EoW July 2008

taping, armouring & sheathing of cables

Plastics for high and extra high voltage underground cables

Dow Wire & Cable has announced a complete portfolio of insulation, semi-conductive and jacketing compounds for high and extra high voltage underground cables in Europe, India, the Middle East and Africa. Dow Wire & Cable is building on the success of its super-smooth, extra-clean semi-conductive compounds, HFDA-0801 BK EC for high voltage and HFDA-0801 BK HV for extra high voltage. Both have already been proven in many high and extra high voltage underground transmission systems across Europe. “Demand for reliable underground power cable systems is growing rapidly in many parts of the world. Drivers for growth include the increased power demand globally, difficulty for utilities to obtain new rights of way for overhead lines, as well as the need to interconnect national/regional power grids for greater supply security,” said Robert Tarimo, market manager for Europe, India, the Middle East & Africa. Dow Wire & Cable’s range for the manufacture of high and extra high voltage underground cables (from 66 kV to 500 kV) in the Europe, India, Middle East and Africa regions includes: • insulation: HFDK-4201 SC and HFDK-4201-EHV, extra-clean crosslinked insulation compounds for HV and EHV respectively • inner and outer semi-conductive layers: HFDA-0801 BK EC and HFDA-0801 BK HV, super-smooth, extra-clean semi-conductive compound for HV and EHV respectively • jacketing: A choice of DGDR-6800 BK (a black high density polyethylene compound) or DGDK-6862 NT (a self-colouring polyethylene compound, where an alternative colour to black is required); also DHDA-7708 BK (a semi-conductive black polyethylene compound that can be added into the jacketing mix to enhance cable integrity testing after production, installation and during usage) DowWire & Cable – Europe Tel: +32 3450 2240 Website : www.dowwireandcable.com

Specially developed cable products from Polifibra

Geca-Tapes offering better protection for less The newly developed GT609 from Geca-Tapes is a semi-conductive, nonwoven, strong, light, impermeable tape that can be used as a wrapping, bedding and separating layer. GT609 was developed at PGI Geca-Tapes’ R&D facility in Bailleul, France. The thin (0.15mm), strong construction (90N/cm) of GT609 allows it to be applied longitudinally as well as heli- cally, protecting the conductor or the insulation sheath during extrusion, wire armouring, handling or temporary storage, and makes it a lighter alternative to existing wrapping and bedding tapes. More importantly, the high quality of the GT609’s base web and carbon black finish provides Geca-Tapes’ users with a pinhole-free, impermeable, peripheral wrapping tape, preventing the extruded compound from migrating towards the conductor during the extrusion process. A variety of tapes are already used for similar purposes but, in order to be fully effective, they need to be applied in two layers. GT609 can be applied longitudinally in a single layer, hence providingmaterials usage savings as high as 30%. PGI Geca-Tapes – France Fax : +33 3 28 43 74 63 Email : info@geca-tapes.com Website : www.geca-tapes.com

of the tape itself when forming around the wires and of course increased productivity for the customer. Polifibra’s dedicated R&D resource has also developed a shielding tape, destined for the high-speed (10gbps) LAN cable market. This product, described as “revolutionary”, is working well and has enabled the development of a previously untapped market; the product and design have now been patented, protecting both the customer and Polifibra. Polifibra SpA – Italy Fax : +39 039 60 61 300

Polifibra (Milan) invests each year more than 4% of its turnover in R&D activities. A recent development has been a range of shielding tapes that are produced with a lubricant applied to the aluminium face. The purpose of this additional layer is to help to reduce the adverse effects of friction created during the forming process. The friction can cause stretching and even breaking of the tape, which in turn creates problems with machine down time and costly repairs. Polifibra worked closely with one of its customers to develop a coating that was both indistinguishable to the naked eye and indeed inert. The application of the slippery coating enabled considerably fewer breakages; improved performance

Email : info@pf-polifibra.com Website : www.pf-polifibra.com

Mixer compounds Mixer has been manufacturing cable compounds since 1996. The company now produces insulation, sheathing, filling and masterbatch cable compounds with both rubber and thermoplastic. The trademark Ekopren® products are based on halogen free polymers and additives with low toxicity and clear smoke emission. The Mixer range includes heavy metal free, high LOI and fire/oil/ozone resistant compounds. Fully automated production lines and advanced testing facilities maintain consistent quality of an annual production of 20,000 metric tons of cable compounds. Banbury internal mixers and strainer extruders are used to manufacture compounds in granule (pellet) form. Mixer offers technical and engineering services to assist cable manufactures to adapt their equipment to extrude compounds in pellet form. Mixer’s on-site laboratory is at customers’ disposal for testing material properties and behaviours. Clients can request tests of their products in order to verify the correct cross-linking of materials, the correct extrusion behaviour and if product complies with standards. Engineering assistance is available to maximise the results of extruder machinery. Mixer expertise includes designing and constructing modifications to existing equipment as well as optimising operational parameters during extrusion. Mixer SpA – Italy Fax : +39 0545 47038 Email : staff@mixer.ws Website : www.mixer.ws

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EuroWire – July 2008