How Can Material Characterization Support Cable Aging Management?

Low voltage (LV) power,Low voltage cables control and instrumentation cables are essential to the safe and reliable operations of nuclear power plants (NPPs). However, considering the huge consumption of cables in NPPs, it is impractical and cost prohibitive to replace cables when they reach the end of their design life. As a result, condition monitoringCondition monitoring and agingAging management of cables is critically important for the life extension of NPPs. The aging of LV cables is characterized by the degradation of the polymeric insulation and jacket materials leading to their mechanical failure or the loss of their ability to withstand critical conditions. This paper focuses on studying material characterization techniques (already existing and new) to monitor the change inPolymer characterization polymeric material propertiesMaterial properties and also to establish a general framework between material properties and ageing conditions that could assist in predicting the condition of cables and estimating their remaining life.