Critical Analysis of IS 1255-1983, reaffirmed 1996

for “Code of Practice for Installation and

Maintenance of Power Cables up to and including 33
kV rating”
“Stop hurting your extruded power cables! Do not perform DC high-potential test”

Ravi Kumar Premjeet Nair

Senior Application Engineer- Cable Infrastructure Product Manager- Cable Infrastructure
Megger India Pvt Ltd Megger India Pvt Ltd
Kolkata, India Kochi, India
[Link]@[Link] [Link]@[Link]

Abstract— Traditionally power cables, during installation other international practices based on IEEE field guides and
or maintenance, are tested with a DC high voltage for its IEC standard documents.
electrical strength as prescribed in IS 1255-1983,
reaffirmed 1996. Modern extruded dielectric power cables
such as XLPE have inherent space charge accumulation II. HISTORY & EVOLUTION OF EXTRUDED POWER CABLES.
tendencies when subjected to a high voltage DC. The
First power cables were laid more than 90 years ago, since
accumulated space charge leads to overstressing of
then the dielectric material used in the power cables to provide
insulation resulting in cable breakdown with high
the desired voltage insulation has changed considerably.
downtime and repair costs. As IS 1255-1983 is silent on the
Cables of the older days were mainly oil filled laminated
harmful effect of DC on XLPE cables, power companies in
dielectrics, like Paper Insulated Lead Covered (PILC).
India are facing revenue losses as well as the quality of
Though, these cables were robust and immune to minor
service to the consumer is affected. This paper analyses the
defects with high tolerance to partial discharge (PD), their
demerits of IS 1255 and compares it with the other
performance was affected by defects such as leakage of fluid
available test methods such as Very low frequency and
at gaskets or due to hole in outer sheath, ingress of moisture,
Damped Alternating Current test, as well as condition
waxing of fluid, dry or brittle paper, etc. One or more of these
assessment methods, such as Dissipation factor and Partial
factors led to frequent breakdown of PILC cables requiring
Discharge. A case study highlighting the advantages of
more maintenance and higher losses.
newer test methods has been presented and a cost to
In order to overcome the limitations of laminated cables,
benefit analysis is undertaken.
Keywords—Power cables, XLPE, DC test, VLF test, DAC test,
extruded polymeric dielectric cables such as Cross Linked
Partial Discharge test, Dissipation factor test, condition monitoring Poly Ethelene(XLPE) were introduced in 1980s. Initial XLPE
cables did overcame majority of the issues present in PILC
cable, however it was found that XLPE cables had more
I. INTRODUCTION
susceptibility towards moisture ingress resulting into water
Power cables are arteries and veins of a power distribution trees, hence degradation of cable insulation was faster and
network, it transports power from a transmission or service life expectancy was low. Modern XLPE cable are Tree
distribution substation to another distribution substation or to a retardant or TR-XLPE which have significantly improved the
residential distribution transformer at a consumer premises. In problem of water trees in it.
a highly populated areas, underground power distribution Majority of the power cables used in India are of low and
network is the only option to provide electricity, it is also medium voltage category networks i.e. rated up to 33 kV.
costlier than the overhead power distribution network. Recently, few power cables for transmission network up to
Underground cables constitute a major investment in electric 400kV are also being installed. India has a significant size of
power network. These cable networks are required to have a PILC cable installation majorly in metro cities, some of which
good life expectancy and high reliability. are more than 40 years old, but majority of the cable
This article investigates into techniques for commissioning (or installations are XLPE, as the number of XLPE installation in
installation/acceptance) and maintenance tests on up to 33 kV last twenty years has increased considerably.
rated power cables as described in IS 1255-1983 and, various
III. WHAT IS A HIGH VOLTAGE WITHSTAND TEST/ DIAGNOSTIC defects in the cable, rendering it to be unreliable. Thus, a
TEST? periodic predictive maintenance test is also required to be
carried out on power cables to assess the condition of
In a high voltage withstand test, a cable is subjected to a
insulation for carrying out corrective actions.
pre-determined voltage, for a pre-determined time. If cable
survives the test voltage and duration it is taken into service, if
it fails, it is then repaired and retested. D. Breakdown
Lastly, if a cable insulation breakdown failure occurs in
A diagnostic test such as partial discharge or dissipation
service, it is required to perform a voltage withstand test on the
factor (Tan Delta), carried along with voltage with stand test or
separately, provides additional useful information about the cable after repair work is done and before it is taken back into
condition of insulation of cable. A partial discharge test would service again.
reveal the localised defects on the cable and its accessories In addition to the high voltage withstand test, if a diagnostics
such as joints and termination, so that corrective action can be tests such as partial discharge measurement or Tan Delta
taken. A Tan Delta test (on a service aged cable) would provide measurement (on aged cables) is performed, it would reveal
overall insulation quality so that cable or cable section more valuable insights into quality of insulation of cable and
replacement decision can be planned. its accessories (joints and terminations).
V. HIGH VOLTAGE WITHSTAND TEST AS PER IS 1255: 1983
IV. WHY TO PERFORM A HIGH VOLTAGE
WITHSTAND/DIAGNOSTICS TEST? “IS 1255 recommends DC test on power cables after jointing
