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Development of 400kV XLPE Cable and Accessories in KOREA

M. K. CHOI* , T. K. JU* , W. K. PARK* , J. Y. KOO **

* LG Cable & Machinery ** EM&C(HanYang University)

REPUBLIC OF KOREA

Summary increasing need for electricity at large cities. So the

Crosslinked polyethylene (XLPE) cables are being used
more and more widely for ultra-high voltage systems
owing to its advantages including the environmental
aspects. XLPE cable and its accessories have been
recently developed for the 400kV underground
transmission line. The performance of XLPE cable was
noticeably improved by using super clean compound
and by inspecting impurities of the compound during
the extrusion process. Prefabricated type accessories
were also developed which can be pretested in the
factory and require less time to install on site. Target
withstanding voltages of our newly developed 400kV
cable system have been approved throughout the type
test according to the latest CIGRE Recommendation
and IEC 840.
Keywords
crosslinked polyethylene - cables - joints - terminations
- ultra-high voltage
1. Introduction
main transmission voltage in Korea increased from
154kV to 345kV, but the lack of service experience of
XLPE cables above 300kV over the world made OF
cables to be adopted for 345kV systems. However, the
extensive service experience of our XLPE cables and
accessories has led Korean Electric Power company
(KEPCO) to decide to use XLPE cable for 345kV line
as soon as possible. To meet the increasing need for
ultra-high voltage cables and accessories both in Korea
and abroad, we developed 400kV cable and accessories.
This paper describes the design, manufacturing and test
results of them.
2. Performance Requirements
The performance requirements of cable and accessories
were determined according to the latest CIGRE
Recommendation[5, 6] and IEC Publication 840.[7]
Cable and accessories to be developed should pass the
serial type test shown in Table . Moreover, for more
severe AC voltage test, we adopted voltage of 2.5U0
according to IEC 840, which is higher than 2.0U0
recommended by CIGRE.

Owing to many advantages over oil filled (OF) cables Table . Performance requirements
such as the ease of operation or maintenance and the
elimination of environmental problems, Crosslinked Test Item Requirements
polyethylene (XLPE) insulated cables are now widely Partial Discharge less than 5pC at 1.5U0
used all over the world for extra-high voltage Tan less than 1 10-3 at U0
underground transmission system. [1-4] Also in Korea, Heat Cycle 20 cycle at 2U0
the portion of XLPE cables has rapidly increased since Partial Discharge less than 5pC at 1.5 U0
they were introduced for 154kV cable line in 1983, now Switching Surge 950kV / 10 shots
they takes the most part of underground transmission
Lightning Impulse 1425kV / 10 shots
lines. On the other hand, the higher transmission
AC Voltage 2.5 U0 / 15 minutes
voltage and larger ampacity is needed because of

