Document No.

GIS 12-151
Applicability Group
Date 09 September, 2003

Guidance on Industry Standard for

Low Voltage Power and Control Cable (IEC)

GIS 12-151

BP GROUP
ENGINEERING TECHNICAL PRACTICES
09 September, 2003 GIS 12-151
Guidance on Industry Standard for Low Voltage Power and Control Cable (IEC)

Foreword

This is the first issue of Engineering Technical Practice (ETP) GIS 12-151. This Guidance on Industry
Standard (GIS) is based on the following heritage documents from merged BP companies:

Amoco (ACES)
A-EL-WC-LV-P Electrical—Wire and Cable—600V Power, Control and 300V
Communication Cable—Supply Specification.

BP (RPSE)
GS 112-12 Requirements for Flame Retardant and Fire Resistant Cable.

Copyright © 2003, BP Group. All rights reserved. The information contained in this
document is subject to the terms and conditions of the agreement or contract under which
the document was supplied to the recipient’s organization. None of the information
contained in this document shall be disclosed outside the recipient’s own organization
without the prior written permission of Manager, Standards, BP Group, unless the terms of
such agreement or contract expressly allow.

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Guidance on Industry Standard for Low Voltage Power and Control Cable (IEC)

Table of Contents
Page
Foreword ........................................................................................................................................ 2
1. Scope .................................................................................................................................... 4
2. Normative references............................................................................................................. 4
3. Terms and definitions............................................................................................................. 4
4. Conductors ............................................................................................................................ 4
5. Insulation ............................................................................................................................... 5
5.1. General ....................................................................................................................... 5
5.2. Application of insulation .............................................................................................. 5
5.3. Insulation thickness..................................................................................................... 5
6. Cabling .................................................................................................................................. 5
7. Inner covering, fillers and binders .......................................................................................... 5
8. Protective coverings............................................................................................................... 5
9. Identification .......................................................................................................................... 6
9.1. Insulated core identification ......................................................................................... 6
9.2. Cable identification...................................................................................................... 6
10. Testing and inspection ........................................................................................................... 6
10.1. Routine tests ............................................................................................................... 6
10.2. Special tests ............................................................................................................... 6
10.3. Type tests ................................................................................................................... 6
11. Data requirements ................................................................................................................. 6
12. Shipping and storage ............................................................................................................. 7

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09 September, 2003 GIS 12-151
Guidance on Industry Standard for Low Voltage Power and Control Cable (IEC)

1. Scope

This GIS document provides guidance on industry standard for the design, materials, fabrication,
inspection, testing, documentation, and preparation for shipment of control and low voltage power
cable.

2. Normative references

The following normative documents contain requirements that, through reference in this text,
constitute requirements of this technical practice. For dated references, subsequent amendments to, or
revisions of, any of these publications do not apply. However, parties to agreements based on this
technical practice are encouraged to investigate the possibility of applying the most recent editions of
the normative documents indicated below. For undated references, the latest edition of the normative
document referred to applies.

International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)

IEC 60092-350 Electrical installations in ships, Part 350: Shipboard power cables -
General construction and test requirements.
IEC 60092-351 Electrical installations in ships, Part 351: Insulating materials for
shipboard and mobile and fixed offshore units, power,
telecommunication, and control data cables.
IEC 60092-353 Electrical installations in ships, Part 353: Single and multicore non-radial
field power cables with extruded solid insulation for rated voltages 1 kV
and 3 kV.
IEC 60092-376 Electrical installations in ships, Part 376: Shipboard multicore cables for
control circuits.
IEC 60228 Conductors of insulated cables.
IEC 60304 Standard colours for insulation for low-frequency cables and wires.

3. Terms and definitions

For the purposes of this GIS, the following terms and definitions apply:

Fire resistant cable

Cable constructed to allow continued normal operation for a specified time when exposed to
combustion. Fire resistant cables are also flame retardant.

Flame retardant cable

Cable constructed of materials that do not assist the spread of flame when exposed to combustion.

4. Conductors

a. Conductors shall be annealed, concentric layer stranding, class 2, uncoated or coated

copper, in accordance with ICE 60228.
b. Component copper wires shall be metal-coated when used for conductors having a
thermosetting insulation, unless a separator between the conductor and insulation is
provided. For conductors having thermoplastic insulation, metal coating may be omitted.
The same applies to thermosetting insulation provided suitable type tests demonstrate that
no harmful effects occur.