and terminations are completed. The recommended values of
A. Manufacturing defects test voltages are closer to 3 UO i.e. three times rated phase to
The newly manufactured cable may have certain defects like earth voltage. It specifies a test duration of 5 minutes. DC test
micro voids, protrusion, impurities or moisture in the voltage for service aged cable is 1·5 times rated voltage or less
insulation. Thus, it is important to carry out a high voltage depending on the age of cable, repair work or nature of jointing
withstand test of cable at site to verify the integrity of the cable work carried out, etc.” [2].
insulation.
VI. WHY DC IS DANGEROUS ON XLPE CABLE.
B. Installation defects In an extruded polymeric insulation, electrical charges such
Improper handling of cable during installation will weaken the as electrons, holes or ions have a tendency to get
insulation and may create additional defects. Power cables electrostatically attracted to specific location within the
comes in a standard length of 250m or 500m drum, so two or insulation to form chemical bonds. These are known as space
more power cables are joined to make a longer network. In charges. It accumulates due to difference in the rate at which
charge enters and leaves a region [3].
order to connect the power cable within power network,
terminations are installed at both end of the network. Creating Applying a high DC voltage to a polymeric dielectric
joints and terminations is a manual process, subjected to human insulation for a longer duration, for e.g. 3 UO or 1.5 times rated
error during installation (Fig. 1 & 2). So, the quality of voltage, for a duration of 5 minutes during a commissioning or
insulation of joint and termination need to be verified. Thus, maintenance test will create space charges.
before energising the power cable into service, it is very A cable may fail during reenergization if it is not
important to perform a high voltage withstand test. completely discharged after a DC high voltage test, due to
presence of trapped space charges, which have a longer
discharge time constant [4]. It has been observed that after the
DC test is conducted, these trapped space charge do not
discharge even after 24 hours.
IEC 60502-2: 2014 categorically warns that “a DC test may
endanger the insulation system under test and recommends that
where ever possible an AC test should be used”
While IEEE 400.2: 2013 state that if an aged cross-linked
polyethylene (XLPE) cable is exposed to high-voltage DC
tests, then there are major negative issues affecting its integrity,
after it is taken back into service.
C. Service ageing
Cable manufacturers as well as the field experiences
suggests normal life expectancy of a cable to be around 40 to It is further observed that IEEE 1234-2019 unequivocally
50 years [1]. But, power cables in service withstands many cautions that “some utility or industrial standards do not yet
stresses during its operation such as thermal stress, electrical consider the potentially damaging effects of DC testing. It is
over voltage and over current, moisture, etc. Combination of not recommended to DC test on an extruded cable”
these factors reduces the insulation quality and creates many
 In addition to space charge phenomena, it is also known during commissioning test. It also recommends around 1.7 UO
that on extruded cables used in ac systems, DC test is not rms voltage for a duration of 30 minutes on a service aged
effective in detecting many forms of gross defects, e.g. voids, cable. IEC differs in its recommendation as it suggest a 0.1Hz
sharp cuts etc that may be present in a cable system that will VLF test voltage of around 3 UO rms for a duration of 15
otherwise be detected by other test voltage such as very low minutes. It also says that a lower voltage and/or shorter
frequency (VLF) or at operating frequency [5] duration should be applied on a service aged cable depending
Acknowledging the above, it is worldwide well established on its age, history of breakdown and purpose of test.
that high voltage DC test is harmful as well as ineffective in 0.1 Hz VLF test is the most popular choice with utilities
some cases for extruded dielectric cables such as XLPE and it across the worldwide.
should not be carried out. It must be noted that IEC 60502-2 recommends test frequency
of 0.1Hz only. IEEE 400.2 also recommends test frequency
VII. INTERNATIONAL STANDARD FOR HIGH VOLTAGE TEST ON 0.1 Hz but it also mentions that for longer circuits if the test
EXTRUDED CABLES. kit doesn’t meet the required capacity then frequency may be
reduced till 0.01Hz and test time need to increase suitably.
Ideally, power cables should be tested with same power However, it doesn’t suggest how much time to increase.
frequency ac at higher voltages as used in service for e.g. Experience reveals that when a test is performed at a 0.01Hz
50Hz ac. However, the charging current required for such test frequency, the stress on cable is much lower than 0.1Hz test
because of the inherent capacitance of longer length of and it is not very effective, as it can miss out many significant
concentric shielded cable, is very high and it requires a very defects present in the cable.
large and bulky system to generate required charging current 0.1 Hz VLF CR power sources due to their design has higher
and power. So, the field testing is extremely challenging, limit test capacitances than that of 0.1Hz VLF sine power
inconvenient or not possible with 50Hz ac. sources. Hence it is possible to test considerably longer cable
Another option is to use AC resonant test systems which networks as compared to 0.1 Hz VLF sinusoidal without the
operates in frequency range from 20Hz to 300Hz but they are need of reducing frequency.
also extremely bulky and costly, so transportation is a
challenge and it also requires a larger space and setup time at
test site which is not feasible or desirable for a medium
voltage cable.

