SIWES TECHNICAL REPORT

TECHNICAL REPORT ON

STUDENT INDUSTRIAL WORKING EXPERIENCE

SCHEME (S.I.W.E.S) I

AT

NORTHERN CABLE PROCESSING AND MANUFACTURING

COMPANY

(NOCACO)

BY

SHAMSUDEEN BELLO ITOPA

ENG/16/MEC/00224

FROM NOVEMBER 2019

TO

JANUARY 2020

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CERTIFICATION

I hereby certify that this siwes was carried out by SHAMSUDEEN BELLO ITOPA with

registration number of, ENG/16/MEC/00224 from mechanical engineering department,

BAYERO UNIVERSITY KANO under my supervision.

_________________________ _______________________

Dr

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DEDICATION

This technical report is dedicated to the Almighty Allah who has granted me the strength, safety,

health, and wisdom in all my endeavors that led to success of the (three month) Student Industrial

Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) and also to my loved ones who supported me throughout the

program. May Allah continue to be their savior (Amin).

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

My endless appreciation is expressed to Almighty Allah whose guidance protection and abundant
blessing see me through in this Student Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES).
I’m eternally indebted to my Industrial Based Supervisor Mr TOMA NIKYU and the entire
management and staff of Northern Cable Processing and Manufacturing Company (NOCACO)
for their effort, strength and support given to me to successful ending of the Student Industrial
Work Experience Scheme (SIWES).
I also wish to express my profound gratitude to my families and my well-wishers for their support
and matured relationship exhibited during the Student Industrial Work Experience Scheme
(SIWES). May Allah in his infinite mercy bless you all.

ABSTRACT

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S.I.W.E.S simply means `the Student Industrial Work Experience Scheme; it is the skills training

program which form part of the approved minimum academic standards in the various

Degree/Diploma/NCE program for all Nigerian Tertiary Institutions. The S.I.W.E.S is aimed a

bridging the gap existing between the theory and the practical aspect of the courses offered in the

tertiary institutions such as the Engineering, Sciences, Technical and other Professional

Educational Program in Nigerian Institutions. The SIWES training has made me to understand

many things concerning my field of study as a Mechanical engineering student. This program was

conducted at the Northern cable processing and manufacturing company (NOCACO) where I

learnt the various stages in production of wire cables. The industry has three (3) department which

are the maintenance department, the quality control department and the production department.

The maintenance department is responsible for regulating and maintaining the machineries used

for cable production, the production department is responsible for producing the cables and the

quality control department is responsible for ascertaining the quality of the wire produced before

use.

CHAPTER ONE

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1.0. INTRODUCTION TO STUDENT’S INDUSTRIAL WORK EXPERIENCE

SCHEME (SIWES)
The Student Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) is an accepted skills program which
forms part of the approved academic standards in the degree program for Nigerian Universities. In
1974, the Federal Government of Nigeria introduced the national policy on Industrial training,
called the Students, Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES). This program is under the
umbrella of the Ministry of Education through the Industrial Training Fund (ITF), was designed
to help students acquire the necessary practical education/experience in their fields of study and
other related professions.

This is an effort which was created in order to bridge the existing gap between the theory taught
in the classroom and practice of science, agriculture, medicine, engineering, technology and other
professional programs in the Nigerian tertiary institutions. This program is aimed at exposing the
students to the use of various machines and equipment’s, professional work methods and ways of
safeguarding the work areas in industries as well as other organizations and parastatals. The
program was established basically to impact elaborate practical understanding to students with
respect to their various disciplines. It is also intended that the student through a process of relation
to academic knowledge and practical industrial application would understand the underlying
principles and become better focused and acquire the practical applications towards excellence in
his or her discipline.

MEANING OF SIWES

The five capitalized letters SIWES stand for the Student Industrial Work Experience Scheme

that was created to help students from Nigeria get practical knowledge and wide horizons based

on their future profession while they are still studying at the university.

HISTORY OF SIWES

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At the early stages of the development of education in Nigeria, there was a problem of the gap
between theory and practical skills of students. Therefore, there was a need to give students the
opportunity to get real work experience.

