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Spring 2014 - Presentations

Check this page periodically to learn about the Presentations scheduled for the Fall meeting.

• Opening Session
• Mini-Expo Vendors
• Subcommittee A
• Subcommittee B
• Subcommittee C
• Subcommittee D
• Subcommittee F
• Transnational Luncheon
• Educational Program

Please Note: This is a only a listing of the presentations and
UNLESS NOTED, DOES NOT IMPLY THE ORDER IN WHICH THEY WILL BE PRESENTED.

• Opening Session
• Mini-Expo Vendors
  • AP Sensing - AP Sensing will be showing their Linear Power Series which offers: • Real Time Distributed Temperature Monitoring of High Voltage Transmission & Distribution Lines • Asset Visualization • Hot Spot Detection • Dynamic Cable Rating / Real Time Thermal Rating • Emergency Rating • Reporting & Analysis
    Distributed temperature monitoring provides continuous monitoring of high power cable temperatures, detecting hot spots, delivering operational status, condition assessment and power circuit rating data. This helps operators optimize their transmission facilities and distribution networks, reducing operating costs and improving asset utilization. http://www.apsensing.com
  • EA Technology USA - EA technology is world leader in substation condition monitoring and a pioneer in on-line non-invasive testing of cables, towers, switchgear, and other substation assets.  Our Cable Data Collector system provides a simple way to perform partial discharge testing of cables in service with a minimum of training.  Expert analysis of collected data can be done back in the office by EA Technology or in house by your engineers.  Our Cable Sniffer allows easy location of faulted underground cables without the use of thumper technology.
  • G&W Electric Company G&W Electric has been a global leader in providing innovative solutions to the electric power industry since 1905. Our product offerings include cable terminations, cable joints, load and fault interrupting switchgear, automatic circuit reclosers, SCADA and distribution automation products and high current limiting system protection devices. Stop by the mini expo to see our new line of PYTHON™ cable accessories featuring the mechanical shrink installation method. For more information visit www.gwelec.com.
  • HIGHVOLT - HIGHVOLT produces high voltage AC, DC and Impulse Test Systems and specializes in Test Equipment for Power Transformers, Cables and all Electrical Apparatus with the highest levels of customer support and engineering excellence. Table Top presentations will include Cable Test solutions for Field and Factory High Voltage testing including details on Mobile High Voltage Resonant Test systems for HV Cables.
  • hvGrid-tech designs and manufactures accessories used in underground transmission cable systems with operating voltages between 69 kV and 345 kV, with special emphasis on oil-filled cable systems (SCFF/LPOF and HPFF/HPPT). Our line of products includes: terminations (outdoor, GIS, oil immersed), joints / splice kits, pre-pressurized oil reservoirs, oil line insulators, grounding / sheath bonding link boxes, and cable clamps. For more information please visit www.hvgrid-tech.com
  • HV TECHNOLOGIES, Inc.  (HVT), has many years of experience and dedication in serving the testing equipment needs for the power utility, power apparatus, and electronic equipment industries. We have been the exclusive BAUR sales and service partner in the USA since 2008.  Come by our booth to see how our range of VLF, VLF TD, and VLF TD PD testing systems can assist you with your cable system performance optimization. We also carry a comprehensive portfolio of Cable Identification, Cable Location, TDR, Fault Location, and AC and DC Hi Pot instruments. For those interested in Insulating Fluids Testing we have Dielectric and Dissipation Factor Instruments that are designed for Lab and Field use. HVT, located in Manassas, Virginia, is a leading supplier of High Voltage and EMC Test Equipment and solutions. 
  • Kinectrics "Kinectrics’ established industry experts provide clients worldwide with comprehensive engineering and testing services for Transmission and Distribution Technologies (TDT). Our proven expertise includes qualification and maintenance testing (AC Hi-Pot and Partial Discharge) for underground cables. Kinectrics’ has two high-power Mobile Resonant Test Systems for HV transmission cable withstand AC Hi-Pot Testing. Kinectrics also offers leading-edge capabilities for underground cable leak location and “one-stop” High Voltage / High Current lab facilities. Kinectrics’ specialists in generation, transmission, distribution, and environmental technologies use innovative science and engineering to help clients improve business performance. We offer life cycle management solutions in a broad range of technical disciplines across the energy sector. www.kinectrics.com"
  • onsite hv solutions Americas Inc. provides leading edge condition assessment testing and diagnostics for installed underground cable systems, as well as acceptance testing and commissioning of new underground cable systems. Our products and services address all types of underground MV, HV and EHV cable: LPOF, HPPT, PILC, EGP and XLPE, 10 - 400kV. This kind of diagnostic testing together with our analytical services support asset management decisions about the optimal use and maintenance of MV, HV and EHV cable systems.  www.onsitehv.com
  • Phenix Technologies is a leading manufacturer of High Voltage, High Current, and High Power Test Systems and Components.  Our wide range of electrical testing equipment is used for testing cables, circuit breakers, motors, reclosers, rubber goods/protective gear, switchgear, transformers, and more.  All of the major components of our test systems are produced in our 70,000-square-foot modern manufacturing facility and headquarters, located in Accident, Maryland, USA.  All aspects of electrical and mechanical design, software design and production are performed and controlled by an ISO9001 quality certified program.  Our engineers offer a unique blend of theoretical knowledge and practical experience that’s vital to the development of custom solutions for industry leaders. As members of world-wide professional and technical organizations, our engineers offer innovative solutions for any project.  Our Service and Calibration Department assists our customers during and after installation traveling to over 100 countries.  Phenix Technologies offers a wide range of testing solutions for utilities, transformer and motor manufacturers/repair shops, cable manufacturers, independent testing companies, original equipment manufacturers.  Please visit www.phenixtech.com
  • Power Survey has performed contact voltage testing in over 60 US cities, 4 Canadian cities and 8 European countries. We have a client base which includes many of the largest and most respected utilities in the world. We have tested millions of structures and detected over 80,000 instances of contact voltage, more than any company or group of companies on earth combined. Our flagship technology GridHealth™ is a comprehensive turnkey solution that provides electric system operators with unmatched intelligence and visibility into the health of their underground distribution systems and assets. All GridHealth™ programs are supported by our award-winning, multi-disciplined team of experts in electrical engineering, utility operations, data management, quality assurance, and customer service to ensure the highest level of customer satisfaction.  Please visit us at www.powersurveyco.com to learn more.
