Session Four: Technical Solutions for the Installation of High Voltage Cables
Regional Electrical Engineering Forum 2009 IDC Technologies
1
Session Four:
Technical Solutions for the Installation
of High Voltage Cables
Mark Jansen
Electrical Engineer: Olex Cables Australia
Innovation in action
Abstract
Each Turn key project presents a different set of technical issues that require technical
innovation to resolve. On most projects the need for innovation is identified well in
advance of construction commencement and hence there is plenty of time to develop
and trial a solution or solutions. Other projects with tight time constraints may dictate
that innovative solutions are developed on the run. Both scenarios require the right
people with the right skill set to be proactively involved. Olex has now gained
significant expertise in innovation from completing several turnkey projects both
locally and internationally. These projects have each enabled Olex to develop specific
tools, materials and skill sets to enable successful completion of the project.
Introduction
Olex as an organisation has been undertaking turnkey installation projects for
underground Extra High Voltage and certain submarine projects since 1991. This
service has been offered as a means of supporting the core business of cable sales but is
now regarded as a critical component of Olex business. Each project brings its own
technical challenges and as a direct result Olex has developed people, hardware
software and systems that enable the greater majority of these challenges to be dealt
with prior to construction commencing. Each project, however, is unique and will have
a technical challenge that is very much specific to itself and as such a specific solution
to deal with that challenge needs to be developed. Generally such a solution can be
developed prior to construction but on every project there are challenges that must be
dealt with during construction.
Every technical challenge requires a level of innovation to be able to develop a solution
that meets the criteria of;
a) will this solution integrate with all the other technical aspects and requirements
of this project?
b) will this solution meet the lifetime requirements of the project?
c) does this solution fit within the time and budget constraints of the project?
Session Four: Technical Solutions for the Installation of High Voltage Cables
Regional Electrical Engineering Forum 2009 IDC Technologies
2
d) Does this solution add value to the project, the customer and Olex?
For innovation to occur the right people with the correct skill set must be motivated to
proactively seek a solution that meets the above criteria. Some key questions that must
be asked prior to a solution being developed are;
a) do we have the right people to develop a solution in house and if not,
b) where can we source the expertise to develop a solution and do they have the
people and equipment to develop a solution on Olex behalf and finally,
c) will any solution developed stand up to an independent third party scrutiny.
Olex has undertaken multiple recent turnkey projects that have successfully
demonstrated a high level of technical innovation and this paper will be highlighting
the challenges faced and the technical innovations developed to overcome these
challenges.
The Tamar River 22 kV kV Submarine Project
To enable reinforcement of its distribution network in Northern Tasmania Aurora
Energy in Tasmania determined that a 22 kV feeder be installed that would cross the
Tamar River near Georgetown. The project was a combination of underground and
submarine cable and necessitated some specialised solutions to manufacture and install
the cable. Submarine cable is a specialised product that is purpose designed to be
installed in a submerged environment (either fresh or salt water). The timeline for the
project was extremely tight with the contract awarded in February of 2007 and
completion required prior to November of the same year due to the Shark migration
season.
Design of the cable
Typically the basic construction of a submarine cable is similar to underground
(distribution) cable in that three individually screened cores are laid up together and
oversheathed with PVC, HDPE or a combination of both. Submarine cables are
comprised of the same basic building blocks as underground cables but have the
additional criteria that they must be completely waterblocked to prevent water
penetration to the cores of the cable.
This water blocking is generally achieved by;
a) the extrusion of a thick layer of lead over the cores, the lead sheath makes the
cable impenetrable to water as also provides mechanical protection to the cores
underneath.
Session Four: Technical Solutions for the Installation of High Voltage Cables
Regional Electrical Engineering Forum 2009 IDC Technologies
3
b) one ore two layers of Galvanised steel wire armour and layers of bitumen are
helically wound and poured over the lead sheath to provide mechanical
protection to the cable during and after installation of the cable.
c) the extrusion of a thick layer of HDPE. The HDPE provides mechanical
protectio0n to the layers underneath and also additional water protection by
ensuring that salt water cannot penetrate to these layers. This is as a result of the
process of osmosis whereby the salt water changes to fresh water under
pressure.
