Cable and accessory installation

This paper emphasises the care necessary to ensure a satisfactory XLPE power cable installation capable of giving a service life at least equal to that of paper cable. Some of the precautions taken during installation and the sophistication of the environment and techniques used may seem more than might be expected, especially compared to the humble low voltage origins of polymeric cable. It is however the case that if you reduce the engineering specification then inevitably you put the service reliability at risk. Such risks become less acceptable as system voltages and conductor sizes rise, because of the reduced factors of safety and the higher electrical and thermomechanical performance requirements