Power Cable Failure Analysis & Investigation Techniques

Underground power cables are becoming more and more important for a number of reasons. Firstly, they are being used more widely due to increased electricity consumption, the fact that overhead lines are being replaced by underground cables, and the trend towards offshore wind power generation.
 

Secondly, underground power cables are being developed for higher electric stresses and higher currents. This creates considerable challenges. Thirdly, there is a tendency to push existing underground power cables to their limits, which is associated with a range of issues. And all this is happening at a time when society increasingly depends on a reliable and efficient energy supply. The increased use of power cables means that in many urban areas cables now often form a significant portion of the capital invested by network operators.
 

You will learn how to carry out a thorough and well-documented investigation following a catastrophic failure, including procedures at the incident scene for recovery, handling, and analysis of evidence, how to establish a panel of inquiry, and how the data from failure analysis can be used for future asset management decisions. 

• Understand the principles that cause failures and the skills to identify causes of failures
• Mitigate against the risk of future failures through improved asset management
• Improve procurement and specifying processes to reduce the risk of future failures
• Learn the processes needed to recover and handle evidence
• Gain essential knowledge of your legal obligations in a failure investigation
• Improve safety and enhance the reliability of key power assets