* LG cable & Machinery Ltd., 20, Youeuido-dong, Youngdeungpo-gu, Seoul, 150-721, Korea
** EM&C, Hanyang University, 1271, sa-1-dong, Ansan-shi, Kyunggi-do, 425-791, Korea
3. Development of cable
3.1. Insulation thickness
Insulation thickness is generally determined by
thickness for AC voltage (tAC) or thickness for impulse
voltage (tImp), which is the larger one. Each thickness is
given by following equations respectively. [8]
× × × Considering the most severe case in which Emax is the
= ...
× × × tree initiation stress does not decrease even the radius
= ...
where, Um : maximum line voltage ( = 420kV)
k1 : temperature factor ( = 1.1)
k2 : aging factor ( = 2.3)
k3 : safety factor ( = 1.1)
BIL : Basic Impulse Insulation Level ( = 1425kV)
k4 : temperature factor ( = 1.25)
k5 : aging factor ( = 1.1)
k6 : safety factor ( = 1.1)
EL,AC : Min. AC breakdown stress ( = 35kV/mm)
EL,Imp : Min. Impulse BD stress ( = 75kV/mm)
In the above equations, k2, EL,AC and EL,Imp were
determined by Weibull distribution plot of cable
specimens. From the above equations, tAC and tImp are
calculated to be 19.3 mm and 28.7 mm respectively.
Thus, the insulation thickness was chosen to be 29 mm
for 400kV cable.
3.2. Permissible size of imperfections
The imperfections that can be unintentionally included
in the cable insulation are voids, metal contaminants,
protrusion of semiconducting layer or amber. The
permissible size of each imperfections are determined
as follows. [8]
(1) Permissible size of voids
The size of harmful void possibly causing electrical tree
= ...
× × −
in the insulation is calculated as follows.
where, 2a : permissible diameter of void [ m]
Considering the most severe case in which Emax is the
largest (about 13kV/mm), maximum permissible size of
voids is determined to be 30 [ m].
(2) Permissible size of metal contaminants
The permissible size of metal contaminants can be
calculated using equation (4).
≥ × × × ...
where, EC : Tree initiation stress ( = 220kV/mm)
kT : Temperature factor ( = 1.1)
kn : life estimation factor ( = 1.87 for 30 years)
kF : stress enhancement factor
largest, kF 8.2 and then structural parameter (a/R)
becomes 7.44. And for the tip radius, it is known that
becomes smaller than 7 m, because of the stress relief
of space charge at the tip. So the most severe case for
tip radius becomes to be 7 m. From above and using
equation (5), the size of metal contaminants can be
calculated to be 104 m, so was defined the maximum
permissible size as 100 m.
= × × ...
b
R a
Figure 1. Shape of metal contaminant
(3) Permissible size of protrusion
Protrusion at semiconducting layer can be considered
as the contaminant but the permissible size is half of it.
(4) Permissible size of amber
Amber is the carbonized PE and is known not to have
critical effect on breakdown. Generally, the permissible
size of amber for ultra-high voltage cable is 250 m.
3.3. Improvement of insulation
(1) Insulation material
Improvement of insulation material was very essential
because the maximum service stress should be
increased from 10kV/mm to 13.1kV/mm. We adopted
super-clean XLPE compound that is produced under
the strict control of foreign materials.
(2) Manufacturing process
In-line Monitoring System was newly installed
enabling to monitor continuously any contaminants in
the melted XLPE compound in extrusion process,
whose block diagram is shown in Figure 2.
By analyzing the intensity of light passing through
sight glass, scanner can detect contaminants in the
melted XLPE and identify the distribution of their size
and its nature which will be transmitted to PC and
stored for further analysis by image processing. The
minimum detectable size of contaminant is 20 m with prefabricated and pretested in the factory for full
the accuracy of 2 m, and the maximum detectable quality assurance. Such design concept has been
volume of extruder output is 200 kg/hour. verified through the experience of 154kV terminations
and joints.[9, 10]

(1) Structure
The structure of the prefabricated type joint is shown in
Figure 3, in which the outer diameter and length of
joint are 365mm and 1790mm, respectively.

The main features of the joint are as below :

- Cable conductors are connected by compression

Figure 2. Block diagram of In-line monitoring system
In addition, we adopted aluminum corrugated metallic
sheath in order to ensure full water-tightness and
protection from mechanical damage.
type ferrule of short length, and this ferrule is fixed
to the epoxy insulation unit with a segmented lock
ring.
- The epoxy insulation unit is applicable to different
size of cable in the range of 1000 to 2000 mm 2.
- The metallic outer casing with anticorrosion layer
coating is used for large fault current, water
tightness and protection from external damages.

(2) Insulation Design

4. Development of Accessories
4.1. Development of Joint
Prefabricated type (compression type) joint was
developed in order to shorten the assembly time and
lower the possibility of contamination at site. Its
construction is as follows: a premolded rubber stress
relief cone is inserted between cable and epoxy
insulation unit and then compressed by means of
springs to maintain sufficient pressure on their
interfaces. The rubber cone and epoxy unit are
Insulation performance of main components such as
epoxy insulation unit and rubber stress relief cone can
be assured by material selection, design and optimal
manufacturing process. Since the insulation
performance of these interfaces is directly related to the
insulation surface treatment and assembly condition,
the characteristics of interface insulation is the most
important in the insulation design. Therefore,
insulation performance of interfaces is maintained by
keeping these interfacial contacts to be tight enough
with springs.

