LoviSil® oil refill joints extend PILC cable life at German refinery

In a large German refinery, LoviSil® oil refill joints from Lovink Enertech extend the life of obsolete paper-insulated cables (PILC). This innovative solution avoids expensive cable replacement and ensures a reliable medium-voltage infrastructure that is ready for the future. That is why more and more companies are opting for this technology.

The challenge: aging PILC cables with increased risk of failure

Many industrial plants in Europe still use older 10–30 kV PILC cable networks. While these networks are robust, a problem often arises as soon as cables are disconnected from their original termination. This dries out the insulation, leading to malfunctions. This is especially true for network upgrades or integration of modern XLPE cables and switching stations.

At this refinery, the team had to connect a 10 kV PILC cable (1 × 3 × 150 mm²) to an XLPE cable (3 × 1 × 240 mm²). Without an oil or grease termination, the insulation would deteriorate quickly, resulting in failure.

The solution – LoviSil® oil refill sleeves

Lovink Enertech introduced the LoviSil® oil refill joint to prevent the drying out of PILC cables. This technology actively returns oil to the cable via a special manifold and refill reservoir. In addition, this approach offers several advantages:

Preservation of paper insulation: prevents aging and extends lifespan.
Seamless integration: suitable for connections between PILC and XLPE cables.
Cost savings: no expensive cable replacement required.
Reliability: optimal performance in critical medium-voltage grids.

The installation was carried out by Alessandri GmbH, with a flawless delivery and complete customer satisfaction.

Result: sustainable and reliable infrastructure

The redesigned cable section retains its full reliability. All parties involved – the refinery, Alessandri GmbH and Lovink Enertech – indicated that they were very satisfied. Finally, discussions have already started about follow-up projects.

This project emphasizes the importance of sustainable solutions in the energy and chemical sector. By revitalizing existing infrastructure instead of replacing it: