Preprints of the 3rd IEEE conference on

Energy Internet and Energy System Integration

November 8-10, 2019. Changsha, China

Analysis and Countermeasure of 110KV Cable Joint

Defects
Shengran Chen Yunfeng Xia* Xiangchao Shao
Dongguan Power Supply Bureau Dongguan Power Supply Bureau Dongguan Power Supply Bureau
Guangdong Power Grid Co.,Ltd. Guangdong Power Grid Co.,Ltd. Guangdong Power Grid Co.,Ltd.
Dongguan,China Dongguan,China Dongguan,China
13925189098@139.com xyf0725@163.com sxc20@126.com

Zhidong Jia Xilin Wang Binbin He

Dongguan Power Supply Bureau Dongguan Power Supply Bureau Dongguan Power Supply Bureau
Guangdong Power Grid Co.,Ltd. Guangdong Power Grid Co.,Ltd. Guangdong Power Grid Co.,Ltd.
Dongguan,China Dongguan,China Dongguan,China
jzd@mail.tsinghua.edu.cn wangxilin@139.com 592261329@qq.com

Abstract—In recent years, cable faults increases year by the power grid, resulting in huge economic losses and
year with the widespread use of power cable lines, among serious social impact [10-16].
whichˈcable joint defects become one of the most important
Many experts at home and abroad have made theoretical
factors affecting the safe and stable operation of transmission
cables. Recently, a switch protection work of the 110kV cable
analysis and experimental research on cable fault related
line 131 tripped, resulting in power cables change and its three issues. Reference [1] describes a method for characterizing
T-connection lines power failure. After the troubleshooting the the degree of insulation degradation for air gap discharge
author found that there are defects in the intermediate of No. 1 defects inside cable joints. Reference [2] analyzed a cable
connector well cable. In this paper, a detailed introduction insulation state evaluation method based on partial
about this accident of cable equipment is made and the cause is discharge study of spiked defects in prefabricated cable
analyzed in-depth. The study found that there are some joints. References [7-15] describe the fault analysis of
problems in the design and installation of the cable joint weld several 110kV cable intermediate joints, and the faults are
joint. Due to many this type of cable lines run in power grid, mostly caused by the problem of cable tip tip discharge.
and at the same time to avoid such equipment defects in new References [16-20] mainly describe cable joint failures
project, the corresponding suggestions based on the cause caused by problems such as line operation and maintenance
analysis and the accident situation was put forward, which is and equipment overhaul. These documents have few
beneficial to eliminate safety hazards in time and ensure the analysis and solutions for cable intermediate joint failures
stable operation of the cable lines. caused by design defects and installation process quality.
Keywords—Power grid; Cable fault; Joint; A design flaw This paper gives a detailed introduction to the trip
accident which is caused by the defect of the intermediate
I. INTRODUCTION joint of the 110kV cable No. 1 joint well. The paper
Due to the concentration of urban buildings and the tight analyzes the cause of the accident. The cause of the cable
resources of corridors, it is difficult to set up overhead failure may be that the cable joint is sealed with lead and the
transmission lines on a large scale. At present, high-voltage copper shell is displaced. Therefore, it is very likely that
cables are widely used in the construction and relocation there is a problem with the quality of the lead seal process
and expansion of urban power grids in China [4]. Compared of this type of joint. The urgent point is that there are still
with overhead lines, power cables have the advantages of more joints of this type in the grid cable joint well. In order
small maintenance workload, space-saving corridor to eliminate the hidden defects of cable joints in time, the
resources and little impact on the surrounding environment. article finally puts forward suggestions and solutions.
High-voltage cables are the incoming and outgoing lines of II. ACCIDENT SITUATION AND ANALYSIS
the main substations in the urban area, and are also
important power supply lines between the electricity The faulty 110kV cable line is an overhead and cable
customer and the substations [7]. The stable operation of hybrid transmission line. The total length of the line is
high-voltage cables is the safety guarantee for the grid to 12.09km, of which the overhead line is 9.7762km long and
provide reliable electricity. However, the structure of the the cable line is 2.572km long. There are 3 joint wells and 3
high-voltage cable system is complicated compared to the T-connection lines. The main wiring diagram is shown in
overhead transmission line, and the maintenance time is Figure 1 below. The red part in the figure is the position of
longer in the event of a failure. In recent years, more and the cable intermediate joint where the defect exists.
more new projects have used cables to replace overhead A. Cable Trip Accident Situation
lines in urban areas [1]. However, problems such as
over-scheduled laying of cables and improper installation of At 20:53 on November 27, 2018, a 110kV line switch
cable joints still exist. This causes cable failures to occur tripped and failed to reclose. After troubleshooting,
frequently. High-voltage cable joints have become a high maintenance personnel confirmed that the fault location is
point of failure. It Seriously affected the safe operation of the B-phase joint of the No. 1 joint well of the line. Short