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No. Item No. Item

1 Epoxy Insulation Unit 6 Epoxy Stopper
2 Stress Relief Cone 7 Outer Casing
3 Metal electrode 8 Epoxy Flange
4 Lock Ring 9 Spring Unit
5 Ferrule 10 Water-proof Layer

Figure 3. Structure of Prefabricated type Joint

Figure 4. shows the electric field distribution in the metal electrode, contact area, configuration of stress
prefabricated joint, where the four symbols( 1to 4) are relief cone and etc. For impulse voltage, the designed
the most important parameters to be considered for values have more safety margin than for AC voltage at
insulation design. Their designed values are shown in every points.
Table , along with the minimum AC breakdown stress
obtained from the experience of 154kV prefabricated
joints. In this table, designed values are the calculated
ones for AC 610kV, considering safety margin of 10% t1 t2
with respect to the AC test voltage of 550kV (2.5U0). t4

Table II. Electric stress at major points t3

[Unit : kV/mm]
Designed value Minimum Safety
Stress
(at 610kV) BD stress margin
1 17.1 20 1.2 Stress Description of Position
2 4.6 6 1.3 Metal electrode in the epoxy unit
1
3 2.7 3 1.1 Interface between epoxy unit and
2
4 11.5 18 1.5 Stress relief cone
3 Interface between stress relief cone
Insulation design is performed by detailed electric and cable insulation
stress analysis using finite element method. In order to 4 Start of stress relief cone’s slope
balance each stress, we have optimized the
configuration of epoxy unit, shape and dimension of Figure 4. Electric Field Plot for Prefabricated Joint

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No. Item No. Item No. Item

1 Leading Conductor 3 Insulating Oil 5 PE Bell Mouth
2 Porcelain Busing 4 Condenser Cone 6 Sealing Cone

➀ ➁ ➂
• ‚ ➃
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No. Item No. Item No. Item