  • Sumitomo Electric USA Inc. - J-Power Systems Corporation is the Japanese leading manufacturing company of extra high voltage power cables and accessories. We are the leaders of the latest advance power transmission technology such as HVDC cable up to 500kV, HVAC underground/submarine cable up to 500kV,  and various advanced challenging installation technology such as XLPE cable installed in long distance HDD. We will be showing some of the sample cables and our in-house developed DTS system.
  • Taihan Electric USA Ltd., is the representing company of Taihan Electric Wire Co., Ltd, which is the first cable manufacturing company in Korea and one of the leading cable manufacturing companies in the world.  We produce various cables from LV to 500kV.  We also provide EHV engineering solutions and installation service.  We will be showing various cable samples including 500kV XLPE underground cable and displaying our EHV Cables and Accessories Catalogue.  You can find more information on our website at www.taihan.com/en/
  • TE Connectivity - Raychem products, from TE Connectivity, provide a broad set of electrical solutions that include cable accessories, insulators, surge arresters, insulation and animal protection products that are trusted in power grids across the globe. With a decades-long dedication to creating innovative, reliable and high quality products that can endure the environmental and operations demands of power grids everywhere, Raychem products strive to be “Connecting and Protecting the Power Grid”. Come by our booth for more information on our recently launched cold shrink disconnectable joint – another piece of the cold shrink total solution.”
  • UtilX®  Corporation - 20+ years of time-tested, field-proven services has earned UtilX the reputation as The Global Leader in life-extension technologies; CableCURE® power cable rejuvenation and CableWISE® online electrical system assessment.  Please visit us at www.utilx.com.
• Subcommittee A - Cable Construction and Design - Tuesdsay, May 6, 2014, 2:00 P.M. - 5:30 P.M.
  • 2:00 - 2:15 PM - Subcommittee Business/Announcements – Chair: Mark Walton – General Cable, Vice Chair: Yingli Wen – Consolidated Edison
  • 2:15 - 2:45 PM - “Fire Performance of High Voltage Cables” - William Fajardo and Susan Song, Borealis Compounds Inc.
    Abstract: Medium to extra-high voltage cables in a tunnel fire can exhibit catastrophic failures if the cables do not contain fire retardant technology.  Experiments using a modified FIPEC horizontal reference test scenario showed an EHV cable without flame retardant technology to exhibit a dramatic fire growth rate with very high heat release.  In a real tunnel installation, the fire would likely completely consume the installed cables and cause severe structural damage to the tunnel.  Further investigation of HV cables protected with different metallic shields and jacketing materials showed that cable designs utilizing fire retardant materials provided a significant improvement in fire performance compared to cables with no fire retardant technology.
  • 2:45 - 3:15 PM - Break
  • 3:15 - 3:45 PM - "The impact of water filling of cable conductors during accelerated water tree ageing tests" - Sverre Hvidsten, SINTEF
    Abstract: Several wet ageing tests are today used to assess the water tree ageing performance of the insulation systems of medium voltage cables. Some of these methods have been developed when no strand filling material was yet included in the design. When testing the today's designs, the strand filling compound or superabsorbent has to be omitted for tests that require water filled conductors. Consequently the designs manufactured for testing purposes are different than those in service. In this presentation the consequence of doing this is discussed with focus on water tree initiation and growth mechanisms occurring in the laboratory tests but likely not in service. 
  • 3:45 - 4:15 PM - "Evaluation of Further Serviceability of 60 Year Old 138 kV LPOF Cable" by Carlos Katz and Rachel Mosier
    Maintenance of an old 138 kV LPOF cable system offered the opportunity to analyze the condition of a 58 year in-service cable and compare its characteristics with those of a newer, never in-service, 15 year old replacement cable.   The operating history of the cable will be reviewed by R. Mosier and the results of tests will be reviewed by C. Katz.  Among others, the following will be covered:  a) outline of cable design changes, b) structural condition of the cables, c) results of hot oil moisture tests, d) radial dissipation factor, e) radial dielectric breakdown of tapes, f) folding endurance tests.  Some unexpected findings of the in-service aged cable will be described; however, the serviceability does not appear to be affected.
