Underground Cables Get a New Lease on Life: Salt River Project treats underground residential distribution cable by injecting silicone fluid to extend life and enhance reliability

摘要

CABLE INJECTION TECHNOLOGY HAS BEEN USED TO TREAT CROSS-LINKED POLYETHYLENE CABLE since 1998 at Salt River Project (SRP; Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.). To date, the utility has successfully treated approximately 4.6 million ft (1400 km) of underground residential distribution (URD) cable. Approximately 96% of the successfully treated cable remains in service and failure free. More than 35 years ago, SRP began direct-buried installation of URD cables. Eventually, the utility determined that the increasing level of fault activity on the system would require some form of remedial action to ensure continuity of reliable service as the cable reached the end of its effective life. In 1992, SRP made an attempt to remedy the situation by installing URD cable in a rigid conduit system. However, faults on the direct-buried cable system continued to increase until it was no longer a manageable occurrence.