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60

Wire & Cable ASIA – January/February 2015

www.read-wca.com

Sikora AG

Bruchweide 2

28307 Bremen

Germany

Tel

: +49 421 489 000

Email

:

sales@sikora.net

Website

:

www.sikora.net

The system is installed after the XLPE transport box

(ie octabin or bag), and a hopper, before the hopper of the

extruder, whereas the compound is fed by gravity.

Green technology for higher productivity

of the production line

As explained at the start, green technologies have to

provide both an environmental and financial benefit to the

market. The following gives an example of how the green

system also increases the productivity of the line.

A very important aspect is always the cable joint,

specifically with regard to power cables for offshore

applications. The joints where the cables are connected

together are critical as each joint contains a potential risk

for breakdowns.

Therefore, energy suppliers expect cable manufacturers

to deliver large cable lengths in one piece with a minimum

amount of joints. Consequently, the aim is to produce

energy cables with long lengths with only a few joints while

using highly pure raw material.

One solution is to omit the screens. However, this is

not a suitable alternative for all cable manufacturers.

But, even with the screens remaining in the production,

the application of the newly developed inspection and

sorting system will give manufacturers the benefit of

keeping the screens clean for decisive longer production

runs.

In order to catch possible impurities in the XLPE

compound before they get into the cable, manufacturers

use screens, which are positioned directly in the melt

flow after the extruder, before the crosshead, and thus

prevent contamination from entering the product.

But degraded XLPE, ie scorches or excessive amounts

of contaminants after a certain run time, can clog these

screens. Then the melt pressure in the extruder may

increase significantly.

Finally, production has to be stopped in order to change

the screens, which in turn means that later a joint is

required at that position.

Therefore, the system supports cable manufacturers to

produce long cable lengths in one piece to avoid cable

joints which are the weakest link of the cable. It assures

that contamination that would clog the screens is detected

and separated before it enters the production process.

As a result, longer production cycles can be run and fewer

cable joints are required. Thus, there is a minimised risk of

breakdown as only pure material is used for the insulation.

Conclusion

The introduced system for online inspection and sorting

of material represents an innovative solution of green

technology for power cables.

By assuring clean material for the production process,

plastic material and thus crude oil can be saved, the

productivity of the production line improved and the

lifetime of the cable extended. The short payback period

of the technology also positively contributes towards

consolidated earnings for the company. With this system

the quality and functionality of end products in the cable

industry is increased significantly.