Pics from the Workshop

[RF Lighting]

Thanks for that! I take it the copper wiring is an earth, and you common all three of them together when you terminate?

I can imagine it being a pig to work on. I've worked on 120mm² SWA which is stranded cores and that's bad enough!

 

[westie101]

As an aside, as the cable has an earthed metallic sheath (though copper & stranded) it complies with the various regulations to allow it to be laid directly in the ground with marker tape over it!!

We were discussing a difficult job I'm dealing with, recently. It is quite legal for us to lay it on the surface in certain circumstances! Obviously a huge difference to the BS7671 situation, but as explained to me by our Policy & Standards guy, it's down to us doing the work to properly assess the risks and not follow a book!

 

[Lectrician]

I recently worked with some 95mm 4C Aluminium conductor and quite enjoyed it compared to it's copper counterpart! These were triangular cores, which you need to 'twist' to straighten them out to allow them to align in the correct plain for terminating.

The most noticeable difference with ALU over copper is it's 'staying power'. Bend it and put it somewhere and it stays put!

Enjoying the HV photos - more please, especially HV metering!

 

[efiste2]

Im not a Cable Jointer, but this XLPE stuff if you have the special tools isnt that hard to work with.....the tools do all the work......its all down to measurements and keeping the stuff clean.......and the terminations into switch gear is all either crimp or shear-off connectors and cold shrinks.......still a skilled trade though and, to prep and connect into the older PILC (paper insulated lead covered) cable is a lot more difficult...

 

[RF Lighting]

Was PILC ever used at HV or was it just all over the LV network?

 

[westie101]

Was PILC ever used at HV or was it just all over the LV network?

Yes it certainly was, generally (round here anyway) the LV was steel tape armoured, the HV steel wire armoured, though as with many things there are exceptions that can make safe identification challenging!

We also have plain lead un-armoured LV!

For all these older designs we still have to carry joint designs to connect to the more modern types

 

[efiste2]

PILC is all over the SP network and I would imagine other DNO's too....that was then superseeded by PICAS in the early eighties(paper insulated conductor aluminimum sheathed) which itself had been replaced by the stuff Westie mentions.....At the moment our job is to replace ageing switchgear and 95% of the cables were jointing onto is PILC, and once the outer sheath and armours are of its like new, even though its probably 60 years old....
Pic is of a Transformer termination with the cables passing through the Current transformers

 

[ban-all-sheds]

A good one was that, local estate with a pheasant shoot on it, shooting was finished and everyone was walking back to their cars when one bird took to the air so a guy took a snap shot.

WTF was he doing walking with a loaded gun?

 

[westie101]

WTF was he doing walking with a loaded gun?

Exactly, hence the "words"