The program was created to give student experience in addition to theoretical learning. The
industrial training policy was introduced by Federal Government of Nigeria in 1973. This was
necessary to improve practical skills of students. SIWES has become a necessary pre- condition
of graduation. The program is working with such disciplines as engineering, medical science,
natural science, technology, agriculture, education, environmental, applied science.

The duration of the program can be different, for the universities it's six month, and a year for
college and polytechnics.

The program is developed under the guidance of the Ministry of Education. This is an excellent
bridge between theoretical and practical education. SIWES is working on designing proper
programs for exposing students to the industrial workplace environment. It is all about the
development of occupational competence.

The main goals of the creation of SIWES are:

1. Introduce students to real work atmosphere so that they know what they would most likely meet
once they graduate.

2. Help students get important contacts for their future jobs. Let students work with real
technology and gears that are not present in their institution.

3. Allow students develop industrial skills they would need after graduation. Simplify the
transition from higher educational institution to the workforce.

IMPORTANCE OF SIWES

This has become an incredible program for all tertiary institution students. SIWES gives a unique
opportunity to be introduced to the industrial environment and obtain the technical knowledge
while studying.

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SIWES is coordinated by the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) and NUC and thus is under the
umbrella of the Ministry of Education. This bridge between the institutions, students, and
industries should make the difference and bring positive changes in the future.

1.4. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF SIWES

1. To provide students with industrial skills and needed experience while the course of study;

2. To create conditions and circumstances, which can be as close as possible to the actual
workflow;

3. To prepare specialists who will be ready for any working situations immediately after
graduation;

4. To teach students the techniques and methods of working with facilities and equipment that
may not be available within the walls of an educational institution;

5. To give students the ability to try and apply the given knowledge.

The objectives of SIWES program are all about strengthening future employees. Such program
is successful attempt to help students to understand the underlying principles of their future work.
After passing the programs, the student can concentrate on the really necessary factors of his or
her work.

Referring to the feedback of students, the experience of participating in the program has become
very useful for them. Employers also note a higher level of skills of such students.

1.5. BENEFIT OF SIWES

1. Opportunity for students to blend theoretical knowledge acquired in the classroom with
practice hands-on application of knowledge required to perform work in industry.

2. Exposure of students to the environment in which they will eventually work, thereby
enabling them to see how their future professions are organized in practice.

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3. Minimization of the bewilderment experienced students, particularly those from a non-

technological background, pursuing courses in science, engineering and technology with
regard to different equipment, processes, tools etc. available in industry.

4. SET students appreciate work method and gain experience in handling equipment and
machinery which may not be available in the institutions.

5. Preparing students to contribute to the productivity of their employers and national

development immediately after graduation.

6. Provision of an enabling environment where students can develop and enhance person
attributes such as critical thinking, creativity, initiative, resourcefulness, leadership, time
management, presentation skills and interpersonal skills, amongst others.

7. Preparing students for employment and making the transition from school to the world of
work easier after graduation.

8. Enhancing students’ contacts with potential employers while on training.

9. Enabling students bridge the gap between the knowledge acquired in institutions and the
relevance production skills (RPSs) required in working organizations.

10. Making SET students appreciate the role of the professions as the creators of change and
wealth and indispensable contributors to growing the economy and national development.

ADVANTAGES OF SIWES

i. First-hand experience working as an engineering professional.

ii. Cover your technical knowledge and engineering process to a real-life position.

iii. Work with other engineering professionals.

iv. Experience what it’s like to work in a professional organization.

v. Increase your technical, interpersonal and communication skills, both oral and written.

vi. Observe interactions of engineers with other professional groups.

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vii. Witness the functioning and organization of business and companies.

DISADVANTAGES OF SIWES

 Being Treated as an Assistant

Probably heard that interns often spend their days getting coffee, running errands, making
copies and performing other menial tasks. That’s because many companies take advantage of
interns and see them more like slaves or assistants than prospective employees.

 Low Earning Potential

Internships often have very low earning potential. Unlike an appropriate, full-time job, highest
paid internships don’t tender a combative conduct to try and engage talent. Interning for the wrong
company could leave you in a very be bad financial situation.

1) Increases Your Market Value

A frequent problem many graduates surface is that they’re afford a lot less than someone with
familiarity to do the same job.

NORTHERN CABLE PROCESSING AND MANUFACTURING COMPANY LIMITED

(NOCACO).

