Ellis Patents has drawn further attention to the issue of safely restraining high voltage cables by launching a range specific catalogue for its new Centaur cable saddles.
The four-page publication features all 18 variations of the cable saddle, which is the first fully tested standard range of products that has been designed specifically to safely secure high voltage cables up to 400kV with a diameter range of 100 to 162mm.
Richard Shaw, Managing Director of Ellis Patents, commented: “Until now, most projects involving cleating very large high voltage cables have been designed on a case by case basis. As a result, there are a very limited number of products available and no published data to say that any of them have been short circuit tested. What this means in practice is that specifiers are left to rely on manufacturer’s warranties, which are purely based on calculations and mechanical tests.
“In a way this is unsurprising because the costs and logistics involved in conducting a full scale short circuit test on cables around 150mm in diameter are massive. However, the consequences of a product failing in service don’t bear thinking about.”