Materials System Specification

15-SAMSS-502 4 December 2012

Medium Voltage Power Cable 5 kV through 35 kV
Document Responsibility: Electrical Systems Designs and Automation Standards
Committee

Saudi Aramco DeskTop Standards

Table of Contents

1 Scope............................................................. 2
2 Conflicts and Deviations................................. 2
3 References..................................................... 2
4 Field Experience............................................ 3
5 General.......................................................... 3
6 Medium Voltage Power Cable
per IEC 60502-2..................................... 4
7 Medium Voltage Power Cable
per AEIC CS8......................................... 6
8 Other Requirements....................................... 9

Previous Issue: 19 October 2008 Next Planned Update: 4 December 2017

Revised paragraphs are indicated in the right margin Page 1 of 10
Primary contact: Hamrani, Majed Muhsen on 966-3-8809647

Copyright©Saudi Aramco 2012. All rights reserved.

Document Responsibility: Electrical Systems Designs and Automation Standards Committee 15-SAMSS-502
Issue Date: 4 December 2012
Next Planned Update: 4 December 2017 Medium Voltage Power Cable 5 kV through 35 kV

1 Scope

This Specification defines the mandatory requirements for dielectric insulated power
cables with rated voltages from 5 kV through 35 kV, 50 or 60 Hz. Submarine,
submersible pump (down hole), portable, and motor lead cables are outside the scope of
this Specification.

2 Conflicts and Deviations

2.1 If there are any conflicts between this Specification and associated purchasing,
project or engineering documents, this specification shall take precedence.

2.2 Direct all requests to deviate from this Specification in writing to the Company
or Buyer Representative, who shall follow internal company waiver procedure.

2.3 The designation “Commentary” is used to label a sub-paragraph that contains

comments that are explanatory or advisory. These comments are not mandatory,
except to the extent that they explain mandatory requirements contained in this
SAMSS.

3 References

The following is a summary of all the documents which have been mentioned within
this Specification. The specific part(s) of these documents which are applicable have
been identified throughout this Specification.

3.1 Saudi Aramco References

Saudi Aramco Inspection Requirements

Form 175-150200 Medium Voltage Power Cable 5 kV through 35 kV

3.2 Industry Codes and Standards

American Society for Testing and Materials

ASTM B8 Concentric-Lay-Stranded Copper Conductors,
Hard, Medium Hard, or Soft
ASTM B496 Compact Round Concentric-Lay-Stranded Copper
Conductors

Association of Edison Illuminating Companies

AEIC CS8 Specification for Extruded Dielectric, Shielded
Power Cables Rated 5 through 46 kV

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Document Responsibility: Electrical Systems Designs and Automation Standards Committee 15-SAMSS-502
Issue Date: 4 December 2012
Next Planned Update: 4 December 2017 Medium Voltage Power Cable 5 kV through 35 kV

Insulated Cable Engineers Association

ICEA S-94-649 Concentric Neutral Cables Rated 5,000 – 46,000
Volts
ICEA S-97-682 Utility Shielded Power Cables Rated 5,000 –
46,000 Volts

International Electrotechnical Commission

IEC 60038 IEC Standard Voltages
IEC 60228 Conductors of Insulated Cables
IEC 60332-3 Tests on Electric Cables under Fire Conditions
Part 3: Tests on Bunched Wires or Cables
IEC 60502-2 Power Cables with Extruded Insulation and Their
Accessories for Rated Voltages from 1 kV up to
30 kV - Part 2: Cables for Rated Voltages from
6 kV up to 30 kV

Underwriters Laboratories
UL 1072 Standard for Medium Voltage Power Cable

4 Field Experience

Designs, materials and methods of construction used in cable shall have a minimum of
6 years of verifiable, proven field experience. (Local manufacturer is exempted.)
Vendor shall supply a User List indicating User company name, installation site, date of
installation, and characteristics similar to cable quoted.

5 General

Medium Voltage Power Cable shall be manufactured and tested in accordance with
International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 60502-2, or in accordance with
Association of Edison Illuminating Companies (AEIC) CS8, as specified in the
purchase order or in the Saudi Aramco Materials System Specification (SAMSS)
description, with additional requirements as outlined below:

5.1 Cable manufactured to IEC 60502-2 shall meet the requirements of Sections 6
and 8 below.

5.2 Cable manufactured to AEIC CS8 shall meet the requirements of Sections 7 and
8 below.

5.3 Substitution of IEC cable with AEIC cable, if IEC cable is specified, and vice
versa, is prohibited.

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Document Responsibility: Electrical Systems Designs and Automation Standards Committee 15-SAMSS-502
Issue Date: 4 December 2012
Next Planned Update: 4 December 2017 Medium Voltage Power Cable 5 kV through 35 kV

6 Medium Voltage Power Cable per IEC 60502-2

Cable shall be manufactured and tested in accordance with IEC 60502-2, with the
following additional requirements:

6.1 Insulation material shall be crosslinked polyethylene (XLPE), Tree resistance

XLPE (TRXLPE ) or ethylene propylene rubber (EPR), as specified.
Thermoplastic insulating compounds are not acceptable.