In addition the cable was provided as a totally waterblocked solution. This was
achieved by not only waterblocking the cable in a radial direction through the layers
described above but also by longitudinally waterblocking the cable such that if the
cables outer layers are damaged and the water is able to penetrate to the cores then the
water penetration is localised to the point of entry. This was achieved by;
a) water blocking of the conductor through the inclusion of waterswellable strings
and tapes
b) decreasing the risk of water trees forming by extruding water tree retardant
XLPE over the conductors. A tree retardant additive is added to the XLPE by
the supplier.
c) Filling the interstices between the cores of the cables with foamed EPR rubber
fillers and water swellable yarns
d) Applying waterswellable tapes over the laid up assembly.
Figure 1. Design of Cable Interstices fillers
Session Four: Technical Solutions for the Installation of High Voltage Cables
Regional Electrical Engineering Forum 2009 IDC Technologies
4
The water swellable tapes and strings are impregnated with a powder that reacts with
and then turns into a jelly on contact with either salt or fresh water. This reaction
ensures that any penetration of water is limited to less than 1m either side of the cable
damage.
Whilst radial waterblocking of the cable outer layers and waterblocking of conductors
has been established and accepted for some time. An effective means of waterblocking
the interstices of a three core cable previously had not been established. Given Olex
expertise in cable design a solution was developed in house. Olex own research and
development team was commissioned to undertake research and experimentation to
design, develop and then prove a means by which longitudinal waterblocking of the
interstices could be achieved with materials that;
a) would ensure that the budget for the cable would not be exceeded and
b) that could be incorporated in Olex standard manufacturing processes.
c) Ensured that the weight of the cable would not be increased as a result of
changing the materials used in the cable interstices
Several materials were sourced and different configurations trialled to establish the
most effective and efficient means of achieving this waterblocking method. The
samples tested were hand made but with materials that were specifically selected as
they could be incorporated into Olex standard manufacturing processes.
The optimal and final solution selected was as described above and is depicted in figure
1. The test method chosen (figure 2) to establish the effectiveness of the water blocking
method was to place a length of clear plastic tube over the end of the sample, seal the
tube to the sample using self amalgamating tapes, suspend the tube vertically, fill the
tube with water and then track the progress of the waterflow into the cable. The
solution chosen was the most effective at blocking the penetration of water into the
cable
Session Four: Technical Solutions for the Installation of High Voltage Cables
Regional Electrical Engineering Forum 2009 IDC Technologies
5
Figure 2. Waterblocking Experiment setup
Once the solution was established and approved the materials required to fill the cable
interstices were sourced for production of the submarine cable. Given the very strict
timeline for the project completion there was no opportunity to prepare and run a trial
of the solution on the production machine. As such considerable preparation was
undertaken in ensuring that the laying up machine selected would successfully
complete the process. This preparation involved informing the suppliers of Olex
requirements and providing them with information and equipment to enable a
successful process,
The cable cores were then manufactured in accordance with Olex standard processes
and the cores, EPR foamed filler, water swellable tapes and yarns were set up on Olex
laying up machine (figure 3), The cores were successfully layed up over the course of a
weekend under the supervision of Olex design team and then sent for further processing
to complete the cable.
Session Four: Technical Solutions for the Installation of High Voltage Cables
Regional Electrical Engineering Forum 2009 IDC Technologies
6
Figure 3. Laying up of the Interstice fillers
Design of the submarine cable hauling eye
The next issue in the cable design was ensuring that when being hauled water could not
penetrate the cores of the cable. To ensure that this could event could not occur the
cores of the cable had be completely sealed, this was achieved by placing a copper cap
over and then soldering it to the lead sheath, over this a standard cable cap was crimped
onto the cable sheath to provide mechanical protection to the copper cap underneath
and additional sealing. A pulling stocking with additional length was then placed over
this assembly, the stocking acts as a sleeve over the sheath and when tension is applied
it locks onto the cable armour wires and the cable can be pulled (See figure 4). The
cable hauling assembly was fitted on site prior to the cable being pulled and the basic
assembly of the hauling eye arrangement is as shown below. The solution was
developed in house and was fitted when the cable arrived at site by an experienced
cable jointer.
