Options for cables post diagnostic testing

It is good engineering practice to routinely test the electrical components and critical cables located within your system. Once testing is complete, it is prudent to develop a plan to address concerns identified from the electrical assessment. This presentation will briefly address electrical system testing followed by options available to the cable reliability engineer for correcting issues identified via the testing. On-line diagnostic testing, testing while the system is energized, will be discussed. The cables and components can grade from Level 1, where there is no system degradation and hence the system requires no maintenance, up to a Level 5, where the component or cable system is highly degraded and immediate action is required. Cables that test in the middle or below (level 4 to 1) do not have to be replaced as modern and proven technology allows for specialized silicone fluid injection to rejuvenate the dielectric strength of the cable´s insulation. Removing the water and filling the water trees in the insulation increases the dielectric strength of the cable and will lengthen the remaining life of the cable by many years. A critical look at cable replacement versus cable rejuvenation will be discussed.