NOCACO COMPANY PROFILE

NOCACO was incorporated in June 1978.

Production started in July 1980 with the aim of supplying vehicle plants with locally made Cable
Harnesses and to satisfy the Nigeria market with all kinds of electric cables and wires. Due to its
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technical nature, the company equity shares distributed 40% to Nigeria shareholders and 60% to
the Nexans Deutschland industries AG & Co, Hanover, Germany as contained in schedule III of
the Enterprises Promoting Decree.

The Board of Director as Mallam Jamilu Z. Muhammad as the chairman while Mr. Nico Van
Grieken is the Managing Director. Starting with strength of 96 in 1980, the company now employs
about 200 staffs. Today, NOCACO is recognize as the most important and NO 1 cable
manufacturer in the northern part of the country producing in accordance with National and
International Standard and to specific customer’s requirement.

The product range of NOCACO comprises approximately 300 different types of cable. It include
the ordinary wiring cables, conduit cables, insulated Aluminum Service Cable, Aluminum
Overhead lines, Board Bare and Steel Reinforced, Copper Underground Cables (Armoured and
Non Armoured) as well as flexible cables and cords.

In the area of quality, NOCACO places a high premium on the quality of its product, as its
design and produce high quality products in line with National & International Standards i.e.
Nigerian International standard (NIS). British Standard (BS) and German Industrial Standard
(VDE, DIN) and to specific customers’ requirements.

NOCACO carries out rigorous quality control test on its product at every stage of production
process rather than at the final inspection, so that its high standards are maintained throughout the
production process of the conductor or cable.

As proof of high quality, NOCACO is a NIS Diamond Award Winner on single core electric cable
(non-armored) and NIS Gold Award Winner on PVC Insulated (non-armored) single and multi-
core cables and Aluminum Overhead Line.

Furthermore, the capacity of NOCACO to produce very high quality cables that meet National
and International Standards at costs that represent value at all times, has culminated in ability to
be the first cable manufacturer in the North to design, install and implement a quality system which
has been certified according to the requirements of international organization for standardization
otherwise known as ISO 9001: 2008. Our production environment is friendly as we are committed
to the implementation and sustenance of environmental management system that ensure prevention
of pollution within the defined scope of its operations otherwise known as ISO 14000:2004.
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THE ORGANIZATIONAL CHART

Northern Cable Processing and REVISION NO. 7

NOCACO
Manufacturing Company Limited DATE: 04. 01. 2016

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NORTHERN CABLE PROCESSING & MANUFACTURING COMPANY (NOCACO)

INTRODUCTION

This section contain the details of the working activities carried out in "Northern Cable Processing

and Manufacturing Company (NOCACO)" on quality control of cable production and processes.

In terms of production, quality of product is the most important considering factor which attract

the attention of customers and maintain relationship between customers and manufacturers. As a

result, NOCACO established quality control department to take proper measures and to ensure the

quality of product at each stage of production.

As seen from section (B) of chapter II, the drawing operations carried by UZ series machine are

of different diameter depending on the application of the cable to produce. The beginning of the

production of each cable start by drawing operation on UZ1 machine which draw the planned

diameter from a copper rod of 8.0 mm diameter, thereby passing through all other stages depending

on cable design which tells all the necessary stages a cable must follow before considered as

finished product. In order to obtain high quality the finished product, a sample at each stage of

production must be taken to the quality control department in order to carry rigorous test on the

sample using the available equipment and devices, so as to ensure its quality at that particular stage

of production. This test are seen as follows:

TEST CARRIED OUT ON A BARE CONDUCTOR

There are four set of test carried on a bare conductor/wire of any diameter brought from UZ series

machines so as to ensure their quality right from the beginning stage of production. If this

conductor/wire is tested and found to be good, then it will now be release for further process so as

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to continue with the ongoing operation. And if happens to be bad, the conductor/wire will be

rejected so that it will be taken to smaller UZ series machines to use it and draw a new diameter

below the rejected diameter.

The test to be carried on the bare conductor /wire are as follows:

2) DIAMETER TEST

This test is carried on the bare conductor/wire using vernier caliper or micrometer. But the most

used device in the quality control laboratory to carry out the diameter test is the micrometer. This

micrometer has an opening where the sample is placed so as to obtain the diameter reading of the

conductor/wire, and this opening is controlled by the handle of the micrometer when it's rotated

up direction, the opening tends to be widened and when it's rotated to the down direction the

opening tends to be shortened.