Session Four: Technical Solutions for the Installation of High Voltage Cables
Regional Electrical Engineering Forum 2009 IDC Technologies
7
Figure 4. Submarine Cable Hauling eye design sketch
Anchoring of the submarine system and Testing of the installed submarine/land cable
system
The testing undertaken on the installed cable was as per the requirements of AS/NZS
1429.1 with a high voltage test and sheath voltage test. The issue for the submarine
cable when it joins to the underground cable is that the armouring wires are attached to
an anchoring mechanism to ensure that any movement of the submarine cable is not
transmitted into the submarine to underground cable joint. Olex calculations showed
that with tidal movement the cable joint could be subjected to as much as 5 tonne of
additional weight. A single point suspension clamp as used in the mining industry with
a 10 Tonne capacity was chosen to anchor the cable. In doing this it was identified that
the metallic sheathing layer would be earthed potentially compromising the overall
sheath integrity of the submarine cable and an end to end test of sheath integrity would
not be possible.
To deal with this issue Olex designed an anchoring mechanism (See figure 5) during
the construction phase of the project that still enabled the integrity of the sheath to be
maintained for the entire length of the circuit whilst ensuring that no movement of the
cable could be transmitted. The submarine to underground cable joint bay end wall was
constructed of a thick layer of reinforced concrete, the armour wires were extracted and
installed in the single point suspension clamp with the same methods used in the
mining industry. The clamped submarine cable was then installed in a box that was
fastened to the joint bay end wall, the box was then filled with a resin that set hard and
was an insulating medium. Care had to taken to ensure that the resin selected that did
Session Four: Technical Solutions for the Installation of High Voltage Cables
Regional Electrical Engineering Forum 2009 IDC Technologies
8
not raise to a temperature that would damage the cable core when the resin was setting
(going off). A resin that did not rise above 70 C was found and when assembly was
completed the entire system was tested the sheath integrity was sound.
Figure 5. Submarine Cable Anchoring design
Installation
Given the size of the drums to be installed, the remoteness of the location where the
submarine cables were being installed and that the cable would need to be removed
from the drum on a barge it was determined during the construction phase by Dalys
Constructions (the cable installer) that a traditional drum stand would not be sufficient
or safe to pull cable from. Dalys designed and built a hydraulically spindle driven
drum stand that could be installed and operated on flat surfaces that could be subject to
movement (such as a barge) during installation. The drum stand was designed with a 45
Tonne capacity, can hold drums that are 4.5m high and up to 3m wide (See figure 6).
Bearing in mind the potential for cable runaway during submarine cable installations
the drum stand also has the capability to lift/recover up to 3 Tonne of cable weight. .
Session Four: Technical Solutions for the Installation of High Voltage Cables
Regional Electrical Engineering Forum 2009 IDC Technologies
9
Figure 6. Cable drum stand constructed by Daly's Constructions
Energex CityGrid Reinforcement project
Energex commissioned Olex to design and install a double circuit 110 kV system to
deliver 220MVA using 132 kV cable and accessories. The system was part of the
overall reinforcement of the Brisbane CBD supply grid and delivered power from
Carindale terminal point to Charlotte Street substation in Brisbane via the Wellington
Road substation. The contract for the design phase of the project was awarded in
September 2005 and completed in December 2005. Manufacturing of the cable and
construction of the system commenced in 2006 and all works were completed in March
2007.
Design of the cable
The cable design used was typical in that it comprised a copper conductor that is XLPE
insulated, has a metallic sheath and a plastic jacket (See Figure 7). The conductor
design was a 4 sector waterblocked 1600 mm2 milliken conductor. A conductor of this
size and construction with waterblocking had not been manufactured previously by
Olex. In waterblocking a conductor of this size Olex had to take into account that an
increase in diameter of the conductor was simply not acceptable as the conductor had to
fit within standard accessory components. Waterswellable strings and yards were
sourced and purchased and samples were manufactured and tested. The final solution
chosen had no additional increase in diameter. This allowed the standard accessory
Session Four: Technical Solutions for the Installation of High Voltage Cables
Regional Electrical Engineering Forum 2009 IDC Technologies
10
fittings to be used and means that where waterblocked conductor is joined to non water
blocked conductor special equipment and tooling to join the different conductor types
(waterblocked to non waterblocked) were not required.
