Feature

Field Testing of Medium-

and High-Voltage Cables

by Vern Buchholz, P.E.

U
ntil about ten years ago, testing the insulation on medium- and high- WG C-15 has completed ballot-
voltage power cable was straightforward. DC high potential tests were ing and the IEEE Standards As-
sociation issued IEEE 400, “IEEE
the industry norm. DC high potential testing was developed in the days Guide for Field Testing and Evalu-
of oil-paper insulation, and because of the simple and easy-to-use equipment, ation of the Insulation of Shielded
Power Cable Systems.” This guide
continued to be used when extruded cables arrived. However, as extruded cables
is an “omnibus” document cover-
became widespread, it was noticed that although some cable systems passed the ing cable insulation field testing in
dc high potential test, they failed shortly after being put in service. Suspicions general. The overview of this guide
defines two types of field tests:
arose, particularly with aged polyethylene insulation, that the dc high potential
test was somehow damaging the insulation. These suspicions were confirmed by • Type 1 field tests, or withstand
an EPRI study published in the early 1990’s. tests, are intended to detect
defective parts and allow for
Many testing agencies and utilities stopped performing routine dc high po- replacement or repair. These tests
tential tests on aged extruded cables. NETA, in its testing specifications, reflects are usually achieved by applica-
the concern by limiting the dc overpotential maximum test voltage for cables tion of a moderately increased
less than five years after installation and by not recommending dc high potential voltage across the insulation for
testing for those over five years in service. a prescribed duration. These are
In response to the changes in cable test requirements and increasing age of pass/fail tests performed after
the cable systems in North America and Europe, manufacturers and service installation or repair.
organizations are developing many new forms of cable testing. So many tech-
niques have come on the market, that electrical testers are overwhelmed and • Type 2 field tests, also called
often confused. diagnostic tests or condition as-
In this article, I will discuss the cable field-testing standards developed or under sessments, determine the health
development by the IEEE Insulated Conductors Committee. I will summarize of cable system insulation or lo-
where I see cable field testing is now and were it is heading. cate discrete defects that may be-
come failures in the future. These
IEEE Insulated Conductors Committee and Cable Field Testing tests are usually performed by
means of moderately increased
The Insulated Conductors Committee (ICC) under the Power Engineering
voltages applied for relatively
Society (PES) of the IEEE meets twice yearly and provides one of the best
short duration or by means of
forums in North America for the development of power cable standards. Those
low voltages. While Type 2
seeking more information and copies of the meeting minutes can refer to the
insulation tests are conducted,
ICC website (http://www.ewh.ieee.org/soc/pes/icc/). Subcommittee C, Cable
other parts of the system such as
Systems, of the ICC has five Working Groups (WGs) specifically covering vari-
jackets, shields, and connectors
ous aspects of cable field testing.
may also be diagnosed.

