engleski

Modelling of the power cable processing

Throughout the manufacturing of power cable insulated with crosslinkable polyethylene, the hot polymer is applied to the conductor by extrusion, below temperatures of rapid crosslinking. The coated cable passes into a high-pressure tube (filled with nitrogen under pressure of 10 bar) in order to heat up the insulation to temperatures at which the crosslinking agent is highly active. This is the continuous vulcanization (CV) tube. Changes of process variables associated with the CV tube can cause changes in the physical properties, the aging characteristics, and especially the heat resistance of the cable insulation. Performance of insulating compounds in this area of the crosslinking process can determine maximum output rates of a power cable manufacturing facility. Mathematical model describes crosslinking process in the vulcanization tube, which is in fact the tubular reactor. In the vulcanization tube heat is transferred by convection, conduction and radiation. Also, the reaction heat is liberated by the chemical reaction and heat balance describes all four impacts. Formal part of the mathematic model is a material balance that describes the reactions kinetics. Heat and mole balance are connected with reaction rate and mathematically presents system of partial differential equations which will be numerically solved for chosen boundary conditions, both for the reaction part and for the cooling part of a process. On the bases of the real process parameter and the presented mathematical model simulation of the process were conducted. From the presented simulation optimal process parameters such as process temperatures, speed capacities (u) and cable cooling properties of CV line could be predicted and evaluated.

Vulcanization; Crosslinking; Vulcanization tube; PE-XL 4201; Dicumyl peroxide; Medium voltage power cable; Mathematical model; Simulation

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