  • 4:15 - 4:45 PM - "Full size cables (320kV DC 2500mm²) space charges measurement under applied voltage and thermal gradient. Thermal Step Method instrument dimensioning and first measurement." " Ludovic Boyer, Jerome Castellon, Petru Notingher and Pierre Mirebeau
    Space charge measurements are key indicators of the behaviour of a dielectric system under DC stress. The authors will recall how the "Thermal Stem Method" (TSM) has been applied to flat samples in short-circuit condition, flat samples under voltage,  flat samples under voltage and thermal gradient, "model 1" cables under voltage and thermal gradient. Then they will show the engineering challenges to scale it up to full size cables. A first result on a DC 320kV 2500mm² cable will be discussed.
  • 4:45 – 5:30 PM - "The Effect of Contaminants on Aging of TR-XLPE Insulated Cables: An Evaluation on Commercially-Produced 15 kV Cables – Part 6: Overall Conclusions and Recommendations” by George Valdes, Bill Temple, John Smith, Paul Cinquemani, Patrick Coplen, Paul Caronia, Al Mendelsohn
    In 2001, Florida Power & Light (FP&L) initiated a project to quantify the levels of contamination in the cables they purchase by means of a pellet sorter pilot study on commercial extrusion lines. The pellet sorter pilot studies highlighted the presence of unexpected numbers of rejects in the pellet stream of the TR-XLPE insulation used to manufacture cables. The vast majority of particles were loose dark flakes of various sizes, determined to be degraded compound.
    In order to understand the expected effect these types of rejects or “contaminants” might have on the cable aging performance, General Cable Corporation (GCC), Prysmian Power Cables, and The Dow Chemical Company agreed to participate in a joint project with FP&L. A plan was developed to select some typical “contaminants” based on the findings of the pellet sorter pilot studies and to make commercial cables with laboratory prepared contaminant particles representative of those found in the pilot program. An accelerated cable aging protocol for testing the effect of these particles was also proposed, which after discussions with the ICEA and AEIC groups evolved to using both the Accelerated Cable Life Test (ACLT) time-to-failure test in water-filled tanks as well as the standard ICEA Accelerated Water Treeing Test (AWTT) 1-year cable qualification test.
    The first presentation in this series (Part 1) discussed the history and objective of the project and described very briefly the cable manufacturing and accelerated cable aging tests utilized in the project. The second presentation (Part 2) summarized the technology developed to produce commercial cables with uniformly distributed contaminants and the tests conducted to validate the suitability of the method. The third presentation (Part 3) reviewed the unexpected effect that the cable preconditioning methods used prior to initiating wet-aging had on the initial ac breakdown strength (ACBDS) of the cables evaluated in this project, as well as the results of diagnostic tests performed to identify the causes for the unexpected effect. The fourth presentation (Part 4) summarized the key data and findings from the first phase cable aging tests completed in 2010, utilizing the 2 wet-aging protocols. The expected effect of the contaminants on cable performance was not observed in the results; no statistically significant differences between cables with contaminants and without contaminants were observed. Numerical differences were observed, however, indicating there may be an effect of the contaminants, though not statistically significant. Six (6) hypotheses were postulated to explain the results, and a second phase cable aging program was initiated in 2011 to address 3 of the 6 hypotheses. The fifth presentation in this series (Part 5) summarized key data and findings from the second phase cable aging tests completed in 2012. The tests addressed the effect of ionic content of the water used for the aging tests on vented tree development and ACBDS results after aging, the effect of 2 different preconditioning methods, the effect of aging vessel differences (pipes vs. tanks) in the case of the AWTT, test laboratory, and larger ACLT and AWTT population sample sizes. Key observations and statistical analyses for each test were summarized. Overall conclusions and recommendations were presented.
    This presentation will briefly review the conclusions from previous presentations and summarize the key observations and conclusions from the project. It will also recommend that the industry sponsor additional studies to address important unanswered questions from this project.
• Subcommittee B - Accessories - Wednesday, May 7, 2014, 8:00 A.M. - 12:00 P.M.
  • 8:00 AM  - 8:15 AM Introduction / Announcements – Kraig Bader, Fort collins Utilities - Chair, Subcommittee B Stan Szyszko, Thomas & Betts - Vice Chair, Subcommittee B
  • 8:15 AM  - 8:45 AM "Modeling the Thermal Profile of Medium Voltage Cable Joints. "  Mike Smalley, We Energies
    A mathematical model of a cable joint is used to plot the conductor/connector temperature profile from the middle of the joint out into the cable.  This presentation is an extension of a model presented in the Fall 2013 ICC meeting but updated to include longitudinal heat flow along the connector/conductor both inside and outside of the joint.  The presentation will use examples to show how sensitive the connector/conductor temperature is to connector OD, connector length, connection/contact resistance, joint length, joint thickness, and thermal resistivity of the materials involved.