Since the company are producing their cables as based on standards, the company has different

standard ensured diameter before concluding the drawn diameter to be good or bad. Some of this

standard diameter can be seen on the table below:

SIZE OF CONDUCTOR DIAMETER OF CONDUCTOR

S/N
(mm2) (mm)

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1 1.0 1.13

2 1.5 1.35

3 2.5 1.73

4 4.0 2.22

5 6.0 2.72

3) RESISTANCE TEST

The resistance test is carried out on the conductor/wire so as to prove the accuracy of the

conductor/wire diameter tested. This is achieved using the law that relate the conductor diameter

and the resistance, this law says that when the diameter of a conductor is less, its resistance will

be high and when the diameter happens to be high, then the resistance will be low.

The quality control department uses a device called "resistomat" to carry out resistance test. The

resistomat has a resistance bridge which collect the sample to be tested and the reading is displayed

on the display unit (screen of the meter) of the resistomat. This displayed result is termed as the

measured value but not the actual value, the actual value is obtained by multiplying the measured

value with the standard temperature correction factor (TCF) value provided at each temperature of

taking the resistance measurement. This result due to temperature being one of the factors affecting

the resistance of a conductor, and this factors are:

viii. Temperature

ix. Nature of material e.g. copper, aluminum, steel etc.

x. Length

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xi. Area

STEPS ON HOW TO CARRY RESISTANCE TEST USING RESISTOMAT

 Connect the equipment to the source of supply.

 Push the power switch to “ON” the equipment.

 Connect the current terminals +1 and -1 on the instrument via the connecting leads to the

terminal where the sample is connected. While the voltage terminal terminals of the

instrument +U and -U to the base of the resistance bridge.

 Connect the sample via the connecting leads to the terminal.

 Note the reading on the display of the equipment and record on the appropriate form.

 Switch “OFF” the equipment at the end of the test.

Like the diameter test, the resistance test also has a standard value (S.V) of resistance for each size

of a conductor. This standard values are to be compared to the measured ones so as to provide

conclusion of the result just as in diameter test. Some of this resistance standards values are seen

in the table below:

TABLE OF MAXIMUM RESISTANCE OF A CONDUCTOR

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SIZE OF CONDUCTOR
DIAMETER OF
S/N CONDUCTOR MAXIMUM
CONDUCTOR (mm)
(mm2) RESISTANCE (Ω)

1 1.0 1.13 18.1

2 1.5 1.35 12.1

3 2.5 1.73 7.41

4 4.0 2.22 4.61

5 6.0 2.72 1.15

4) WEIGHT

The weight is measured at 1 meter length (1000mm) of the brought sample from the UZ series in

the factory, the length is measured using a steel rule provided in the laboratory. After preparing

the weight sample, the sample is placed on a machine called "weight balance machine" which

gives the result on its display unit.

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The measured weight is also enough to tell whether the drawn diameter of the conductor/wire is

lesser/higher than the standard diameter planned to draw. From the table of standard weight values,

it happens that if the measured weight is below the standard weight value of that particular size of

conductor/wire, then the drawn diameter is not up to the standard diameter to draw, and when it

goes much above the standard weight then in we say the diameter is high.

Some of this standard weight from the standard weight table can be seen on the table below:

STANDARD WEIGHT TABLE

SIZE OF
DIAMETER OF CONDUCTOR MIN. WEIGHT OF
S/N CONDUCTOR
(mm) CONDUCTOR (g)
(mm2)

1 1.0 1.13 8.92

2 1.5 1.35 12.74

3 2.5 1.73 20.92

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4 4.0 2.22 34.42

5 6.0 2.72 51.66

5) ELONGATION TEST

The elongation test is a test carried out on the bare conductor/wire to know the level of annealing

present in the conductor/wire. The annealing refers to the flexibility of the conductor/wire which

allows it to response to whatever shape or direction it's turned, and the conductor/wire possess the

annealing (flexibility) during drawing process by passing through the annealing chamber on UZ

series machine. The annealing chamber carries heat at very high temperature which allow or makes

the conductor or wire to be soft (i.e. to reduce the hardness in it) so that it can give response to

whatever shape it's turned without returning back.

