XLPE cable and PVC cable are the same in function. They both belong to the category of power cable used for power transmission and distribution, but their differences are also obvious.
(1) Difference Between Name and Insulating Raw Materials
1. The full name of PVC cable is copper core PVC insulated PVC sheathed power cable, the full name of XLPE cable is copper core XLPE insulated PVC sheathed power cable, and the insulation material of XLPE cable is XLPE. The insulation material of PVC cable is PVC.
2. PVC cable is a plastic cable, XLPE cable is a cross-linked cable. The insulation performance of XLPE cable is better than that of plastic cable.
Plastic cable: power cable with plastic insulation and sheath, referred to as plastic cable for short.
Cross-linked cable: cable with cross-linked material as an insulating layer, and the most commonly used material is cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE).
3. XLPE cross-linked the insulating material to improve the heat-resistance temperature, but PVC did not.
(2) Differences in Use Characteristics
1. Service temperature — the maximum rated operating temperature of PVC power cable conductor is 70 ℃, and the maximum temperature in case of short circuit (duration less than 5 seconds) shall not exceed 160 ℃;
The maximum rated operating temperature of the XLPE cross-linked cable conductor is 90 ℃, and the maximum temperature during the short circuit (duration less than 5 seconds) shall not exceed 250 ℃.
2. Current carrying capacity — the working temperature of XLPE cable reaches 90 degrees, while PVC is only 70 degrees. The current carrying capacity of YJV cable with the same cross-sectional area is large.
3. The allowable current carrying capacity of the conductor depends on its allowable operating temperature.
Difference of working voltage range: generally, the working voltage range of XLPE cable is 6 ~ 500kV, while that of PVC cable is 1 ~ 6kV. Therefore, PVC power cable is generally used in the low-voltage environment, while XLPE includes high, medium, and low-voltage environments, which is why the XLPE cable manufacturing process requires a high level.
4. Difference between price and service life
With the same specifications and models, the price of XLPE cable is slightly higher than that of PVC, which may be the reason PVC power cable is still alive. However, XLPE has a longer service life, higher temperature resistance, and more insurance. From the long-term and safety factors, it is more cost-effective to use XLPE cable.