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circuit current is 5.4kA. The remaining sections of the cable Therefore, it is judged that a current flows from the
and the T-connection line are fault free. tin-plated copper braid to the inner wall of the copper shell,
and heat is generated by long-term operation.


Fig.3. Short side of copper shell of cable connector

Fig.1. Main wiring diagram

At the scene, it was found that there was a perforation on

the main insulation of the long-end cable of the B-phase
joint copper shell in the NO.1 joint well. The A-phase cable
is dropped from the bracket at the 10 meter side of the large
joint in the No. 1 joint well. The drop cable is about 12
meters long. There are no fixing fixtures at both ends of the 
cable joint. The nearest clip is about 5 meters from the joint. Fig.4. Long side of copper shell of cable connector
ThereforeˈWhen the A-phase joint of No. 1 joint well
On-site inspection found that the glass cloth fireproof
was unraveled, it is found that the joint well has the seal
tape was wrapped around the tinned copper braid, which
lead detachment, the displacement length is 70mm. The
made the heat-insulating tape of the glass cloth tape lose its
large side strap of the joint inside the copper shell appears
function.
burnt yellow. Similarly, when the B-phase joint of No. 1
joint well was unraveled, it was found that the short-end B. Cause Analysis
seal of the joint copper shell was cracked and separated, and After analysis, the cause of the 110kV cable trip accident
the displacement length was about 20 mm. It is speculated is the middle joint aluminum sheath seal break and cable
that the cause of the failure may be that the cable joint is insulation damage. The short-circuit current caused by the
sealed with lead and the copper shell is displaced.  fault is as high as 5.4kA, causing the NO.131 switch of the
line to trip.
The reason for the aluminum sheath seal fracture is as
follows: Firstly, the cable which is close to the joint is
dropped from the bracket. The mechanical force generated
during the drop has an effect on the joint. Secondly, one of
the urban roads passing through the cable line has been built
with a subway. During the construction of the subway, the
water content of the cable channel may be reduced and the
soil layer will be settled, resulting in tensile stress on the
cable. Finally, there are no fixed fixtures at both ends of the
 cable joint. The external force and the thermal expansion
Fig.2. The left side is the inside of phase A joint and the right side and contraction stress of the cable can directly act on the
is the inside of phase B joint lead joint of the cable joint, resulting in the seal of the
intermediate joint.
Disassemble the A and B two-phase joints for The causes of cable insulation damage are as follows:
comparison. It can be found that the short-side copper shell On the one hand, according to the cable joint structure
(small side) of the middle joint of the A and B phases has a design, the cable sheath current should flow to the copper
phenomenon of sealing lead fracture. Both of them are at shell through the lead seal position and then go down the
the joint of the long end aluminum sheath of the joint. As ground wire. However, due to the quality problem of the
shown in Figure 2, phase A is browned and phase B has seal and the stress of the joint, the lead seal is in poor
broken down. The insulation damage location of the contact and the resistance is too large, forcing the sheath
B-phase intermediate joint is located near the aluminum current to flow from the copper mesh inside the joint to the
sheathed port of the long-side copper shell (large side). inner wall of the copper shell. On the other hand, The
Since the thickness of the lead seal of the long-side copper original design of tinned copper braid is wrapped in a
shell (large side) is thin, it can be inferred that the lead seal semi-lapped form. But, due to cable stress, the tinned copper
has a weak soldering condition. Tin- copper braided tape braid is pulled and deformed into a strip shape, resulting in a
and glass cloth fireproof tape were burnt to a scorch at the reduction in area. The current flowing through the copper
aluminum sheathed port of the long-side copper shell of the mesh in the sheath for a long time will cause heat to cause
A-phase joint. The inner wall of the copper shell also has ablation defects.
obvious ablation marks corresponding to the local position.