    Mike Smalley, We Energies : Mike Smalley received a Bachelor of Science degree from the Milwaukee School of Engineering in 1991 and a Master of Science Degree in Engineering from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee in 2000.  He is a Principal Engineer in the electrical distribution standards and materials group at We Energies (formerly Wisconsin Electric).  He has responsibility for low and medium voltage underground power cable and accessories.  He is a Senior Member of the IEEE Insulated Conductors Committee, Member and Past Chair of the AEIC Cable Engineering Committee, and a registered Professional Engineer in the state of Wisconsin.
  • 8:45 AM  - 9:15 AM "Cold Shrink Disconnectable Joints." Harry Yaworski, TE Connectivity.
    Disconnectable joints are widely deployed  in underground power networks. They provide electric utilities with the ability to quickly isolate and repair failed power cable circuits saving time and cost.  This presentation will provide a synopsis of the technology basis and the design and testing of a new coldshrink disconnectable joint. 
    Harry Yaworski, TE Connectivity : Harry Yaworski received his BS degree in physics in 1984 from Moravian College in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.  From 1984 to 1992 he worked as a Product Development Engineer and Engineering Manager for Elastimold.  He joined Raychem in 1992 as a Project Manager and is currently a Senior Principal Engineer for the Energy Division of TE Connectivity.  He is a past Chairman of Subcommittee B cable accessories at ICC and holds eighteen US patents for cable accessory and surge arrester products.
  • 9:15 AM  - 9:45 AM "Design and experience with HVDC joints ". Sherif Kamel is presenting this topic on behalf of Dr. of Dr. Markus Saltzer of ABB Sweden. 
    Sherif Kamel, ABB : Sherif Kamel earned his B.Sc., M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering.  He has more than thirty years of experience in the electrical engineering domain, both in the university and the industry.  Mr. Kamel’s Interests include breakdown phenomena in gas, liquid and solid insulation systems, transmission and distribution insulators, cables and accessories, surge protective devices and power quality issues.  He currently works with ABB as the Technical Manager of the cable factory in Huntersville, NC.
  • 9:45 AM - 10:00 AM "1-phase and 3-phase Switching and Fault Close Ratings" John Makal, Eaton / Cooper
  • 10:00 AM  - 10:15 AM Break
  • 10:15 AM  - 10:45 AM "Joint Failure investigation.", Bill Taylor, 3M
    his presentation will discuss the procedures used to evaluate cable accessory failures, from the initial receipt of the failure until the final report is written.  It will also address a couple of interesting failures and discuss the evaluation process to confirm the cause.
    Bill Taylor, 3M : Bill Taylor graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 1975 with a BSEE degree.  He spent 14 years as a plant electrical engineer for several petrochemical plants on the Houston ship channel.  Went to work for 3M in 1989 as a product development engineer in the cable accessories area, and continues in that capacity at the present time. He is a member of IEEE/IAS and PCIC, IEEE/PES and active in the ICC.  Vice chairman of the ICC in 2002 & 2003 and chairman in 2004 and 2005.  He has written and presented numerous papers for IEEE and other conferences.
  • 10:45 AM  - 11:15 AM "Lightning Protection of Underground Distribution Systems."  Farris Jibril, Westar.
    Electric utilities spend millions of dollars every year replacing and repairing failed cable in their underground systems. One of the major factors or root cause is attributed to lightning.  Several different arrester alternatives are used by utilities to determine arrester placement combinations and installation techniques that will give the best margin of protection for underground distribution system.
    Farris Jibril, Westar Energy : Farris Jibril holds a BS in Mathematics, a BSEE and an MSEE from Wichita State University. Farris is the Director of Distribution Engineering & Design with Westar Energy, and is currently the chairman of WG B6,  "Guide for the Connection of Surge Arresters to Protect Insulated Shielded Cable Systems." Farris is also active with the Rocky Mountain Electric League Distribution Committee.
  • 11:15 AM  - 11:45 PM "Power & High Voltage Spiking Aids and Grounding Advancements." Mike Jackson, Thomas & Betts
    Mike Jackson has 39 years of experience in the medium voltage electrical distribution industry. The last seventeen years of his career has been with Thomas & Betts, A Member of the ABB Group where he has held the position of Product Manager for the Elastimold molded switchgear and then medium voltage cable accessories product lines. He has a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Montevallo in Alabama and a Technology Marketing certificate from California Institute of Technology.  Mike currently is a Senior Application Engineer for Elastimold cable accessories.  He is a member of IEEE and ICC and has been involved with a number of working groups through the years.  He is also member of the Executive Board of the National Cable Splicing Certification Board Inc.
  • 11:45 AM - 12:00 PM Wrap-up and questions
• Subcommittee C - Cable Systems - Monday, May 5, 2014, 2:00 P.M. - 5:30 P.M.
  • 2:00 -2:15 PM - Chairman’s Opening Remarks and Announcements
  • 2:15 – 2:40 PM – ”South-West Link 300 kV HVDC Cable Project”, by David Lindsay, ABB     The South-West Link project in Sweden is a +/- 300 kV HVDC link using XLPE cables to deliver a capacity of 1320 MW of power over 192 km.  The project is the world's longest land-based cable circuit.  This presentation will describe the project goals and objectives, cable system design and qualification, installation and field testing procedures.