If no other test is possible then standard also mentions about

possibility of testing with power frequency 50 Hz at nominal
voltage UO for 24 hours. This is known as soak testing where a
cable is charged under no load condition at rated nominal
voltage for 24 hours, if cable survives then it is taken into
service. However, this test method doesn’t take into account of
the overvoltage stresses that a cable may encounter while in
service. So cable behavior above rated operating voltage is
unknown.

Very Low Frequency (VLF) 0.1Hz ac voltage testing is an VIII. DAMPED ALTERNATING CURRENT (DAC) TEST- A NON-
alternative method of test on a power cable. Moreover, it is DESTRUCTIVE METHOD FOR CABLE TESTING AND DIAGNOSTICS.
also a portable and economical solution and onsite testing is DAC voltage testing is one of the popular alternative methods
possible with convenience. of ac voltage testing and is applicable for a broad range of
Unlike DC voltage, VLF test voltage continuously changes its medium-voltage (MV), high-voltage (HV), and extra-high-
polarity so it does not produce harmful space charges [6]. voltage (EHV) cable types [7]. It is also a very convenient,
Also, at 0.1 Hz, the charging current required is only 1/500 of portable and economical onsite test method.
that at 50 Hz so it allows significantly smaller and more DAC voltages are generated by charging the cable to a
portable VLF power sources to test even longer lengths cable predetermined voltage level and then discharging the
network. capacitance of cable through a suitable inductance which in
Two kind of VLF waveforms are described in both IEEE turns causes the damping of applied voltage.
400.2 as well as in IEC 60552 namely VLF cosine-rectangular
waveform (VLF CR) and VLF sinusoidal waveform (VLF The frequency of DAC oscillation depends upon the value of
sine). In cosine rectangular electrical stress distribution is HV inductor in the test equipment and the capacitance of the
closer to the power frequency as the polarity reversal takes cable. Normally the frequency of a DAC test lies in between
place around 8 msec (Fig 3.). While sinusoidal may have a 20Hz to 500Hz [7].
very different stress distribution than that of power frequency.
IEEE 400.2 recommends a 0.1Hz VLF test voltage of around Newly installed cable systems can be tested with 50 DAC
2 UO rms for minimum of 1 hour to be applied on a new cable excitations in monitored and/or non-monitored ways.
Acceptable voltage level for a commissioning test is 2 UO. rectangular voltage and, Dissipation Factor with the help of
Cable systems in service or after repair or refurbishment, can VLF sinusoidal waveforms.
be tested with 50 DAC excitations in a monitored and/or non- The protocol followed by company to carry out the test is
monitored way but at a reduced voltage level, typically 1.7 UO described in Table 1.
[7]. Table 1. Test protocol
Voltage Partial
Since the frequency of a DAC high voltage test lies in between Cable Tests withstand Discharge Tan Delta
Type performed test test test
20Hz to 500Hz, the test result is closer to that of a power parameters parameters. parameters
frequency (50/60Hz) test, DAC test results are also relatable to New Voltage Up to 2 UO From 0.5 UO Optional (At
that of a power frequency test (Fig.4) withstand and rms voltage to 2 UO in step 0.5 UO UO,
Partial for 60 minutes of 0.2Uo and 1.5 UO)
Discharge
Old Voltage Up to 1.6 Uo From 0.5 UO At 0.5 UO
withstand, rms voltage to 1.6 UO in UO, and 1.5
Partial for 30 minutes step of 0.2 UO UO
Discharge and
Tan Delta

Decision on the test results is taken as per guidelines described

