Cable Joints for High Temperature Cycling
In hot climates and industrial environments, high temperatures can put a lot of stress on medium voltage cable joints. From accelerated material aging to increased electrical resistance, heat poses a real threat to the performance and safety of underground energy compounds. Lovink offers a robust solution with innovative technology that guarantees reliable, long-lasting performance – even when the temperature rises.
For a deeper technical explanation, see high temperature cycling in MV cable systems.
Impact of high temperatures on cable joints
Rising ambient temperatures have a major impact on the service life and performance of medium-voltage connections:
- Increased electrical resistance: Higher temperatures create more resistance in conductors such as copper and aluminum, leading to energy loss and risk of overheating. These thermal effects are often also intensified by High Screen Currents.
- Insulation Degradation: Material degradation: Plastics and rubbers can lose their properties at an accelerated rate at high temperatures, making insulation less effective or moisture sealing failing. High temperature cycling significantly accelerates the aging of cable systems, especially in legacy networks such as aging PILC cables.
- Thermal expansion and contraction: Temperature fluctuations cause mechanical stresses, with a risk of cracks or failure of the joint body.
- Accelerated aging: Prolonged exposure to heat accelerates the aging process of cable materials, which reduces reliability.
Thermal stress is often combined with electrical stress such as Harmonics and Partial discharge
Lovink: MV cable connections for hot climates
Lovink addresses these challenges with medium-voltage cable joints that are specially designed for high temperatures:
- Liquid silicone insulation: LoviSil® encloses every part of the joint and remains flexible, minimizing partial discharge and ensuring constant performance.
- Proven durability: With more than 40 years of field experience, LoviSil® cable joints deliver exceptional reliability in a wide range of conditions, including extreme heat.
High temperature cycling
In high-temperature environments, it is not only the absolute heat that challenges medium-voltage cable joints, but the constant fluctuation between temperatures. This phenomenon—known as high temperature cycling—introduces repeated thermal stress that can significantly impact the reliability and lifetime of cable connections.
As temperatures rise and fall, materials expand and contract. Over time, these continuous cycles create mechanical fatigue, micro-movements, and stress at interfaces within the joint. This can lead to insulation degradation, loss of sealing integrity, and ultimately an increased risk of failure in critical energy infrastructure. [zeroinstrument.com]
For grid operators and industrial networks, high temperature cycling is an often underestimated risk. It accelerates aging processes already present in high-temperature conditions, amplifying challenges such as increased electrical resistance, material degradation, and mechanical stress in joints.
At Lovink, we understand that long-term reliability requires more than resistance to heat alone. It requires solutions that can absorb and adapt to continuous thermal movement without compromising performance. With our advanced jointing technologies, designed to remain flexible and consistent under dynamic conditions, we ensure dependable performance—even under the most demanding thermal cycles.