6.2 The rated voltage, nominal insulation thickness (as defined in IEC 60502-2) and
field (commissioning) test voltage of the cable shall be in accordance with
Table 1.

Table 1

I II III IV
Nominal
Buyer's System Voltage Field Test
Uo/U(Um) Insulation
Nominal/Class Voltage
kV Thickness
kV kV DC
mm
Above 2 up to 4.16/5 6/10 (12) 3.4 36
Above 4.16/5 up to 13.8/15 12/20 (24) 5.5 64
Above 13.8/15 up to 34.5/35 35 * 9.0 100

Note: * Not an IEC standard rated voltage; cable shall be similar to 18/30 (36) kV, but with
9.0 mm insulation thickness.

IEC Definitions:
Uo : rated phase to ground voltage for which the cable is designed
U : rated phase to phase voltage for which the cable is designed
Um : highest system voltage for which the cable may be used (IEC 60038)

6.3 The conductors shall be of Class 2 annealed copper in accordance with

IEC 60228, plain or metal coated as specified. Conductor sizes shall be standard
metric IEC 60228 sizes.
Exception:

Conductor sizes shall be permitted to be standard AWG or kcmil sizes, if so

specified in the purchase order, for accommodation of equipment such as
separable connectors (elbows). In this case, all requirements of IEC 60228 and
60502-2 shall apply, as they relate to the closest standard metric size.

6.4 Conductor and insulation screening is required for all cables.

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Document Responsibility: Electrical Systems Designs and Automation Standards Committee 15-SAMSS-502
Issue Date: 4 December 2012
Next Planned Update: 4 December 2017 Medium Voltage Power Cable 5 kV through 35 kV

6.5 Conductor screening (shield) shall be easily removable from the conductor, and
shall consist of either:

6.5.1 a layer of extruded semiconducting compound, or

6.5.2 a layer of extruded semiconducting compound over a semiconducting

tape or

6.5.3 a layer of extruded thermosetting compound, or

6.5.4 a layer of extruded thermosetting compound over a semiconducting tape.

6.6 The non-metallic part of the insulation screen (shield) shall consist of a layer of
extruded semiconducting compound or extruded thermosetting compound.
Semiconducting coatings (paints) are not allowed. The extruded compound
shall be removable (strippable). The tension required to remove 12.5 mm strips
at room temperature shall be not less than 3 kg (6 lbs) nor more than 11 kg
(24 lbs), when the stripping test of ICEA S-94-649 or ICEA S-97-682 is
performed. The extruded compound shall be firmly bonded for cables rated
above 15 kV.

6.7 The extruded semiconducting conductor shield, the insulation, and the
semiconducting insulation shield shall be applied by simultaneous triple
extrusion. Steam curing is not acceptable for XLPE insulated cable.

6.8 The metallic part of the insulation screen (shield) shall consist of copper tape(s),
and shall be applied separately over each of the semicon-shielded, insulated
conductors. Copper tape shall be a minimum of 0.125 mm (5 mil) thickness,
applied with a minimum of 20% overlap.

6.9 If a concentric neutral conductor is specified in the purchase order, it shall

consist of copper wires with the specified cross section, and shall be plain or
metal coated as specified. The concentric neutral conductor shall be under the
outer jacket. The concentric neutral wires may serve as, and take the place of
the copper tape screen (shield) specified in paragraph 6.8.
Commentary Note 6.9:

The manufacturer may elect to include a copper tape screen (shield) as a means
to improve the flame retardance characteristics of the cable, and meet the
requirements of paragraph 6.16. In this case, the manufacturer shall notify Saudi
Aramco.

6.10 IEC 60502-2 Class 2, stranded copper ground conductor(s) shall be provided in
the interstices of the cable, if specified in the purchase order.

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Document Responsibility: Electrical Systems Designs and Automation Standards Committee 15-SAMSS-502
Issue Date: 4 December 2012
Next Planned Update: 4 December 2017 Medium Voltage Power Cable 5 kV through 35 kV

6.11 Fillers (extruded material or non-hygroscopic fibers) shall be used in order to

ensure the cable is compact and round in cross-section.

6.12 Metallic armor, when specified in the purchase order, shall be galvanized steel
double tape armor, or galvanized steel wire armor.
Exception:

For single conductor cables, material shall be aluminum instead of steel.

