In-depth Analysis of Cable Aging Phenomenon
In modern society, the stable operation of power cables is of utmost significance for our daily lives, work, and various production activities. It is directly related to the safe production of enterprises and the safety of people's lives and property. However, with the passage of time and long-term use, power cables inevitably suffer a certain degree of loss, and the aging phenomenon also emerges quietly. Then, what exactly causes the aging of power cables? And what serious hazards will it bring after aging? Next, let's have an in-depth discussion and analysis together.
Reasons for Cable Aging
External Force Damage: Through the analysis of operation conditions in recent years, it can be known that many cable failures are caused by mechanical damage. For example, failure to follow standard procedures during cable laying and installation, or conducting civil construction above buried cables, can easily cause mechanical damage to the cables.
Insulation Moisture Absorption: This situation is quite common and usually occurs at the cable joints in direct burial or pipe laying. If the cable joint is not fabricated to standard or is made in a humid climate, it will lead to water ingress or steam mixture at the joint. Under the action of the electric field, water branches gradually form, thereby weakening the insulation strength of the cable and causing faults.
Chemical Corrosion: When cables are directly laid in areas with acid and alkali effects, their armoring, lead sheaths, or outer protective layers are often subject to corrosion. Long-term chemical or electrolytic corrosion can cause the protective layer to fail and the insulation performance to decrease, eventually resulting in cable faults.
Long-Term Overload Operation: Due to the thermal effect of the current, when the load current passes through the cable, the conductor will heat up. At the same time, the skin effect of the charge, the eddy current loss of the steel armor, and the loss of the insulation medium also generate additional heat, thereby increasing the cable temperature. Long-term overload operation will accelerate the aging of the insulation layer and may even cause it to breakdown.
Cable Joint Failure: Cable joints are the weakest link in the cable line, and cable joint failures caused by improper construction are not uncommon. When construction personnel fabricate cable joints, if the joint is not pressed tightly or heated insufficiently, it will cause the insulation performance of the cable head to decline, thereby triggering accidents.
Environment and Temperature: The external environment and surrounding heat sources where the cable is located may cause the cable temperature to be too high, thereby breaking down the insulation layer and possibly causing an explosion and fire hazard.
Hazards
Cable aging not only increases power consumption but also, when the outer insulation sheath is damaged, further increases line loss and power consumption and may even cause a circuit fire. Therefore, once unsafe conditions such as cable aging, damage, and poor insulation are found, they must be replaced in a timely manner. In addition, cables will accelerate aging when exposed to long-term high temperatures. When the temperature is too high, it may ignite the outer insulation sheath and cause a fire. In real life, when many people connect two wires together, they only twist them two or three times with pliers and do not tighten them properly, resulting in a small contact area between the two wires at the joint. According to physics knowledge, the smaller the cross-sectional area of the conductor, the greater the resistance. The heat generated Q = I²Rt, and an increase in resistance leads to an increase in heat generation.
Therefore, we should frequently and regularly carry out safety inspections of the lines. For wires, electrical equipment, etc., professional personnel should be invited for a comprehensive and thorough inspection at least once a year. Especially for those lines with a long service life, once unsafe conditions such as cable aging, damage, and poor insulation are found, timely maintenance and replacement should be carried out to effectively ensure the safety of electricity use. Finally, a friendly reminder to everyone, when purchasing wire and cable, be sure to identify regular manufacturers, carefully check the quality, and must not purchase substandard wires due to the temptation of low prices.
ChinaCable, as a professional manufacturer and supplier of cable & wire with great experience in cable industry field, rich human resource and effective management system, we guarantee all products are manufactured strictly in accordance with GB, IEC, BS, TUV, ASTM, DIN standard etc. Beyond quality control,ChinaCable have been trying its best to offer much higher standard of services rather than expected.
