Long term pre-qualification testing program on a 230 kV XLPE cable system

This paper describes the installation, testing, and results of a long term, full scale laboratory evaluation of a 230 kV XLPE insulated cable system. System components included two innovative, pre-molded splices, a 128 meter (420 foot) cable run, and two silicone oil filled, porcelain cable terminations. Load cycle aging was performed on the cable system over a four year period. After successfully completing the outdoor aging program, the system was exposed to a final impulse breakdown test. Results demonstrated the importance of considering thermomechanical bending in aluminum conductor, XLPE insulated designs. The influence on cable ampacity of solar heating at riser transitions was also demonstrated.< >