discussed by Southwire, Alcan and Pirelli. Several utilities including Puget Sound Energy, Public Service Electric and Gas, TXU and Commonwealth Edison reviewed their cable failure experiences, cable designs and cable installation practices that have led to significant improvements in the reliability of their secondary low voltage cable systems.