Operability evaluation of electrical wires and cables subjected to simultaneous fire and current loadings

Abstract

Introduction. Intumescent coatings are used as a means of protection from heat flows, and their mission is to preserve the operability of wires and cables under fire conditions coupled with simultaneous current loading. However, the effect of insulation destruction on the operability of cables has not been studied for the case of a real fire regime.Goals and objectives. The purpose of the article is to evaluate the experimental operability of electrical wires and cables subjected to simultaneous effects of fire and current loadings.To achieve this purpose, an experimental testing unit was applied to conduct the experimental testing of wires and cables manufactured by various producers. At the same time, the temperature effect of the heated environment on electrical parameters of wires and cables, such as resistivity, inductance and capacitance, was evaluated.Theoretical background. In real fire conditions, dependence of indoor temperature, affecting the heating of cable insulation, differs essentially from the same dependencies in cases of various standard fire conditions. Therefore, the insulation destruction process may occur before the coating intumescence starts.Results and discussion. An experimental testing unit has been developed. This unit allows for the gradual cable heating with a pre-set temperature measurement interval and cable electrical characteristics. Dependencies of resistivity, inductance and capacitance of standard electrical cables on the temperature of the air surrounding the cable are obtained. It’s been discovered that the gradual heating of an electrical conductor or cable eventually leads to a short circuit between its conductive cores and further electric current transmission in electrical wires and cables. It is shown that phases and amplitudes of an input electrical signal can drastically change before the short circuit.Сonclusions. The simultaneous effect of fire and current loadings on standard electrical wires and cables causes a short circuit in the temperature range, in which no intumescence of flame retardant coatings is initiated on the insulation surface. Therefore, these coatings can ineffectively maintain the operability of electrical wires and cables.