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III. PROBLEMS AND SUGGESTIONS FOR ACCIDENTS And it is advised to compare the grounding current
The main cause of this cable accident discussed in this change of the sheath with the common grounding
paper is aluminum sheath seal breakage and cable insulation grid.
damage. The main problems of this cable defect are as
follows:
• Construction design is not considered to add fixing
clips at both ends of the joint. Insufficient length of
joint platform and no stress relief measures.
• No serpentine laying design for cable thermal
expansion to eliminate electrodynamic force.
• Failure to consider the joint shrinkage of the EPDM
rubber support strip after long-term operation,
resulting in poor contact between the copper mesh
and the inner wall of the copper shell. Joint design
needs to be improved.

• Wrapping a fixed copper mesh with a glass cloth Fig.5. Reinforcement of aluminum sheath connection of well no.2
fireproof tape (insulation tape) can not exclude the joint
formation of a capacitance between the copper mesh
and the inner wall of the copper shell. It is also IV. CONCLUSION
impossible to exclude the cable from bending and
forming a capacitive breakdown discharge. This paper gives a detailed introduction to the tripping
accident process and the degree of site damage of 110kV
Based on the above analysis results, the following high voltage cable. The accident cable was inspected and
measures are proposed: the cause of the failure was analyzed in depth. After the
accident cable was inspected, the cause of the failure was
• The intermediate joint of other cables which is in
analyzed in depth. We found problems with the design and
the same installation environment as the faulty cable
installation process of the cable joint well joint:
line is checked. the fire box of the intermediate
joint is removed. Infrared temperature measurement Large section cable is not laid in a serpentine laying. The
on the copper seal of the cable joint is performed. design of the aluminum sheath fracture is not perfect. The
the joint seal parts of other cables are inspected and intermediate joint long-side copper shell (large side) seal
the reinforcement of the copper mesh is carried out has a weak weld condition. There are no fixing fixtures at
both ends of the cable joint. Cable joint design does not take
• Improving the quality control of lead sealing into account the adverse effects of construction quality,
process: In the new construction phase, the cable operating environment and material aging.
attachment installation personnel must be tested for
lead sealing process. Supervisors need to take This paper proposes the following suggestions for the
photos and supervise the lead sealing process. The problems with this type of cable intermediate joint:
operating personnel need to check the seal. In the
operation phase, the cable sheath circulation • Inspection and maintenance of the same cable as the
monitoring should be done, and the change of the faulty cable joint installation environment is
lead seal can be analyzed through the change of the strengthened, and the retaining clip is reinstalled.
electric current in sheath circulation. • The quality control of lead sealing process is
• For large-section cables, it is recommended that the enhanced.
new cable project be serpentinely laid on both sides • Cable sheath circulation is detected.
of the joint to eliminate thermal expansion,
contraction stress, electric power and mechanical • For large-section cables, serpentining laying on both
force during cable operation. sides of the joint to eliminate stress.
• The cable without fixing fixture at both ends of the • Pilot application independent grid design to reduce
intermediate joint is checked and the retaining clip sheath current.
is reinstalled. If the cable dropped, the operational At present, cable joints with hidden troubles are still
risk of the cable drop on the joint need to be running in the wells of other transmission line cable joints.
identified. These cable joints are installed in the same environment as
• In view of the large current of the four-circuit the failed joints, and the same type of defects may occur.
common trench cable sheath of the accident cable This paper analyzes the causes of the accident cable joints
line, the feasibility of transforming the joint well and the corresponding targeted recommendations, which can
ground network into an independent ground net to guide the special operation or replacement of the currently
reduce the sheath current is studied. In addition, it is operating cable joints. At the same time, it is important for
recommended to use the independent grounding the relocation and renovation projects and new construction
grid design for the grounding network of the projects to prevent joint defects, which is of great
multi-circuit common trench cable cross-connect significance for the stable operation of power transmission
system in the pilot project of the relocation project. lines.

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