1 Leading Conductor 3 Metal Electrode 5 Stress Relief Cone
2 Insulation Oil 4 Epoxy Insulator 6 Spring Unit

Figure 5. Structure of Outdoor Termination and Gas-immersed Termination

The electric stresses mentioned above are based on the
case that the interfacial pressure is larger than 2.5 5.2. Type Test
kg/cm2, which is the minimum value that the interfaces
have enough insulation performance. Considering the The performance of the cable and accessories has been
thermal expansion / contraction of cable insulation and evaluated, at the same time, throughout the tests on the
insulation components during service, we set the initial loop consisting of 2 sets of outdoor terminations, gas-
pressure as 4.5 kg/cm2 so that the interfacial pressure immersed terminations and prefabricated joints. The
should be maintained above 2.5 kg/cm2 even at the serial type test shown in Table I has been carried out,
worst condition of contraction. followed by AC and impulse breakdown test, whose
results are summarized in Table .
4.2. Improvements in joint work In the breakdown test, flashover occurred at outdoor
termination at 730kV (AC) and 1725kV (impulse),
To overcome any possible harms such as scratch on the respectively. So was removed the terminations from the
surface of cable insulation or residual particles during loop for the further breakdown test on the rest part of
the conventional sandpaper treatment for cable the test line. Breakdown under AC voltage took place at
insulation, we developed new treatment method of test termination, whereas breakdown of impulse voltage
cable surface using heat-shrinkable tube and heating occurred at the interface between stress relief cone and
the cable insulation. The roughness of the surface could epoxy insulation unit.
be improved from 15 µ m t o 2 µ m, by which the
breakdown stress was enhanced by more than 25%.
Additionally, no skillful workmanship is needed to Table III Results of component test
maintain good uniformity of interface.
Item Test Condition result
4.3. Development of terminations 1. Dimension and
As specified Good
visual check
(1) Outdoor termination -30 50
To control the electric field distribution of outdoor Epoxy
2. Heat Cycle test 1hr at each Good
termination as uniform as possible, we adopted oil - Unit
4 cycles
impregnated condenser cone widely used in oil-filled 5 95
cable accessories. Oil sealing between cable core and And
3. Heat shock test 1hr at each Good
metal sheath is maintained by sealing cone which was 10 cycles
specially designed for this purpose. The length of Epoxy
No void or
porcelain bushing was determined to be 4300 mm Bushing 4. X-ray test Good
Contaminant
considering the most severely polluted conditions. Less than 5 pC
5. PD test Good
At 330kV
(2) SF6 Gas-immersed termination 1. Dimension and
Dimension of the SF6 Gas-immersed termination for As specified Good
Rubber visual check
GIS was determined complying to IEC Publication 859. Stress No void or
The length of epoxy bushing is 1370mm. We adopted 2. X-ray test Good
Relief Contaminant
rubber stress relief cone as the main insulation because, Cone Less than 5 pC
for this termination, it is relatively easy to control the 3. PD test Good
At 330kV
electric field distribution than outdoor termination. The
concept of insulation design is the same as that of
Table IV Results of Type test
prefabricated joint except that the gap between cable
and epoxy bushing is filled with insulating oil in order
Test Item Condition Results
to enhance the insulation performance.
PD test 330kV No PD
Heat Cycle 440kV/20cycle Good
The structure of outdoor termination and gas-immersed
conductor temp. 95
termination are shown in Figure 5.
PD test 330kV No PD
Switching 950kV/10shots Good
5. Evaluation of performance Surge
Lightning 1425kV/10shots Good
5.1. Test of components Impulse
The performance of major insulation components was AC voltage 550kV/15min. Good
evaluated before assembly test. Test items and the AC BD test 50kV/3hr step 1250kV
results are summarized in Table . Impulse BD -50kV/3shots step -2725kV/
Test first shot
6. Conclusion
XLPE cable and accessories for 400kV were developed
based on our experiences of practical application of
prefabricated joint and termination in extra-high
voltage lines. Serial type test according to latest CIGRE
Recommendation and IEC 840 was successfully
completed. And the results of AC and impulse
breakdown tests showed remarkable electrical
performance and high degree of reliability. Cable with
maximum stress of 13kV/mm was developed by using
in-line contaminant monitoring system. Prefabricated
type joint and terminations were also developed for
technical on-site conveniences.
Now prequalification test of cable and accessories has
been already scheduled to evaluate their long-term
reliability and then a number of tests will be made in
order to obtain the international certification for the
final stage of our development. Our cable system will
be in commission for the ultra-high voltage
underground transmission system at the end of 1999.
7. References
[1] P. Andersen, et al., “Development of a 420kV
XLPE Cable System for the Metropolitan Power
Project in Copenhagen”, CIGRE 21-201, 1996.
[2] P. Argaut, et al., “Studies and Development in
France of 400kV Cross-linked Polyethylene Cable
Systems”, CIGRE 21-203, 1996.
[3] E.F. Peschke, et al., “A new Generation of Joints
for XLPE insulated Extra-high Voltage cables”,
CIGRE 21-204, 1996.
[4] J.-L. Parpal, et al., “Prequalification tests of 345kV
XLPE Cable System at IREQ”, IEEE ISEI, 1996.
[5] CIGRE Working group 21.03, “Recommendations
for Electrical Tests Prequalification and
Development on Extruded Cables and Accessories
at Voltages 150 (170)kV and 400 (420)kV”,
Electra 1993.
[6] CIGRE Working group 21.03, “Recommendations
for Electrical Tests Type, Sample and Routine on
Extruded Cables and Accessories at Voltages 150
(170)kV and 400 (420)kV”, Electra 1993.
[7] IEC Publication 840, “Tests for Power Cables with
Extruded Insulation and their Accessories for Rated
Votages above 30kV upto 150kV”
[8] IEEJ, “Life Characteristics of XLPE insulated
Power Cables”, No.514, IEEJ Technical Report,
1994.
[9] S.C.Hwang, et al., “The Development of 154kV
XLPE Cable Accessories in Korea”, CIGRE 21-
103, 1990.
[10] S.C.Hwang, et al., “Application of
Prefabricated Joints to 154kV XLPE Cables in
Korean Power Transmission System”, Jicable,
1995.