The elongation test is measured by an elongation test machine which has an upper and lower jaw

chuck that clamp the sample between its two end and draw it until it break. This sample to break

is prepared by marking a length called "sample length" and the "gauge length" on the sample by

using steel rule. The sample length is prepared for the machine's jaw chuck to hold and its prepared

length is 25mm at both ends, while the gauge length is the initial length used to carry the elongation

and the measured gauge length is 250mm. After breaking the sample, the new length (i.e. the

increase in length caused by the machine after applying tensile force on the sample) is referred to

as the final length.

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The percentage elongation (℅S) is obtained using strain (Ɛ) equation provided by hook's law which

is shown below:

%S =

Where, L1=Initial length (250mm)

L2 = Final length

%S= Percentage Elongation

The standard minimum elongation for the conductor is 18.0% for 1.0mm2, and any area above

1.0 mm2, its standard minimum elongation is 22.5%.

Finally, the standard of production of the drawing operation is as according to (NIS IEC 60228),

or (NIS 159).

CONDUIT WIRING CABLE (NCY CABLE).

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The conduit wiring cables are cables used in pipe wiring, the pipes are mounted inside the wall of

a building and the cables are run in to the pipes. The conduit wiring cables are cables with only

PVC (polyvinyl chloride) insulation on them which is provided an extruder machine so that to

protect the users against the shock of electric current in their building.

The PVC insulation stage is a stage that follow after the drawing stage and the insulation operation

is carried by an extruder machines which are referred to "US series machines" in the NOCACO

factory. For a conduit wire cable, the insulation stage serves as the finishing stage of production,

while for other type of cable (such as surface wiring cable etc.) are released for further process so

as to carry the next operation on the cable.

The conduit wiring cables are called NCY cables where the "N" representing the standard of cable

production, "C" is representing copper conductor material, and "Y" representing the PVC

insulation that covers the bare copper conductor. Example of this cable include NCY 1×1.0mm2,

NCY 1×1.5mm2, 1×2.0mm2, 1×4.0mm2 etc.

TEST CARRIED OUT ON THE CONDUIT CABLES

The quality control department provide a set of test for their conduit cables which are all according

to national and international standard. The test provided for the bare conductor on drawing stage

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are all provided here in PVC insulation stage with an additional in PVC weighing and conductor

elongation test. During weighing of conductor, sample for both conductor and PVC are prepared

for weight, and three (3) sample is also provided for elongation test to test the annealing presence.

After all this, three sample is provided for the design test of the PVC insulation which is carried

by a machine called "profile projector machine". The samples are prepared using razor blade to

cut a very thin portion of the round PVC and take them to the machine with an aim of measuring

sample wall thicknesses and the diameter over the PVC insulation for each sample, and each of

the sample is to carry four wall thicknesses and two diameter over as seen below:

S1

Diameter over (ɸ1)

S3
S4

S2

Diameter over (ɸ2)

Where, S = wall thickness

ɸ = Diameter over

THE PROFILE PROJECTOR MACHINE

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The profile projector machine has two switches to ON before starting the machine, the first switch

is for the projector on the machine and its provided light which helps the user to see the projected

sample on the round portion of the machine where X and Y axis are located, while the other switch

belongs to the meter (i.e. a section of the machine that display the axis reading) which has two

display unit that display the readings of both X and Y axis carried on the machine. The machine

also has a small portion with round glass for receiving any sample to test, and the projector is

placed on top of the glass facing it so as to project whatever sample place on it.

After measuring all three samples, a total average of all the sample is obtained for both wall

thicknesses and diameter over and compare them with their standard values so that the cable will

be released for coiling and packaging (i.e. if happened to be good all measurement) and the record

of measurement are filled in its appropriate form, but if the measured values did not obey the

desired then the cable rejected. The reason for the design test is to ensure that the insulation that

covers the bare conductor is well insulated in such a way that that the thinnest portion among the

wall thicknesses and diameter over are above the desired so that the cable will not easily failed

during time of usage.

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STEPS ON HOW TO CARRY DESIGN TEST USING PROFILE PROJECTOR

 Connect appliance to source of supply.