www.netaworld.org Fall 2006 NETA WORLD 

 IEEE 400 provides a summary of the various insulation
test methods, gives the advantages and disadvantages of
each, and sets the stage for a series of more detailed guides
covering each insulation test method. At this time three
additional working groups of the ICC are meeting and
covering dc, very low frequency (VLF), and partial discharge
(PD) testing in detail.
DC Cable Field Testing
WG C-17 is writing IEEE P400.1, “Draft IEEE Guide
for Field-Testing of Laminated Dielectric, Shielded Power
Cable Systems Rated 5 kV and Above with High Direct
Current Voltage.” This guide is presently in the voting
process and is expected to be issued in the fall. The guide
will only cover dc high potential testing on laminated (oil-
paper insulated) cable, not on extruded cable, because of
the concerns mentioned at the beginning of this article. The
guide gives voltage levels and durations for withstand tests.
It also gives methods for calculating insulation resistance
and interpreting these values as a diagnostic tool.
There is still interest at the ICC in using lower voltage,
short duration dc tests to perform Type 2 or diagnostic test-
ing on cables with extruded insulation. These tests include
leakage or polarization current measurement, isothermal
relaxation current (IRC), and the voltage recovery method
(VRM). These dc diagnostic tests will be addressed in future
meetings of WG C-17.
Very Low Frequency Cable Field Testing
WG C-18 has completed the balloting process on IEEE
400.2 “IEEE Guide for Field Testing of Shielded Power
Cable Systems Using Very Low Frequency (VLF)”, and
the IEEE issued the guide in 2004. IEEE 400.2 discusses
in detail all commonly available VLF waveforms (1 Hz and
less), including:
• Cosine-rectangular/bipolar pulse waveform
• Sinusoidal waveform
• Bipolar rectangular waveform
• Alternating regulated positive and negative dc step
voltages
As covered in this guide, VLF can be used in both Type 1
or Type 2. VLF test voltage withstand levels are provided in
tables in the guide for installation, acceptance, and mainte-
nance withstand tests. The recommended testing time varies
between 15 to 60 minutes.
There are a number of diagnostic tools that are used with
VLF testing as detailed in IEEE 400.2. The methods as
used with each waveform along with the advantages and
disadvantages are given. The diagnostic methods for VLF
include:
• Dissipation-factor (tan delta) measurement
• Differential dissipation-factor measurement
• Dielectric spectroscopy
 NETA WORLD Fall 2006 www.netaworld.org
• Loss current harmonics
• Leakage current
• PD measurement
When this guide was published research was still con-
tinuing on the VLF withstand levels and durations and on
the interpretation of the various diagnostic methods. The
conclusions of the guide state, “VLF testing techniques,
along with other test techniques, are continuing to improve
and develop. Meaningful interpretation of the test results
will require development of a database to better define ac-
ceptance criteria.” With this in mind, the WG C-18 con-
tinues to meet at the ICC meetings with the objective of
reviewing research and examining data from ongoing VLF
test programs. The working groups purpose is to improve
the VLF guide.
Partial Discharge Cable Field Testing
WG C-19 is presently writing IEEE P400.3, “ Draft
IEEE Guide for Partial Discharge Testing of Power Cable
Systems in a Field Environment.” The draft will be going to
ballot soon. The guide will cover both on-line and off-line
PD detection and location. On-line methods do not require
the cable system to be de-energized. Off-line techniques
energize the cable system with an external voltage source
which may be a power frequency sinusoidal source at or near
60 Hz or alternative voltage sources that are nonsinusoidal
and/or having frequencies other than power frequency. The
later alternative voltage sources may include VLF, damp
alternating voltage, or impulse voltage. Both on-line and
off-line PD energization methods have advantages and
disadvantages. There are also different types of partial dis-
charge detection methods, one using the time domain and
the other the frequency domain. Both types can locate the
source of the partial discharge. All energization and detec-
tion methods are meant for Type 2 diagnostic testing.
The ability of partial discharge testing to assess the future
performance of a cable system is continuously improving.
The best accuracy in assessing the future performance is
achieved on ‘very good’ or ‘very bad’ cable systems. Further
Figure 1 — Corroded taped shield leading to failure
improvements may occur as more data are collected, test and 5. A partial discharge test of some type. Many of the off-line
analysis procedures are standardized, and if measurements or on-line PD tests discussed in the IEEE guide 400.3
on particular cable circuits are repeated on a periodic basis, soon to be published are designed to detect and locate
i.e., trending. low-level PD along the cable and in accessories. There are
handheld ultrasonic and RF, PD detectors that can find
Field Testing for Metallic Shield Corrosion more serious PD in exposed accessories and accessible
parts of the cable. Some utilities and service organizations
Before leaving the work of the ICC, I must discuss field
are using these devises to locate serious levels of PD. See
testing of the cable metallic shield or concentric neutral
Figure 2.
(in utility cables). It has been shown that corrosion of the
shield can lead to partial discharges and eventually failure
as in Figure 1. This is particularly true in unjacketed but also
in jacketed cables in industrial plants. WG C7 has com-
pleted work on IEEE P1617, “Draft Guide for Detection,
Mitigation and Control of Concentric Neutral Corrosion
in Medium-Voltage Underground Cables,” presently in bal-
loting. This document covers a number of useful techniques
for detecting, evaluating, and locating corroded or broken
shields. Methods include time domain reflectometry (TDR),
resistance measurement, and surface potentials methods.
Although corrosion in the shield may lead to discharges
that can be detected with PD testing, the methods in this
guide may find shield problems before PD and subsequent
damage occur.

The Present and Future of Cable Field Testing

For Type 1 or withstand testing, at present the most useful
technique is VLF high potential testing. VLF testing is suit- Figure 2 — Ultrasonic detector used for locating serious PD
able for both extruded and laminated insulation. However,
keep in mind that levels and duration given in IEEE VLF
I see no single, “silver bullet” diagnostic test in the future.
Guide may change in future as more data is gathered on
Cable systems are complex with many parts which require
this technique. DC high potential testing should be limited
multiple tests to analyze completely. However as more data
to cables with laminated insulation.
is gathered and published, particularly with the insulation
Type 2 or diagnostic testing is more complicated. Any
quality and PD tests (Items 4 and 5 above), we will more
diagnostic testing should assess the condition of all parts
reliably locate possible failure sites and provide a better
of the cable system and find future failure sites without
estimate of remaining cable life.
damaging the cable system. The extent of any diagnostic
testing will depend on the value of the cable and cost of
any possible loss if the cable fails in service. At present full
diagnostic testing should include:
Vern Buchholz has over 25 years experience in the electrical industry.
1. Overall visual and mechanical inspection including bolt He came to Powertech Labs in 1984 from the Transmission Engineering
tightness and low-resistance ohmmeter check and ther- Group at BC Hydro. He was the Director of the Electrical Technolo-
mographic survey as specified in the NETA Maintenance gies Business Unit at Powertech Labs from 1994 until his retirement in
Testing Specifications. 2006. Vern’s projects include work on medium and high voltage cables
and accessories, grounding apparatus, electrical connectors, commercial
2. Metallic shield continuity or resistance measurement. electrical equipment and high impedance fault detection. He is a Profes-
These can be followed by TDR or surface potential sional Engineer registered in the Province of British Columbia, Canada.
measurement to determine the extent and location of He is a Senior Member of the IEEE and very active in the Insulated
Conductors Committee of the PES. He presently works as an electrical
shield corrosion or breaks. engineering consultant.
3. A jacket insulation resistance test between shield and
ground to determine if there are jacket breaks.
4. An overall insulation quality test using a form of lower
voltage, short duration dc test, or a VLF diagnostic like
stepped dissipation factor or leakage current. These types
of tests can determine the extent of insulation damage
including water treeing, especially if tests are made pe-
riodically and trending is noted.

www.netaworld.org Fall 2006 NETA WORLD