6.13 All cables shall have a continuous overall outer nonmetallic sheath (jacket).

6.14 The outer sheath (jacket) shall be polyvinyl chloride (PVC), suitable for 90°C
maximum rated conductor temperature.

6.15 The outer sheath (jacket) shall be sunlight resistant and oil resistant.

6.16 The magnitude of the discharge during the partial discharge test shall not be
higher than 5 pc (picocoulombs) at 1.73 Uo.

6.17 The cable shall meet the retardance test specified in IEC 60332-3, “Tests on
Electric Cables under Fire Conditions - Part 3: Tests on Bunched Wires or
Cables.” This is a type/qualification test – see paragraph 8.5.

6.18 Routine tests shall include, in addition to the tests listed in IEC 60502-2,
eccentricity measurement. Maximum eccentricity (Tmax-Tmin) on a wafer of
insulation shall be 0.89 mm (5/10 kV cables), 1.02 mm (12/20 kV cables), and
1.15 mm (35 kV cables). These maximum eccentricity limits are consistent with
maximum and minimum insulation thicknesses specified in ICEA S-94-649 and
ICEA S-97-682.

7 Medium Voltage Power Cable per AEIC CS8

Cable shall be manufactured and tested in accordance with AEIC CS8 and
ICEA S-97-682 (cable without concentric neutral), or in accordance with
AEIC CS8 and ICEA S-94-649 (concentric neutral cable), in both cases with the
following additional requirements:

7.1 Insulation material shall be XLPE or EPR, as specified. Thermoplastic

insulating compounds are not acceptable.

7.2 The rated voltage, nominal insulation thickness and field (commissioning) test
voltage of the cable shall be in accordance with Table 2.

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Document Responsibility: Electrical Systems Designs and Automation Standards Committee 15-SAMSS-502
Issue Date: 4 December 2012
Next Planned Update: 4 December 2017 Medium Voltage Power Cable 5 kV through 35 kV

Table 2
I II III IV V
Nominal *
Buyer's System Voltage Rated Insulation Field Test
Insulation
Nominal/Class Voltage Level Voltage
Thickness
kV kV % kV DC
mm (mils)
Above 2 up to 4.16/5 5 133 2.92 (115) 36
Above 4.16/5 up to
15 133 5.59 (220) 64
13.8/15
Above 13.8/15 up to
35 100 8.76 (345) 100
34.5/35

Note: * ICEA S-94-649 and ICEA S-97-682 specify insulation thickness in terms of minimum
and maximum values.

7.3 The conductors shall be ASTM B8 Class B concentric-lay-stranded annealed

copper, or ASTM B496 compact round concentric-lay-stranded annealed
copper, plain or metal coated as specified in the purchase order.

7.4 Conductor and insulation shields are required for all cables, except 5 kV rated
cable type MC may be without insulation shield if so specified.

7.5 Conductor shield shall be easily removable from the conductor, and shall consist
of either a layer of extruded semiconducting compound, or a layer of extruded
semiconducting compound over a semiconducting tape.

7.6 The non-metallic part of the insulation shield shall consist of a layer of extruded
semiconducting compound. Semiconducting coatings (paints) are not allowed.
The extruded compound shall be removable (strippable); the tension required to
remove 12.5 mm strips at room temperature shall not be less than 3 kg (6 lbs)
nor more than 11 kg (24 lbs), when the stripping test of ICEA S-94-649 or
ICEA S-97-682 is performed.

7.7 The extruded semiconducting conductor shield, the insulation, and the
semiconducting insulation shield shall be applied by simultaneous triple
extrusion. Steam curing is not acceptable for XLPE insulated cable.

7.8 The metallic part of the insulation shield shall consist of copper tape(s), and
shall be applied separately over each of the semicon-shielded, insulated
conductors. Copper tape shall be a minimum of 0.125 mm (5 mil) thickness,
applied with a minimum of 20% overlap.

7.9 If a concentric neutral conductor is specified in the purchase order (occasionally

referred to by type URD or UD cable), it shall consist of copper wires with the
specified cross section, and shall be plain or metal coated as specified.

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Document Responsibility: Electrical Systems Designs and Automation Standards Committee 15-SAMSS-502
Issue Date: 4 December 2012
Next Planned Update: 4 December 2017 Medium Voltage Power Cable 5 kV through 35 kV

Applicable standards for cables with concentric neutral are ICEA S-94-649 and
AEIC CS8. The concentric neutral conductor shall be under the outer jacket.
The concentric neutral wires may serve as, and take the place of the copper tape
screen (shield) specified in paragraph 6.8.
Commentary Note 7.9:

The manufacturer may elect to include a copper tape screen (shield) as a means
to improve the flame retardance characteristics of the cable, and meet the
requirements of paragraph 6.17. In this case, the manufacturer shall notify Saudi
Aramco.

