High Voltage Cable Joints: Study of Failures and Review of Global Operation Practice

<jats:p>The article introduces the results of studying the scientific publications on the operation of cable lines and overhead transmission line cable sections. The results of domestic and foreign research are structured, and the cable operation practice with the fo- cus on cable termination reliability in conditions of extreme weather conditions is reviewed. The following key definitions are used in this article: a cable system is a combination of a power cable, joining and termination attachments, and a monitoring system; it is viewed as a unit in design, construction, wiring and operation; a failure is an event of an object malfunction. It is claimed that improvement of cable termination resistance to extreme weather conditions is one of the most relevant tasks of the present-day power industry. This conclusion is proved by the study of operational failures, as well as by the research conducted by teams in Russia, China, Nor- way, Italy, Sweden, Malaysia, Germany, Japan, Jordan and other countries. The extreme weather conditions is deemed to be a com- bination of climatic factors (absolute minimum temperature, duration of temperature below zero, diurnal temperature changes, wind and ice load, icing) that either exceed the set values specified in the standard certification tests or emerge with an abnormal periodicity, thus, leading to accumulation of degradation defects in the design of the cable termination.</jats:p>