  • 2:40 – 3:05 PM – “Performance of Underground Distribution Network Feeders under Severe Weather Conditions”, by Thomas Campbell, Yingli Wen, and George Murray, ConEd
    Underground electric distribution systems are thought to be immune to adverse weather condition.  Although sheltered from the wind and falling trees, large complex underground systems face their own challenges when operating under harsh weather conditions.  This presentation explores the experience of a large underground network distribution system during severe weather conditions.  It chronicles primary feeder performance and describes the unique component failure modes that drive these severe weather failures. The presentation will also highlight the weather effect on the low-voltage side of the networks.  Strategies to mitigate the effects of severe weather on operations will also be discussed.
  • 3:05 – 3:20 PM - Break
  • 3:20 - 3:45 PM - "Native Soils and Thermal Backfills – Underground Cable Projects, Middle-East”, by Deepak Parmar, Geotherm
    Underground cable system design in the middle-east region has to take into consideration some special issues – higher ambient earth and surface temperatures and relatively poor thermal characteristic of native soils.  Route thermal surveys conducted over the past 30+ years in Egypt, Israel, Qatar, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Oman, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia showed two major soil types to be common – ‘dune sand’ and ‘sandy silt with cobbles’.  These soils are unsuitable for use as cable trench backfills for obvious reasons.  It is not difficult to source and formulate ‘corrective thermal backfills’ using locally available ‘by-products’ such as ‘stone-dust’ and ‘stone screening’ from local quarries or from ready-mix concrete suppliers.  This presentation will highlight mix designs of several different types of backfills including both; granular type as well as Fluidized Thermal Backfill (FTB). Slides of several projects will be shown. 
  • 3:45 – 4:10 PM - “An Asset Management Strategy for Hydro One’s Ageing High Voltage Cable Fleet”, by  Deniz Turkben, Hydro One Asset Management
    Hydro One’s transmission network includes 290 circuit kilometres of 115 kV and 230 kV underground cables that serve primarily the cities of Toronto, Hamilton and Ottawa, as well as the cities of London, Sarnia, Windsor, Picton and Thunder Bay to a lesser extent.  At this time, it is estimated that 19% of this cable population has reached the end of its expected 50 year service life, where this population percentage is extrapolated to increase to 36% by the year 2021, given historical cables replacement rates.  The continuation of historical cable management efforts would inevitably lead to compromising system reliability.  Outage and resource constraints prevent the use of an aggressive cable replacement project to overhaul the entire ageing system in a single effort.  This presentation discusses an asset management strategy to mitigate the risk posed by Hydro One’s ageing cable population by considering a comprehensive set of risk factors including: safety, demographics, asset condition, utilisation, performance, criticality and environmental concerns.
  • 4:10 – 4:35 PM - “Manhole Events: Causes, Prevention and Mitigation”, by  Bill Black and Stuart Hanebuth
    Over the last 100 years a variety of research has been performed discussing the failure modes and outcomes of low voltage cables and their impacts on public safety and reliability.  The presenters will discuss what is known about failure modes for various classes of cables, explore the interrelations between the various types of events and examine the mitigation and detection techniques that exist to detect incipient failures, prevent and mitigate serious events.  The presentation will also include an update of the C-34 discussion group’s activities on this topic.
  • 4:35 – 5:00 PM - “Contact Voltage Mitigation in Underground Distribution”, by  David Kalokitis
    Contact Voltage is an abnormal condition in an electrical distribution system.  Publicly accessible surfaces and structures such as sidewalks, manhole covers, roadways and street lights can be energized by faults in underground distribution cable.  This session will discuss the basic properties of contact voltage, root causes of the problem, typical findings, common misconceptions, emerging industry standards/developments, as well as technology and techniques used to detect, locate and mitigate energized equipment in the public landscape.
  • 5:00 – 5:15 PM - Vice Chair’s Closing Remarks  
• Subcommittee D -Generating Station and Industrial Cables  - Monday, May 5, 2014, 9:15 A.M. - 12:30 PM
  • 9:15 - 10:15 AM - Submerged Medium Voltage Cables at Nuclear Power Plants:  A Review of Research Efforts Relevant to Aging Mechanisms and Condition Monitoring Time
    Absract:  In a submerged environment, power cables may experience accelerated insulation degradation due to water-related aging mechanisms.  Direct contact with water or moisture intrusion in the cable insulation system has been identified in the literature as a significant aging stressor that can affect performance and lifetime of electric cables. In particular, water treeing is a phenomenon in which dendritic microvoids are formed in electric cable insulation due to electrochemical reactions, electromechanical forces, and diffusion of contaminants over time.  This leads to the development of permanent hydrophilic structures in the insulation coinciding with the absorption of water into the cable. Water tree degradation results in progressive reduction of the dielectric strength of the insulation.