in Table 2.
Table 2. Test result analysis guideline
Test Result Action
IX. WHY A DIAGNOSTIC TEST IS VERY IMPORTANT? Cable occur insulation breakdown Cable is repaired and retested.
A high voltage withstand test is a Go No-go test in which if Cable survives test voltage and duration Cable taken into service
as well as partial discharge activities
the cable survives the duration of the test then it is taken into within limit
service, should the cable fail it is repaired and retested. In Cable survives test voltage and duration Partial Discharge spots are
order to determine more information on condition of cable, but high partial discharge activities. repaired, and PD test is
diagnostic tests such as Dissipation Factor (Tan Delta) and reconducted.
Cable survives test voltage and duration If possible, Tan Delta is
partial discharge is performed which provide more insights with acceptable PD level but high Tan performed on cable sections and
into the nature of defects in cable, if any. Delta values cable replacement decision is
taken accordingly.
Both IEEE and IEC standards suggests partial discharge and
Tan Delta test to be carried out on a cable, during a high
voltage withstand test or separately, at the time of A 2.4 km, 33 kV rated XLPE cable (Fig. 5) feeding to a
commissioning, or during periodic/breakdown maintenance. critical unit tripped, subsequently a joint failure was located at
While IS 1255 is silent about any field diagnostic test. 240m in phase L3 while other two phases were healthy. The
Tan Delta is mostly carried out on a service aged cable, it joint was repaired, and cable was tested with DAC voltage up
provides insights into overall insulation condition of cable and to 1.6 UO rms (Phase to earth) for 30 minutes (Fig. 6). Cable
can reveal information such as moisture, water trees or successfully passed the withstand test but high-level of partial
presence of wet joints so that cable or section replacement discharge was observed at the same joint of 240m.
may be planned, while partial discharge is frequently carried
out during commissioning test as well as maintenance test as it
provides localised information about weak points such as
voids, contamination or bad joints/ terminations etc so that
corrective action can be taken.
X. CASE STUDY
A major petrochemical company in India has hundreds of
power cable installed within its premises, majority of which
are below 33kV. Most of the cables were installed in 1998 and
are in their mid-service life. During installation the company
had followed IS 1255 and only DC tests were conducted. As
the cable started ageing, they felt the need of test and
diagnostics methods as per international practices, in order to
reduce their cable failure and to increase remaining life. Few
years back they adopted testing methodology according to
IEEE 400 series under which they now carry out VLF
withstand test as well as partial discharge with cosine
Tan Delta was also performed on the cable and the result were partial discharge or Dissipation factor diagnostics are added
found to be within acceptable limit as per IEEE 400.2, into VLF test sets, the costs will increase by another 50% [8].
indicating no presence of moisture in the cable. Results are Though, VLF & DAC test sets are relatively costlier than DC
summarized in table 3. test sets but increase in reliability and life expectancy of
cables, by use of proven VLF & DAC methods results into
Table 3. Tan Delta test result. much larger savings in breakdown maintenance and
Tan δ Values x 10-3 replacement costs as well as downtime revenue losses.

