Electrical power cables are used to transmit electrical power, signals, high voltages in harshest industrial environments, where electrical power cables have to tolerate conditions like high temperatures and pressures, chemicals, surges, vibrations, corrosion, and other hazardous materials. ZW cable manufacturers and distributors are making the best quality electrical power cables for industrial usage.
Electrical cables mainly consist of three components
- Conductor.
- Dielectric.
- Sheet.
Table of Contents
Types of Electrical power cables.
Aerial Bundle Cable.
ABC cables are overhead power lines. The development of aerial bundled cables greatly reduces major electricity losses in the transmission lines. In aerial bundled cables, each conductor is insulated several times to avoid transmission line losses. In conventional cables, the conductors are separated by the air gaps.
They have many disadvantages like short circuits, immediate chemical effects, corrosion, power generation loss, transmission line losses, moisture effects, and high and low temperature and pressure issues. Aerial bundled cable is the solution to all of the above problems in the old conventional cables.
Types of ABC (aerial bundled cable).
- Low voltage aerial bundled cable
- Medium voltage aerial bundled cable
Advantages
- Higher Safety.
- Low power losses.
- Stability in harsh environments.
- Less short circuit issues.
- Lower maintenance and operational costs.
- Reliability and Flexibility.
- Stability in voltage regulation.
Armored Cables
As known by its name, this cable is much stronger and durable than common cables. These cables are designed to transmit very high voltages, like 11kV transmission lines and 33kV transmission lines. There are two types of armored cables.
- Steel wire armored cable.
- Aluminum wire armored cable.
Steel wire cables are three core cables used to transmit high voltages up to 33KV, while aluminum wire armored cables are single core cables used to transmit voltage of 11KV.
Variety in Armoured Cable Sizes led us to two newly designed cables gaining high popularity in the power generation industry: XLPE cables and PVC cables.
XLPE cable
The expansion of XLPE is cross-linked polyethylene cable; polyethylene plastic is used in the manufacturing of XLPE insulated cable. XLPE insulation works at both high and low-temperature levels with high efficiency.
XLPE insulation helps cable withstand brutal environments, corrosion, chemical effects, hazardous materials, low and high temperatures, low and high atmospheric pressures, surges, and vibrations.
XLPE applications
- Plumbing
- Mining
- Chemical Industry
- Power transmission through Electrical cables.
XLPE advantages
- Highly resistant to corrosion.
- Works in both low and high-temperature levels.
- Highly resistant to environmental stress.
- Highly efficient.
- No chemical effects.
- Waterproof.
PVC insulated cable
PVC insulated cable is a Polyvinyl chloride cable used in electrical cables. PVC cable is only suitable for low tension applications and cannot withstand high pressure.
Comparison to XLPE cable
The temperature threshold level of XLPE cable is 90’C while PVC cable is designed at 70’C. The life span of XLPE cable is far more than PVC insulated cable. XLPE is more resistant to temperature, surges, vibrations, moisture, and chemicals.
XLPE cable is more suitable for our environment rather than PVC insulated cable. XLPE insulated cable cost is higher than PVC insulated cable, but the advantages of XLPE cable overcome its high price.