    In this effort, a review of academic and industrial literature was performed to identify: 1) findings regarding the degradation mechanisms of submerged cabling and 2) condition monitoring methods that may prove useful in predicting the remaining lifetime of submerged medium voltage power cables. The research was cross-disciplinary, and sources included official NRC reports, national laboratory reports, IEEE standards, conference and journal proceedings, magazine articles, and PhD dissertations. The purpose of this work was to establish the current state-of-the-art in material degradation modeling and cable condition monitoring techniques and to identify research gaps. Subsequently, future areas of focus are recommended to address these research gaps and thus strengthen the efficacy of the NRC’s developing cable condition monitoring program.
    Jason Brown is a Senior Member of Technical Staff in SNL’s Risk and Reliability Department in Albuquerque, NM.  He holds a masters in Fire Protection Engineering and a bachelors in Mechanical Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute.  He has been the lead test engineer and principal investigator on multiple experimental programs for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.  His current activity is developing and teaching process safety management system courses for the US Department of State and systems research for the US Department of Energy.  Mr. Brown has been at SNL since 2005.
    Robert Bernstein is a Principle Member of the Technical Staff in the Organic Materials department at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, NM. He earned a Ph.D. in Chemistry from University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and subsequently, he performed post-doctoral work at UCLA in another group focusing on polymer studies involving the induction of chirality to polyaniline. In 2000 he began work at Sandia National Laboratories in the Organic Materials Department in the area of polymer aging and degradation. A few example of the types of programs he has worked on; nuclear power plant wire insulation, various o-ring materials, aircraft wire insulation, missile defense materials, conducting polymers, capacitor materials, nuclear weapon materials and general organic polymer studies on materials of interest to both the Department of Defense/Department of Energy community as well as commercial companies. His work has included organic material problem solving, compatibility concerns, material aging issues such as predictions of physical property changes as a function of time, and even detailed mechanistic understanding of the chemistry of degradation.
    Steven Glover is the Manager of the Advanced Pulsed Power Systems research department at Sandia National Laboratories.  He earned a Ph.D. with research on modeling and stability analysis of power electronics based systems from Purdue University in 2003.  Dr. Glover was a Research Engineer for P.C. Krause and Associates from 1996 to 2001 where he designed and analyzed power electronics based systems. From 1997 to 1998, he served as an Associate Research Engineer with the University of Missouri-Rolla and then as a Research Engineer at Purdue University until 2003, pursuing interests in power electronics based systems. In May 2003 he joined Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM, where he performs research in pulsed power systems.  He has publications on smart structures, control and stability of power electronics based systems, design of power electronics based systems (including a solid state distribution transformer), photoconductive semiconductor based switches and genetic optimization of pulsed power based systems. He has patented a nonlinear stabilizing control for power electronics based systems. And he has been awarded the Sandia National Laboratories Award for Excellence: for outstanding contributions to the development of pulse arrested spark discharge technology for testing the integrity of wire insulation.
    Jason Neely received Bachelors and Masters in Electrical Engineering from the University of Missouri-Rolla in 1999 and 2001, respectively, with a focus on advanced control of motor and generator drives. He subsequently began  work at Sandia National Labs in the Intelligent Systems and Robotics Center. In 2007, he began his doctoral study at Purdue University and in 2010 received a PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering with a focus on advanced control of power electronic converters. Jason is currently a senior member of technical staff at Sandia National Labs in the Energy Sciences and Experiments organization. His interests include system optimization, distributed and networked power systems and grid-connected power electronic systems. Jason has over 20 technical publications.
  • 10:30 - 11:10 AM - Condition of Black EPR Medium Voltage Cables Aged in Water or in Humid Air Time
    Abstract: The average age of medium voltage cables installed in U.S. nuclear power plants is more than 35 years. A significant part of these cables are insulated with black EPR compound. These cables have provided hitherto a reasonable service.  However, the Industry is concerned that the wetted cable circuits could be degraded to the point that they may fail, affecting plant safety. Failures and the condition of 5 kV shielded black EPR insulated cables, both immersed in water or installed in humid (liquid-water-free) underground ducts, will be covered.
    Bogdan Fryszczyn earned his Masters degree and PhD in Physics from the Warsaw University in Poland. He started his employment in the U.S. at Cable Technology Laboratories in 1979 working on the field implementation of Dr. George Bahder’s original idea that the severely weakened insulation of water-treed cables could be rejuvenated. Over the last few years a considerable amount of his work has been devoted to the investigation of the mechanism of aging and failure of extruded medium voltage cables and cable accessories installed, in U.S. nuclear power plants. Insulation of medium voltage cables in U.S. nuclear plants consists mostly of various EPRs but also, in a small part, includes butyl rubber and XLPE insulation.
  • 11:10 - 11:30 AM ICEA Standard Update of Submergence Time
    Abstract: The ICEA has formed a WG to address submergence in ICEA standards and drafted several paragraphs in included in our MV standards.  An update will be provided on this work for discussion at the meeting.
