"Applied" science [ICEA medium voltage power cable specifications]

The Insulated Cable Engineers Association (ICEA) has issued new standards, published by the National Electric Manufacturing Association (NEMA) for solid-dielectric insulated power cables. These new standards are: ICEA S-95-658-1999/NEMA WC70, Standard for Nonshielded Power Cables Rated 2000 Volts or Less for the Distribution of Electrical Energy; ICEA S-96-659-1999/NEMA WC 71, Nonshielded Power Cables Rated 2001-5000 Volts for the Distribution of Electrical Energy; and ICEA S-93-639-2000/NEMA WC 74, 5-46 kV Shielded Power Cable for Use in the Transmission and Distribution of Electric Energy. These standards are written as "application standards" rather than the "insulation material-based standards" of the past and have been updated to reflect the latest conductor constructions, insulations, and jacket materials used to manufacture wires and cables. The advantage of this approach is that all insulations suitable for use on a specific product can be contained in a single document. This article provides information on the existing NEMA/ICEA and ANSI/ICEA standards, the changes to these standards, and information on the new standards.