Category Archives: Utility
Each year, millions of people and thousands of businesses are impacted by underground cable system failures. IMCORP is dedicated to advancing the understanding of how these failures occur and more importantly, how they can be avoided.
Dec 21 2017
Water Trees Don't Fail Cable
By: Ben Lanz and Bill Corrente
Posted in: Wind, Utility, Solar, Renewable, Generation, Facility, Cable
Water Trees Don't Fail Cable Decades ago we learned from many of the leading industry experts that water trees fail cable and we believed this industry myth until we collected cable performance data using the IMCORP Factory Grade&re... Read ArticleJun 09 2017
Termination Damaged but Passed by VLF Test
By: Ben Lanz and Bill Corrente
Posted in: Workmanship, Wind, Utility, Solar, Renewable, Generation
Termination Damaged but Passed by VLF Test Our utility client asked us to commission cable systems at a new generation facility after experiencing several termination failures. The installation contractor had already tested the cable syste... Read ArticleOct 28 2015
PD Activity Identified During Assessment of Aged Utility Cable
By: IMCORP
During the reliability assessment of aged underground residential distribution (URD) cable systems at a mid-western electric utility, one particular cable sample was found to exhibit low levels partial discharge (PD) activity. These PD sites were e... Read ArticleOct 27 2015
Low Signal Magnitude (pC) but Serious Cable Defect
By: Ben Lanz and Bill Corrente
Posted in: Workmanship, Wind, Utility, Renewable, Cable
While commissioning new generation project in the multiple defects were identified within the cable system. One particular cable exhibited defects in the dozens of low magnitude partial discharge signals at two times the operating voltage. Th... Read ArticleJul 30 2012
Stone in Cable 176m (578ft) from Termination
By: Ben Lanz and Bill Corrente
Posted in: Backfill, Cable, Facility, Generation, Renewable, Solar, Utility, Wind, Workmanship
IMCORP’s Factory Grade® assessment discovered a substandard location while commissioning the cable systems at a generation facility. The client used IMCORP’s Location Matching service to pinpoint the defect location. N... Read ArticleApr 16 2012
Misplaced Stress Relief Material at a Utility
By: IMCORP
Posted in: Workmanship, Utility
This particular open-air termination transitions an underground line to a riser. Although visual inspection indicated that the cable was properly installed (it is difficult to see the mastic placement with the termination installed), the cable ... Read Article