PILC Cable

1. Resistance to Water Ingression

1.1. Among all the water-blocking sheaths, including the polymeric sheath in EPR, lead sheath is completely impermeable to water ingression and humidity diffusion.

2. Thermal Performance

2.1. Impregnated paper insulation has no thermal expansion during heating, unlike any polymeric insulation, including EPR.

3. Costs

3.1. The initial and maintenance costs of PILC cable are higher than EPR cable.

4. Resistance To Moisture

4.1. The impregnated paper insulation of PILC cable can be highly susceptible to deterioration if the lead sheath gets damaged and water gets past the sheath.

5. History

5.1. PILC cable has longer usage history and more information on reliability than EPR and XLPE cables. The first PILC cables were installed by Ferranti in 1890 and some of them were still in use after more than 70 years.

6. Electrical Characteristics

6.1. Impregnated paper insulation of PILC cable has excellent electrical properties, such as high dielectric strength, low dissipation factor, and lower dielectric loss than EPR and XLPE

7. Flexibility

7.1. The PILC cable is more rigid than the EPR and XLPE cables, especially in larger sizes.

8. Installation, Repair And Maintenance

8.1. Installation, repair and maintenance of PILC cable is more intensive, complicated and time-consuming than both EPR and XLPE cables