Qualification of Cables to IEEE Standards 323-1974 and 383-1974

Wire and Cable manufacturers generally qualify products for class IE application by envelope type testing to user specifications and environmental conditions recommended by IEEE Standards 323-1974 and 383-1974. The General Electric Wire and Cable Business Department recently completed two such qualification programs. Cable constructions tested were 600V control cables and 600V, 2KV, and 15KV power cables insulated with flame resistant mineral filled crosslinked polyethylene. The 15KV samples included taped field splices. To determine the ability of samples to withstand a loss of coolant accident (LOCA) both early in and at the end of design life, both thermally aged and unaged cables were irradiated and subjected to a 100 day plus 10 day margin simulated LOCA test. Samples were heat aged to a time-temperature condition in excess of 40 years of service life. The aging criterion was determined from experimental data fitted to an Arrhenius curve by the Regression Method of IEEE Standard 101-72. All test specimens were irradiated using a Cobalt 60 source to a total integrated dose of 220 Mrad. The simulated LOCA conditions of one test program followed the combined requirements for Boiling Water Reactors and Pressurized Water Reactors. In the second test program, the steam pressure-temperature profile included a simulated main steam line break. Test specimens were wrapped on grounded mandrels and were electrically loaded throughout the simulated LOCA tests. After completion of environmental testing, samples were subjected to the IEEE 383 simulated post-LOCA test.