International Standard of Electrical Power Cable

[Akif]

Hello there,

All Electrical Engineer fellas,

Someday ago, I had been assigned to conduct a building audit of one company in Indonesia. For completing this task, I need all international standard about electrical equipment installation, especially for wiring / cable.

Is there anyone who hold / have such a standard ?
How long is the lifetime of a power cable ? what is the standard for this ?
I've heard that a power cable need / have to be replaced after 20 years of operation, but still I don't know the standard.

For the good response and communication towards,

Thanks and regards.
-Akif E.R.

 

[Windadct]

Hello Akif -

The closest to an international standard are the IEEE colored books... but these are not law or regulation. Each country or region needs to select and enforce the standards. You mention lifetime - this is even more of a grey area - this will come down to the cable type, the manufactures guidelines, voltage applied, environment and other factors, but I do not know of "standards" for this. Then there may be insurance requirements - for example to help ensure against a fire the electrical equipment may need to be inspected, maintained and tested (ref http://www.netaworld.org/ ) as a condition of being insured ( no insurance - no occupancy allowed etc.).
The initial audit typically is diagramming the system (single or three line diagram) ,cataloging all of the components ( nameplate data), noting any unusual conditions ( mold, signs of tracking, decay, rust - etc) and detailing the protection schemes and settings ( relays, fuses and breakers). From there the areas of highest risk may be determined.

Not to be too negative, but for this type of activity to be at all valuable, it requires knowledge beforehand and experience. In the US if you took on this type of activity and you were not experienced - and then something happened that you not not notice or know to check - you and/or your company could be held liable for not doing the job properly.

 

[Akif]

Great thanks for u Mr / Mrs. Winadct,

Let me response to u'r answer.

IEEE colored books ? I've just a little knowledge about IEEE standards.
Cable type, it's just like a typical power cable.
I've not receive any manufacturer guidlines for this installation.
Voltage applied is exactly at 220 V AC (for single phase) and 380 V AC (for three phase).
Environment is in the company building that runs business in communication system.
But my boss told me that I must search for the answer for this "standards"

Yes, for this audit or inspection scheme. I checked both single and multiple line diagram, but mainly at single line diagram.
I also noted all specifications from any equipments installed within electrical installation (ex. Gensets, Trafo(s), Batteries, Mini Circuit Breaker, UPS, etc) only by derived the data from the nameplate that attached on the equipment's body.
I also noted all the findings of which found along the audit activity.

Thanks for the advice and warning. I've only a general knowledge about electrical installation, but I want to do it thoroughly (the inspection). In percent, let say I'm only at 60% for my work satisfaction. The condition is, my seniors also don't know a lot (detail) about how to do the job properly. Oftenly I asked the question related to the job, but they even hard to explain and don't know the theory well. Moreover, I've never got any trainings from my company since I was hired.
All the things from the start, I studied it by myself. I also disappointed by the system of which applied by the company which I just realized after I join them.

Again, thanks for the brief explanation.

Regards,
-Akif E.R.