 Switch ON the appliance as well as digital counter display.

 Put sample on the rotational round sample holder.

 Enclose the testing environment with the help of the curtain provided on the appliance

 Manipulate the two rotational handles attached to the sample holder.

 Note the readings on the digital display

 Switch OFF machine at the end of the test.

Finally, this conduit wiring cables are manufactured in the NOCACO company based on (NIS

IEC 60227-1:2003).

SURFACE WIRING CABLE (NCYY CABLE)

The surface wiring cables are cables used for house wiring and are fixed externally to the surface

of the wall of the building by making use of clip. This surface wiring cable contain sheathing which

serves as a protection to the two cores (red & black).

NOCACO company produces their surface wiring cable based on (NIS IEC 60227-4:2004)

standard. The sheathing on this cable is represented by the last “Y” in the cable chord and that is

what distinguish it from being a conduit wiring cable, and is provided on the cable using the same

extruder machine (US series machine). When the cable is dropped on the US series machine, a

sample is taken to the quality control department to undergo test.

TEST CARRIED OUT ON THE SURFACE WIRING CABLE

The surface wiring cable receives all the test carried on the conduit wiring cable excluding the

design test of PVC insulation of the two cores (red & black). In addition to the test, the design test
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of PVC sheathing of the cable is carried using the same profile projector machine by measuring

six wall thicknesses and two diameter over (minor × major) so as to ensure the quality of the PVC

sheathing. The design test of the PVC sheathing is illustrated on the diagram below:

S1 S3

S5 S6

S2 S4

Major

The design test of the PVC sheathing also has the same procedure of carrying the measurement as

in PVC insulation stage stated in conduit wiring cable. After all measurement are carried out and

the cable found to be good, then the cable is released for coiling stage and the records of all

measurement are filled in the appropriate form just as in the case of PVC insulation stage.

INSULATION RESISTANCE TEST AT CONSTANT (K)

The insulation resistance test at constant (K) is a test carried on PVC insulation and PVC sheathed

stage of a cable so as to test the quality of the PVC insulation of the cable. The test is carried in

water bath that is filled with water at 700C after placing 5 meters of the PVC insulated cable in the

water bath (in coiled form) for not less than 2hrs. The insulation resistance measurement is carried

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out by using either a tera-ohm meter device (which will be discuss later under the power cable

section) or an insulation tester, but the insulation tester (meter) is mostly used in carrying the

measurement in the quality control lab.

At time of measurement, the neutral terminal of the insulation tester is connected to the body of

the water bath which as earth to the device, while positive is connected to the cable to be tested

and then the following procedures are followed:

 ON the meter and set the pointer at 2500v.

 Press "Select" on the meter.

 Click on "Test V" and ensure that the selected voltage level is at 500v

 Click and hold the start button for 2 sec and release.

 The meter will read some second and display the insulation resistance result.

 Record the result in its appropriate form

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 Remove the connections and off the meter.

The actual value of the result is obtained by computing the below formulae.

𝑴𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒗𝒂𝒍𝒖𝒆 × 𝑳𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒕𝒉

Actual insulation resistance at constant (K) = 𝟏𝟎𝟎𝟎

This actual value of the insulation resistance is also recorded in the form after compared with the

standard minimum insulation resistance value at constant (K), and seen to be a valid result.

INSULATION RESISTANCE TABLE AT CONSTANT (K)

S/N AREA (mm2) CONSTANT (K)

1 1.0 0.011

2 1.5 0.011

3 2.5 0.010

4 4.0 0.0085

5 6.0 0.0070

FLEXIBLE CABLE

The flexible cables are bunched copper cables that are been produced in the NOCACO company

as according to (BS 6500:1975) standard. The production of the flexible cable originated from

the drawing operation carried by UZ2, UZ4, or UZ9 in the factory where they draw a very small

diameter such as 0.25mm, 0.5mm etc. depending on the application of the flexible cable to be

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produced, the UZ series machine will draw a set of spools of the flexible wire as demanded in the

cable design form. This set of spools are taken to UC2 machine where it collect all the spools and

bunch them together to form another diameter as seen from the diagram below:

The test carried on the flexible cable include the diameter test, counting number of strands of

bunched wire to ensure it's completed and lastly, measuring the resistance of the bunched wire to

confirm standard and then keeping record of all measurement.

