Development and use of a testing regime to predict life of premoulded rubber termination and connection products used on medium voltage power cables

Accelerated evaluations of current carrying systems are covered by thermal cycling tests of joints, splices and separable connectors as described in the applicable US and European standards. The applicable US standards are ANSI/IEEE Standard 404 and ANSI/IEEE Standard 386. A test regime, known as the `multi-stress test´ has provided the tool needed to evaluate designs of moulded rubber accessories. It provides an environment to better reflect actual use rather than simply using elevated voltage levels. The purposes of this test is to assess the dielectric integrity of the insulation system rather than the current carrying ability of the product. The primary goal of this paper is to fully discuss this test, its origins and future use. Short term production dielectric tests do not provide any significant insight into design life of a given product. The `multi-stress test´ provides a tool for qualifying new designs and processes for cable accessories in the same manner that cable manufacturers have adopted for cable in the US and Europe