CHAPTER 9
STANDARDS AND SPECIFICATIONS
Lawrence J. Kelly and Carl C. Landinger
1. INTRODUCTION
Standards and specifications for power and control cables have been prepared in
the United States by various industry organizations since the early part of the
twentieth century. Electrical cables are manufactured to these requirements
depending on the application of the particular installation.
The power cables that are covered by these standards and specifications can be
classified under three major categories:
0
Low Voltage Cables
Rated up to 2,000 volts
0 Medium Voltage Cables Rated 2,001 through 46,000 volts
0 High Voltage Cables
Rated 69,000 volts to 500,000 volts
The most widely used documents in the North America are those issued by the
Insulated Cable Engineers Association (ICEA) in conjunction with the National
Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA),
the Association of Edison
Illuminating Companies (AEIC), the Rural Electrification Administration
(RUS), and Underwriter’s Laboratories (UL).
2. MANUFACTURERS (ICEA / NEMA)
2.1 ICEA
This group was formerly known as IPCEA. They removed the “Power” from
their name to more accurately describe a broader scope of activities. Sections in
ICEA include:
Extruded Dielectric Power
EDP
Portable, Communication
COM
Control and Instrumentation
C&I
Membership is made up of technical employees of cable manufacturers in North
America. They develop standards, guides, and committee reports on all aspects
of insulated cable design, materials, and applications. They work with other
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Copyright © 1999 by Marcel Dekker, Inc.
organizations toward the development of joint standards. Many of their
standards are subject to the approval of NEMA and these are published as a joint
ICEA / NEMA standard.
These standards encompass the entire cable: conductor, shields, insulation,
jackets, testing, etc. The only possible omission is packaging. This is considered
to be an area that is not allowed by United States’ law.
2.2 NEMA
NEMA’s members are f