Figure 7. CityGrid Cable Design
Design of the Captain Cook bridge bow spring
The cables installed between the Charlotte Street substation and the Wellington Road
substation had to cross over the Captain Cook Bridge, the bridge is designed in such
away that it can flex and move due to temperature and load variation. The bridge
flexing and movement would actually occur at a rate that could potentially damage the
cable. To accommodate this Olex worked in conjunction with both Energex and the
Victorian University of Technology to design, test and build a bow spring support
frame (See figure 8). The support frame was constructed in Olex mechanical test
laboratory using the exact materials that were used on the bridge. The frame was
Session Four: Technical Solutions for the Installation of High Voltage Cables
Regional Electrical Engineering Forum 2009 IDC Technologies
11
subjected to loads that simulated the movement of the bridge over a prolonged period
of time as the design must last the lifetime of the cable. The designed Bow Spring
support was installed at the bridge expansion points to allow the cable to move with the
bridge without the cable being damaged.
Figure 8. Bow Spring Test rig
L|ve erd 0ead erd
Trelo|| c|arp
F|rsl sra|e
Verification of the conduit status.
The CityGrid cable was completely installed in conduit, this method is preferred in
highly trafficated areas whereby a short circuit of trench can be dug, the conduits
installed and the trench backfilled within a short period of time. Once all the sections of
conduit are installed the cable can be pulled through the conduit with minimal
disruption to traffic and the associated safety and security risks of having an open
trench. During installation of the conduits there is a possibility that foreign materials
may enter the conduit that may dame the cable sheath during installation. The typical
method of dealing with this was to pull a cleaner through the conduits prior to the cable
being pulled through it. This, however still did not provide a guarantee that the conduit
was both clean and undamaged. To deal with this issue Olex developed Robolex (See
Figure 9), Robolex is a conduit inspection unit that was developed by Olex through a
local engineering and research firm. The purpose of Robolex is to provide a visual
record of the inspection thus ensuring that no water or foreign objects are left behind
after conduit installation and that the conduits themselves are not damaged.
Robolex;
a) has a lightweight robust construction
b) has a Water resistant sealed design
c) operates in a variety of conduit sizes up to and including 300mm conduit.
d) its operating range is only limited by the recording medium.
Session Four: Technical Solutions for the Installation of High Voltage Cables
Regional Electrical Engineering Forum 2009 IDC Technologies
12
e) has capability to playback footage on robot for integrity validation.
f) has active illumination including structured lighting system. (White Light)
g) has video recording capability on board
h) can display the distance travelled.
i) has a simple user interface (Power button + small joystick)
j) has a resolution camera with small focal length (fisheye) lens.
Robolex has been used extensively on recent Olex projects and is becoming a crucial
tool in ensuring that a cable installation proceeds without damage to the cable
Figure 9. Design sketch of Robolex and photograph
Session Four: Technical Solutions for the Installation of High Voltage Cables
Regional Electrical Engineering Forum 2009 IDC Technologies
13
Conclusion
The need for innovation in any project environment is paramount, without innovation
many projects simply would not be started or once started would not be completed on
time and under budget. Generally this innovation is an effective means of risk
management whereby a risk is identified prior to or during construction. To facilitate
this innovation the correct people must be involved and be motivated and led to achieve
the optimum outcome for the project. This means that there are effectively sub-projects
within the main project and whilst these sub-projects are critical to the completion of
the main project the innovation that is developed either as a collective or as an
individual still must be completed within a timeframe and budget to ensure that the
overall goal of the main project is achieved.
References:
VERIFICATION OF MECHANICAL SUPPORT FOR CABLES USED ON
BRIDGE STRUCTURES AT DILATION POINTS by Vincent Roulliard (VUT), Ken
Barber (Olex), Roman Piechota (Olex) and Graeme Barnewall (Olex)
Bibliography
Mark Jansen has been employed as an Electrical Engineer with Olex Australia since
1997. Marks roles have included systems design engineer, logistics project manager,
Electrical test engineer and Cable applications engineer. Some key achievements in this
time have been the condition monitoring of the Liverpool to Roskill 110 kV
underground line in New Zealand, Commissioning the current Medium Voltage partial
discharge test Laboratory in Olex Tottenham and more recently having a direct
involvement is several key projects that Olex is undertaking on behalf of critical
customers.
Mark is dedicated to his family and is actively involved in the community.