POWER CABLES (ARMOURED (NCYRY) & NON ARMOURED CABLE (NCYY-R))

The power cables are cables used at a voltage level of 600V - 1000V. The cable's application are

mostly found in:

 Underground transmission/distribution of electrical energy.

 Drawing of supply to heavier machine that consume much energy.

 And sometimes, in the transfer of electrical energy from pole to building.

These power cables includes Armoured and non Armoured cable which are been described by

NCYRY and NCYY-R cable respectively. Each alphabet in the cords has a meaning that it

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represent in the process of producing the cable, this cords and their various categories are listed

below with their names.

 Armoured cables (NCYRY).

 NCYRY: N is representing the National & International standard of production, C is

representing that the conductor is Copper in nature, Y representing the insulation that

covers the bare conductor (red, yellow, blue, and black), R representing the cable is

round in shape, and the last Y is representing the inner & outer sheath of the cable.

Example of this cable includes NCYRY 4 × 2.5mm2, NCYRY 4 × 4.0mm2, NCYRY 4

× 6.0mm2, NCYRY 4 × 10mm2, NCYRY 4 × 25mm2, NCYRY 4 × 35mm2, etc.

 NCYRYs: Copper conductor, PVC insulated, PVC sheathed single core cable.

 NCYRYm: Copper conductor, PVC insulated, PVC sheathed, multi core cable.

 NCYRYcc: Copper conductor, PCV insulated, PVC sheathed, control cable.

 Non Armoured Cable (NCYY-R).

 NCYY: The non armoured cable cord has the same meaning with that of the armoured

cable, what differs the two is that for non armoured cable, R is not included in the cord.

Example of this cable include NCYY 4 × 2.5mm2, NCYY 4 × 4.0mm2, NCYY 4 ×

6.0mm2, NCYY 4 × 10mm2, NCYY 4 × 16mm2, NCYY 4 × 25mm2, NCYY 3 ×

35mm2, etc.

 NCYYcc: Copper conductor, PVC insulated, PVC sheathed, control cable.

 NCYYm: Copper conductor, PVC insulated, PVC sheathed, multi core cable.

 NCYYs: Copper conductor, PVC insulated, PVC sheathed, single core cable. Etc.

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The Armoured and Non Armoured cable also passes through several stages of protection. The

cable is coiled in a big iron/wooding drum, and at each production stage the cable (in drum) is

carried by a fork lift machine to the quality control department to undergo different test so as to

ensure its quality at that particular stage of production rather than at end.

The production stages of the power cables are shown below:

I. Drawing stage: Carried by UZ series machine.

II. Conductor stranding stage: Carried by UC series machine.

III. Insulation stage: Carried by US series machine.

IV. Core stranding stage: Carried by UE series machine.

V. Inner sheathing stage: Carried by US series machine.

VI. Armouring stage (in case of armoured cable): Carried by UE series machine.

VII. Outer sheathing stage: Carried by US series machine.

THE TEST CARRIED ON POWER CABLES

The quality test of the power cable is carried based on the stages of production of the cable, which

are:

 Conductor drawing stage:

 Conductor resistance test

 Diameter test

 Weight

 Elongation test

 Conductor stranding: At this stage, the conductor is still a bare conductor. Hence, it does

not undergo any further test.

 PVC insulation stage:

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 Conductor resistance test

 Diameter test

 Weight of both conductor & PVC at 1 meter length.

 Design test of the PVC insulation.

 Insulation resistance test at constant (K).

 Core stranding stage:

 High voltage test (HVT)

 Conductor resistance test

 Insulation resistance

 Inner sheathing stage: At inner sheathing stage, the cable is shifted to the armouring stage

because at outer sheathing stage, both the inner sheath and outer sheath are tested.

 Armouring stage: This stage only occurred on armoured cable. It refers to a stage where

the inner sheath of the cable is surrounded by steel wires which serves as protection to the

cable. At this stage of production, the quality control department carried only high voltage

test (HVT) on the cable.