    Bob Fleming received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering from The University of Connecticut in 1971.  He started his Engineering career with The Kerite Company, in Seymour, Connecticut where he has held numerous positions of increasing responsibility in R&D and Applications Engineering.  He has been involved in the design, application and qualification of solid dielectric power and control cables and related accessories at voltage rating from 600 volts up to and including 138 kV. In 2010 he moved into The Marmon Innovation and Technology Group to provide increasing technical support to the design and qualification of products to the Nuclear Power Industry. His professional activities have included memberships in the IEEE, IEEE Power Engineering Society, IEEE Nuclear Power Engineering Committee, Insulated Conductors Committee, Insulated Cable Engineers Association, and National Electrical Manufactures Association.  
  • 11:30 AM - 12:10 PM - Cable qualification and IEEE 383 International Queries Time
    Abstract: Amid a flurry of nuclear power plants under construction worldwide combined with a heightened awareness of the importance of cable and cable qualification, international interpretations of IEEE 383-1974 and 2003 are giving rise to poignant questions.  This presentation will focus on a few of those questions and responses and lend insight into the current international nuclear cable environment.
    Eric Rasmussen received his BSEE from Iowa State University.  Eric Rasmussen is the Director of Engineering at RSCC Wire and Cable LLC.
  • 12:10 - 12:30 PM - Underwater Splice and Connector Testing Time
    Abstract: Splices and connectors are tested underwater per IEEE 404 and 386, respectively.  These standards qualify the splices and connectors to approximately 23 feet and 6 feet.  Nuclear facilities have to account for extreme flooding conditions, probable maximum floods, wherein these components must perform their function without failure despite depths exceeding 40 feet.  For this reason a test program was initiated to demonstrate that these components will work at PMF depths.
    Bill Taylor graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 1975 with a BSEE degree.  Spent 14 years as a plant electrical engineer for several petrochemical plants on the Houston ship channel.  Went to work for 3M in 1989 as a product development engineer in the cable accessories area, and continues in that capacity at the present time.
    Member of IEEE/IAS and PCIC, IEEE/PES and active in the ICC.  Vice chairman of the ICC in 2002 & 2003 and chairman in 2004 and 2005.  Chairman of IEEE-48 revisions and termination application/selection guide.  Have written and presented numerous papers for IEEE and other conferences.
    Doug DePriest is the Nuclear Power Group Corporate Cable Specialist at the Tennessee Valley Authority.  He is Vice-Chair of the Sub D working group at ICC, Chairperson of the EPRI Cable User’s Group Steering Committee, and Chairperson of D20.
• Subcommittee F - Field Testing and Diagnostics - Tuesday, May 6, 2014, 8:00 A.M. - 12:00 P.M.
  • 8:00AM -8:10AM:  Subcommittee Announcements  
  • 8:10AM – 8:40AM:  “The impact of cable accessories on water tree detection” by Sverre Hvidsten and Henrik Enoksen, SINTEF Energy Research, NORWAY
    Abstract:  Condition assessment of water treeing in medium voltage XLPE cable insulations by tan d measurements has been well established. The purpose of this presentation is to discuss the impact of the cable accessories on the assessment with special focus on cable joints. In Norway it has been observed that many XLPE cable sections, typically with one or several heat shrink joints, have a very low insulation resistance.  The low insulation resistance makes the assessment of the complete cable link difficult as the tan d is significantly higher for the joints than for the cable insulation.  The condition of such links can even be misinterpreted as heavily water treed.  Finally, a simple method is proposed to reveal cable links with such joints. 
  • 8:40AM – 9:15AM  “Should the Voltage Class of an Extruded Cable System Influence the Selection of Field Tests?” by Peter Coors, HIGHVOLT Prüftechnik Dresden GmbH
    Abstract:  Cables for different operating voltages are usually designed with an insulation thickness not proportional to the voltage rating.  As a consequence, the design field stress of the cable insulation increases with the voltage rating.  The maximum field stress at the inner semiconductor will be higher, depending on the ratio of conductor diameter to insulation thickness.  The effective value of the field stress during normal operation ranges from 2.5 kV/mm for 10 kV cables up to 15 kV/mm for a 500 kV XLPE cable.  With higher field stress, the critical voltage for PD inception will be reached in smaller voids, so tests on HV and EHV cables need to be sensitive to smaller defects.  Withstand tests need to have a sufficient duration, cycles per second or total number of cycles to grow such small defects to breakdown.  If tests mainly rely on diagnostic tools, for example PD measurement, they need to be sensitive enough to detect such small defects in order to prevent breakdown in service.  These effects need to be considered for on-site testing of HV and EHV cables, resulting in higher requirements for cable test procedures and methods.  At higher rated cable voltages, the margin between operating field stress and maximum allowed testing field stress gets smaller.  To achieve a sufficient test severity, the applied test voltage should be representative of the stress seen in service, but at a higher level. This is important especially for HV and EHV cable systems, not only during the manufacturing process but also in the field.