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09 September, 2003 GIS 12-151
Guidance on Industry Standard for Low Voltage Power and Control Cable (IEC)

c. Nominal cross-sectional area of conductors shall be as specified in table II or table III of

IEC 60228.
d. Minimum conductor sizes shall be:
1. Power 4 mm2.
2. Control 2,5 mm2.
e. Earthing conductor shall be provided and shall have at least half section of conductors.
f. Conductors shall be unbroken for full length of the reels. Reels with spliced conductors
will be rejected and replacement shall be made at no additional cost.

5. Insulation

5.1. General
Types of acceptable insulating compounds and their operating and short-circuit maximum rated
conductor temperatures are listed in table 1 of IEC 60092-351.
a. Conductor insulation shall be:
1. Flame retardant.
2. Moisture and heat resistant.
b. Electrical characteristics shall be as listed in table 2 of IEC 60092-351.

5.2. Application of insulation

a. Insulation shall be extruded closely to conductor or to separator.
b. It shall be possible to remove insulation without damaging conductor or metal coating, if
any.

5.3. Insulation thickness

a. Insulation thickness shall be as specified in table 1 of IEC 60092-353.
b. Average thickness of insulation shall be not less than value specified for each type of
insulation and conductor cross-section.
c. Thickness at any point may be less than specified value provided that the difference does
not exceed 0,1 mm +10% of the specified value.
d. Jacketing is not required on single conductor cables.
e. EPR insulated conductors shall have a PVC jacket.

6. Cabling

Multicore control and power cable shall be formed in a cylindrical configuration with “lay” of cores in
direction and length to conform to IEC 60228.

7. Inner covering, fillers and binders

Inner covering, fillers, and binders shall comply with clause 7 of IEC 60092-350.

8. Protective coverings

Protective coverings shall comply with clause 8 of IEC 60092-350.

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09 September, 2003 GIS 12-151
Guidance on Industry Standard for Low Voltage Power and Control Cable (IEC)

9. Identification

9.1. Insulated core identification

Identification of insulated cores shall be made either by colour scheme and/or numbering.
a. Colour scheme shall comply with IEC 60304.
Typical control and low voltage power cable core colour schemes are:
• Single core cable: black
• Two core cable (1PH+N): black, light blue
• Three core cable (1PH+N+PE): black, light blue, yellow-green
• Three core cable (3PH): black, grey, brown
• Four core cable (3PH+PE): black, grey, brown, yellow-green
• Four core cable (3PH+N) black, grey, brown, light blue
• Five core cable (3PH+N+PE): black, grey, brown, light blue, yellow-green
• Control cable: same as power cable up to 4 cores
black with numbering for 5 cores and above.
b. Numbering shall comply with clause 6 of IEC 60092-376.

9.2. Cable identification

a. Sheath colour shall be black or grey.
b. Cable marking shall:
1. Be stamped indelibly on length of external sheath at 0,5 m intervals.
2. Contain National/International Standard Identification, cable designation (core size
etc.), manufacturer name or trademark, year of fabrication, rated voltage, and cable
type.

10. Testing and inspection

10.1. Routine tests

Routine test shall comply with requirements specified in clause 10 of IEC 60092-350.

10.2. Special tests

Special tests shall comply with requirements specified in clause 11 of IEC 60092-350.

10.3. Type tests

Type tests shall comply with requirements specified in clauses 12 and 13 of IEC 60092-350.

11. Data requirements

Quotation shall include:

a. Specific listing of any exceptions to requirements specified.

b. Features included but not specified.
c. Complete descriptive data including:
1. Weight in kg per m.

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Guidance on Industry Standard for Low Voltage Power and Control Cable (IEC)

2. Cable impedances (R, X, Z) in both magnetic and nonmagnetic ducts for each size
and type cable ordered.
3. Manufacturer’s standard “packaging” (i.e. lagging, banding, etc.).
4. Overall diameter, insulation type and thickness, jacket type and thickness, conductor
size and material, conductor stranding.
5. Outside cable diameter over armour and over jacket (minimum and maximum).
d. Cost for witness testing.
e. Type test certificates.

12. Shipping and storage

a. Ends of cable shall be hermetically sealed with a heat shrinkable electrometric cap or other
suitable moisture protection.
b. Ends of wire/cable shall be accessible without de-reeling cable to reach inner cable end.
c. Cables shall be cut to lengths specified on purchase order.
d. Only one continuous length of cable shall be placed on reel.
e. Reels shall be of wood or steel construction.
f. Instructions shall be provided listing special requirements for long-term storage.
g. Cable reels shall have an embossed metal or plastic tag attached bearing purchase order
number, item number, length of cable, size of conductor, number of cores, insulation type,
voltage and temperature rating, reel identification number, and manufacturer.

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