Phase 0.5 Stab- UO Stab- 1.5 Stab- ∆

UO ility ility UO ility Tan XII. CONCLUSION
δ Recommendations of IS 1255 were valid and applicable on
L1 1.0 0 1.0 0 2.3 0 1.3 older PILC cable where DC test was acceptable. Technology
L2 1.0 0 1.0 0 2.3 0 1.3 progress has led to change in insulation materials of power
L3 1.0 0 1.0 0 2.9 0 1.9 cables, modern power cables are mostly XLPE upon which
DC test is proven to be dangerous as well as ineffective and it
is not recommended by international standards such as IEC &
From the PD test result in Fig. 7. It was evident that the IEEE.
jointing work at L3 was not properly conducted, so decision Very Low Frequency (VLF) test and Damped Alternating
was taken to open and rework on the joint with more Current (DAC) tests are two well proven, convenient and
supervision. Hence a possible in-service failure was averted recommended technologies for high voltage test on XLPE
with the help of a PD test. power cables.
It is high time Indian utilities migrates from DC test to
VLF/DAC test as well as adopt diagnostic techniques such as
partial discharge and Tan Delta measurements, which will
reduce the failure of their vital cable assets as well as would
enhance the quality of power supply to consumers.

REFERENCES

[1] Central Electricity Authority of India (CEA): “Guidelines for use of

Under Ground Cable System and overhead conductor system- 2018”
[2] IS 1255: 1983 reaffirmed 1996 “Code of Practice for Installation and
Maintenance of Power Cables up to and including 33 kV rating”
[3] John C Fothergill “The Coming of Age of HVDC Extruded Power
Cables”
[4] IEC 60502-2: 2014 “Standard for Power Cables with Extruded
XI. COST ANALYSIS Insulation and their accessories.”
DC test sets up to 60 kV which is required for a test on a 33kV [5] IEEE 400.2- 2013: “Guide for Field Testing of Shielded Power Cable
power cable as per IS 1255 are a combination of a transformer Systems using Very Low Frequency (VLF)”
and a rectifier, so they are very cheaply available. [6] IEEE 400.3- 2006: “Guide for Partial Discharge Testing of Shielded
Power Cable Systems in a Field Environment”
A sinusoidal VLF test set with 60 kV peak output would be in
[7] IEEE 400.4- 2015 “Guide for Field Testing of Shielded Power Cable
general two to three times costlier than a DC test set. A cosine Systems rated 5kV and Above with Damped Alternating Current (DAC)
rectangular VLF test set and Damped AC test sets with similar Voltage”
output would be 25% higher than a sinusoidal VLF test set. If [8] [Link]