 Outer sheathing stage:

 Conductor resistance test

 Insulation resistance test

 Diameter test on armouring (If it's an armoured cable)

 Design test of both inner & outer sheath

CONDUCTOR RESISTANCE TEST

The conductor resistance test of a power cable is totally different from that of wiring but uses the

same resistomat device to carry the measurement. Their connection differs because the power

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cable is on drum and is tested in a cage (testing area) outside the lab. The issue now is that the two

ends of the cable cannot be taken in to the lab, these allowed the use one end of the cable ( by

passing it in to the lab through a small window) and tight all cores on other end. Since the resistance

bridge on the resistomat has two clamps that hold the two ends of sample to be tested, then two

cores are used at a time to carry the resistance test and finally, the resistance measured value (M.V)

is divided by two in order to have the reading for one core.

The actual resistance value of the measurement is obtained by computing the below formula

because, temperature and length are among the factors that affect the resistance of a conductor.

𝑴.𝑽
× 𝑻𝑪𝑭 × 𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒕
𝟐
Actual value (A.V) = 𝑳𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒕𝒉

Where, M.V= Measured Value

TCF=Temperature correction factor

L= Length

Constant =1000

INSULATION RESISTANCE TEST

This is a test carried on the cable to ensure the quality of the PVC insulation. The test is carried by

tera ohm meter device. The tera ohm meter has two terminals (positive & neutral) and it display

result in mega ohms (MΩ).

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It also has similar way of connection like that of conductor resistance. In this case, one of the end

is left open (all cores are separated), while other end is taking in to the lab. When conducting the

test, one core is connected to positive terminal and the remaining cores are tight up together and

connected to the neutral. This connection is repeated interchangeably starting from red, yellow,

blue, and then the black core. The M.V of each core is displayed on the display unit of the tera

ohm meter after carrying the following steps:

 Connect one of the test leads to the +ve terminal of the instrument and the other lead to

the –ve terminal.

 Connect the other end to the +ve lead to the sample in water, and the –ve to the body of

the water bath.

 Switch ON the unit and allow the system to come on after undergoing a system check.

 Press the MENU key.

 Press the right arrow key → twice.

 Press the down arrow key ↓ once.

 Press the ENTER key.

 Scroll with the down arrow key ↓ to highlight the 419 submenu.

 Press the ENTER key.

 Press the right arrow key → to access the already saved test set-up.

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 Press the START key to carry out measurement.

 Record the result after the RED indicator light is OFF.

 Switch OFF the unit.

Like the conductor resistance, the insulation resistance actual value (A.V) is obtain by computing

the below formula.

𝑴.𝑽 × 𝑻𝑪𝑭 × 𝑳𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒕𝒉

A.V = 𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒕

Where, Constant = 1000

HIGH VOLTAGE TEST (HVT)

The high voltage test is carried on both power & wiring cables for the detection of fault on cable.

For wiring cables the HVT test is carried in water because of its low voltage level capacity, while

power cables are connected directly to the HVT machine by placing the drum inside cage (testing

area) and allow one end of the cable open (i.e. all cores are separated including armouring), while

the red core from other end is connected to the positive terminal of the HVT machine and the

remaining cores (including armouring) are connected to the negative terminal.

After all connections, the test is carried out using HVT machine to send a voltage of 3.5KV in to

the cable. If the cable is able to withstand the voltage for a duration not less than 5 minutes, then

the cable will be released for further operation after passing all possible measurement, otherwise

the cable is rejected.

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STEPS ON HOW TO CARRY A HIGH VOLTAGE TEST USING HVT MACHINE

 Connect sample to be tested to the terminals inside the cage (testing area) and close the

cage to ensure complete circuit.

 Connect test equipment to source of power supply.

 Turn the key clockwise. Press it anti-clockwise then release.

 Turn the control knob to Ein (ON) position.

 Press the red button to energize the system.

 Press and hold the “spanning steight button” until the desired set voltage is reached.

DE-ENERGIZING

 Press and hold the “spanning fallt button” until the pointer on the voltage display goes

back to “0”.

 Release the red button switch.

 Turn control knob to “Aus” (OFF) position.

 Release the key

 Switch OFF the equipment at the close of working hours.

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REASON WHY HVT TEST IS CARRIED

The high voltage test (HVT) is carried on the power cables to detect the following:

1. Open circuit in the cores

2. Short circuit

3. Leakage of current

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