7.10 ASTM B8 Class B concentric-lay-stranded annealed copper, or ASTM B496

compact round concentric-lay-stranded annealed copper ground conductor(s)
shall be provided in the interstices of the cable, if specified in the purchase
order.

7.11 Fillers (extruded material or non-hygroscopic fibers) shall be used in order to

ensure the cable is compact and round in cross-section.

7.12 Metallic cover, when specified in the purchase order, shall be corrugated
impervious aluminum sheath, or galvanized steel interlocked tape. The cable
shall be type MC (metal clad).
Exception:

Steel shall not be used for single conductor cables.

7.13 All cables shall have a continuous overall outer nonmetallic jacket.

7.14 The outer jacket shall be PVC, suitable for 90°C maximum rated conductor
temperature.

7.15 The outer jacket shall meet the sunlight resistance, and the oil resistance I or II
requirements of UL 1072. This is a type/qualification test – see paragraph 8.5.
A certificate from the manufacturer that the cable has been type tested by a third
party and that it meets these UL tests is acceptable in lieu of formal UL listing or
certification.

7.16 Partial discharge testing shall be in accordance with ICEA S-94-649 or

ICEA S-97-682.

7.17 The cable shall meet the vertical tray flame test specified in UL 1072. This is a
type/qualification test – see paragraph 8.5. A certificate from the manufacturer
that the cable has been type tested by a third party and that it meets this UL test
is acceptable in lieu of formal UL listing or certification.

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Document Responsibility: Electrical Systems Designs and Automation Standards Committee 15-SAMSS-502
Issue Date: 4 December 2012
Next Planned Update: 4 December 2017 Medium Voltage Power Cable 5 kV through 35 kV

7.18 In addition to the marking requirements of paragraph 8.2, the cable outer jacket
shall have the following markings:
i) Insulation thickness (preferably), or % insulation level.
ii) TYPE MV-90, or, when applicable, TYPE MV-90 OR MC,
or TYPE URD, or TYPE UD.
iii) OIL RES I or OIL RES II.

8 Other Requirements

8.1 Each phase of multi-conductor cables shall be permanently identified.

8.2 Cables shall be marked on the outer non-metallic sheath (jacket) at intervals not
exceeding 1 m with the following information:
1) Rated voltage
2) Insulating compound (XLPE or EPR)
3) Number, size and material (“COPPER” or “CU”) of conductors
4) Manufacturer's name
5) Year of manufacture

8.3 Reels shall be made of steel, or, alternatively, shall be heavy duty wood reels.
Reels shall be lagged with wood, and shall be marked with a durable label
securely attached to a flange of the reel and plainly stating Buyer's Purchase Order
number, shipping length of cable on reel, number, type and size of conductors,
cable configuration, and voltage rating. Cable ends shall be sealed and capped.

8.4 Additional Water Protection

One or more of the following shall be provided, if the cable is buried under
water table or sabkah area.

8.4.1 Longitudinal water protection, in the form of semiconducting

waterblocking swellable tapes applied under and over the metallic screen
or concentric neutral.

8.4.2 Longitudinal water protection for the conductors, in the form of strand
sealant.

8.4.3 Radial water ingress protection, in the form of plastic coated laminated
aluminum or copper tape immediately under the outer jacket and firmly
bonded to it.

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Document Responsibility: Electrical Systems Designs and Automation Standards Committee 15-SAMSS-502
Issue Date: 4 December 2012
Next Planned Update: 4 December 2017 Medium Voltage Power Cable 5 kV through 35 kV

8.4.4 Tree-Resistant XLPE (TRXLPE) instead of XLPE insulation.

8.4.5 Other methods recommended by the cable manufacturer and approved

by Coordinator, ESD, CSD.

8.5 Type/Qualification Tests

The manufacturer shall provide a certificate from a third party testing agency
acceptable to Saudi Aramco, proving that all type or qualification tests required
by applicable IEC, ICEA and AEIC standards have been successfully completed
(a) prior to the placement of the first order for the type of cable ordered, and (b)
prior to the placement of the first order after any major change in manufacturing
processes. The certificate shall be plant-specific and shall not be extended to
other plants of the same manufacturer.

8.6 Inspection

Inspection shall be in accordance with this specification and Form 175-150200.

Revision Summary
4 December 2012 Revised the Next Planned Update.” Reaffirmed the contents of the document, and
reissued with minor revision that includes deletion of few requirements related to
installation of the cables and also specific requirements on where to apply water protection
for the cable system.

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