Performance of Compression Connectors on Strand-Filled Conductors

Water-related damages are of major concern to the reliability of underground lines. Several strategies are developed to prevent water entry in extruded cables. Strand-filled cables are one of the available means to prevent water penetration and circulation in underground cable conductors, thus eliminating aluminum conductor corrosion and hydrogen gas buildup as well as reducing water-related treeing. However, published results on the connection performance with strand-filled aluminum conductors were scant and inconclusive. This report summarizes our latest findings on the subject with more conclusive data and some unexpected results.