  • 9:15 AM – 9:45 AM:  “Evolution of VLF Tan Delta Diagnostic Features for Miniature Cables with PE Insulation through Various Stages of Degradation” by Simon Bernier and Jean-Francois Drapeau, IREQ (Hydro-Quebec Research Institute), CANADA
    Abstract:  This presentation will show the results of a study aimed to investigate the relation of VLF Tan delta diagnostic features (TD mean values, Tip-Up, Time Stability, "Tip-Up of Tip-Up" [TUTU]) with the aging condition of miniature cables with PE based insulation. The cables used for this study were miniature cables (RG-58) having an insulation thickness of ~1 mm. The aging took place by having them immersed in tap water and energized at 5 kV AC up to ~18000 h. VLF diagnostic tests were performed at various time intervals (from 1000 h to 2000 h) using a VLF sine wave @ 0.1 Hz.  Along the aging process, cable condition was investigated by measurements of VLF Tan delta diagnostic features, measurements of residual AC breakdown voltages and observations of water trees (bow-tie trees, vented trees) and electrical trees.  The evolution of these features will be shown through the various steps of the aging process.

  • 9:45 – 10:15 AM:   BREAK

  • 10:15AM – 10:45AM:  “Repeat Field Tests – The Value of Trending in the Real World” by Joshua Perkel & Nigel Hampton, NEETRAC
    Abstract:  The often mentioned theory of establishing a baseline measurement and then following up with repeat tests spaced some reasonable time apart is said to provide the best indication of the condition of a circuit. Unfortunately, there has been little in the way of “practice” to show the benefit of such an approach.  Field tests have been performed on utility systems as part of the Cable Diagnostic Focused Initiative (CDFI) since 2006.  In recent years, we have endeavored to return to these circuits to repeat the tests that were originally performed.  This presentation will review the performance of these circuits as well as our observations on their aging rates.

  • 10:45AM – 11:00 AM:  Subcommittee Business

  • 11:00 AM – 11:10 AM:  Closing Remarks

• Subcommitee G - Transnational Luncheon (Registration Required), Tuesday, May 6, 2014, 12:15 P.M. - 2:00 P.M.
  • Opening by Frank Petzold
  • “Native Soils and Thermal Backfills in the Middle East” - Deepak Parmar  Geothermusa; Ireland
  • “HVDC extruded cable ageing test program on DC200kV model cable” - Hideo Tanaka, Naoto Shigemori  VISCAS; Japan
  • “AMPACITY Superconductive Cable System – Installation, Commissioning, & First Feedback” - Frank Schmidt, Nicolas Lallouet, Pierre Mirebeau Nexans; France
  • “A Mobile Solution for Factory Quality Control: A Case Study” - Ben Lanz  Imcorp;  USA 5.        
  • " Completion of 330kV XLPE cable project in Sydney" - Shoji Mashio  J-Power Systems Corp.; Japan
  • "Challenges relating to EHV AC 225 kV  Extruded Cables Systems for Secured High Power Transmission” - Mohamed Mammeri General Cable; USA
  • "Champlain Hudson Power Express" - Ray Awad, HV Cable Consultant;  Canada
  • “Introduction of various ACHV Testing Methodology on site” - Ki-Sang Kim  Taihan Electric; USA 9.     
  • “CIGRE 2014 Update” - Pierre Argaut General Cable; France                                                                                                                        
• Networking Luncheon  (Registration Required), Monday May 5, 2014, 12:30 P.M. - 2:00 P.M.
  • "SMECO Patuxent River Crossing", Lei (Forest) Rong, Justin Bardwell,  Black & Veatch
    Abstract – Extended 230kV river crossing of the Patuxent River in Southern Maryland utilizing horizontal directional drill and XLPE insulated cable.
  • "115 kV XLPE Wolf Bay Underground Crossing", Frank Musick, W.A. Chester LLC.
    Abstract - 115kV XLPE Cable installation across channel and under Gulf Intercoastal Waterway.
• Educational Program - Sheath Bonding for Transmission and Distribution Cable Systems, Wednesday, May 7, 2014, 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM
• • 1:00 – 1:45 How bonding applies to Distribution circuits, including the requirements per the NESC. - Rich Vencus
  • 1:50 – 2:10 Why do we bond cable sheaths, what are the various types of sheath bonding and their impact on: locating splice vaults, JIT, fault locating, etc.? - Allen MacPhail
  • 2:15 – 2:40 Purpose and types of Sheath Voltage Limiters (SVLs), bonding cables and ground continuity conductors (GCC) and their function in both single-point bonded and cross-bonded systems. - Dennis Johnson
  • 2:40 – 3:00 Break
  • 3:00 – 3:25 Design considerations including: pros and cons of insulated versus bare GCC, how many GCCs for a multiple circuit duct bank, pros and cons of bonding together the GCCs and vault ground rings of a multiple circuit duct bank at each vault location. - John Rector
  • 3:30 – 4:00 Other system considerations: lightning strikes and switching surges (and any required maintenance after pass-through faults), impedance mismatch on siphon systems, impacts of parallel facilities, insulation coordination, etc. - Rusty Bascom/ Johan Karlstrand
  • 4:00 – 4:20 Differences between IEEE 575 and CIGRE TB 283. - Ray Awad
  • 4:25 – 4:55 Sample calculations for: induced voltage (normal and faulted), sizing of SVLs and bonding cables.  - Rachel Mosier

   0.4 IEEE CEUs will be offered for this session.  You must register in order to receive CEUs.  (Please note, in order to receive these credits towards a Florida PE License, you MUST provide Thomas Arnold with your FL PE License number prior to the session.

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