Technical article
November 2014
50
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.
Sikora AG
Bruchweide 2
28307 Bremen
Germany
Tel
: +49 421 489 000
Email
:
Website
:
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.
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