How can the products of power cable manufacturers meet the demands of different industries?

As a key infrastructure for transmitting electrical energy, power cable manufacturers need to meet the differentiated demands of different industries in terms of environmental adaptability, performance indicators, safety standards, etc. The following analysis is conducted from two aspects: the characteristics of industry demands and the response strategies of manufacturers

I. Characteristics of Cable Demand in Different Industries

Typical scenarios of core industry demands

High-voltage transmission in the power industry, long-distance power transmission, high-temperature resistance, anti-aging, high-reliability main power grid lines, substation connection, ultra-high voltage transmission (such as 110kV, 500kV cables)

Flame-retardant and fireproof, low smoke zero halogen, easy to install, wear-resistant, and compliant with building standards for high-rise building power distribution systems, residential/commercial building wiring, and fire protection system cables in the construction industry

Industrial manufacturing is resistant to oil stains, mechanical damage, electromagnetic interference, high and low temperatures, and corrosion. It is used for factory production line wiring, machine tool equipment connection, chemical workshops (anti-corrosion required), and high-temperature environments in metallurgy

Low smoke zero halogen, flame retardant, vibration-resistant, resistant to high and low temperatures, anti-electromagnetic interference, lightweight interior wiring of high-speed rail/subway carriages, tunnel power supply systems, and signal control systems for rail transit

Explosion-proof, corrosion-resistant, high-temperature resistant, anti-static, oil and solvent-resistant oilfield platforms, oil refineries, chemical pipeline heating cables, and power transmission in flammable and explosive environments for petrochemical industry

Marine engineering waterproofing and pressure resistance, corrosion resistance (seawater), resistance to biological adhesion, impact resistance, long-distance transmission of submarine cables (such as cross-sea power transmission), offshore wind power platforms, and wiring of Marine exploration equipment

New energy is resistant to high voltage, high-frequency current, high temperature (photovoltaic/energy storage systems), lightweight (electric vehicle wiring harnesses), internal cables of photovoltaic power stations, charging cables of electric vehicles, and battery connection cables of energy storage power stations

The data center features high current-carrying capacity, low energy consumption, resistance to electromagnetic interference, easy maintenance, support for high-density cabling, server power connection, main cables in the computer room, and UPS system cabling

Ii. Targeted solutions from manufacturers

(1) Innovation in materials and structures

Insulating material

Power/industrial scenarios: High-temperature resistant and high-insulation strength materials such as cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) and silicone rubber are adopted to meet the requirements of high-voltage and high-frequency transmission.

Construction/rail transit: Low smoke zero halogen (LSZH) polyolefin materials are used to reduce the release of toxic gases during fires and meet fire safety standards.

Chemical/Marine scenarios: Use fluoroplastics (such as PTFE), rubber alloys and other corrosion-resistant materials to resist the erosion of acids, alkalis and seawater.

Sheath and armor

In wear-prone environments (such as industrial plants and outdoors) : Add steel tape/steel wire armor layer to enhance the resistance to mechanical external forces.

Waterproofing requirements (such as underwater and underground) : Aluminum-plastic composite tape, polyethylene sheath, and a tight sealing process are adopted.

Lightweight requirements (such as in electric vehicles and aerospace) : Use aluminum alloy conductors or highly conductive polymer materials to reduce the weight of cables.

(2) Customized performance design

Voltage level adaptation

Low-voltage cables (0.6/1kV) : mainly used for building power distribution and small household appliances.

Medium and high voltage cables (10kV-35kV) : Suitable for urban power grids and industrial transmission.

Ultra-high voltage cables (110kV and above) : Used for cross-regional power transmission, they need to be equipped with special insulation and shielding structures.

Development of special function cables

Flame-retardant/fire-resistant cables: Add flame retardants or mica tape to meet the fire protection requirements of building fire protection, tunnels and other scenarios.

Explosion-proof cable: It adopts a sealed structure and metal sheath to prevent internal arcs from causing explosions and is suitable for the petrochemical industry.

Anti-electromagnetic interference cables: Multi-layer shielding design (such as copper tape + aluminum foil) ensures the purity of signals in data centers and medical equipment.

Extreme temperature-resistant cables: Cold-resistant rubber for low-temperature environments of -40℃, ceramicized silicone rubber for high-temperature environments above +200℃.

(III) Industry Standards and Certifications

Adaptation to international standards

Export products must comply with standards such as IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission), UL (USA), and VDE (Germany).

Marine engineering cables need to be certified by DNV (Norwegian Classification Society), and rail transit cables need to comply with European specifications such as EN 50265.

Domestic industry norms

The building cables shall comply with GB 50217 "Design Standard for Power Engineering Cables", and the flame retardant performance shall pass the GB/T 19666 test.

Cables used in coal mines need to obtain MA (Coal Safety) certification and meet the explosion-proof and flame-retardant requirements underground.

(4) Services and System Integration

Customized R&D capabilities

For special scenarios (such as high temperatures and strong corrosion), Shenhua Electric Group (Anhui) Co., Ltd. collaborates with customers to develop dedicated cables. For instance, it designs power cables resistant to electrolyte corrosion for a certain lithium battery factory.

Full life cycle service

We offer cable selection consultation, laying plan design, fault detection and maintenance services. For instance, we provide an integrated solution of "cable + intelligent monitoring system" for data centers to monitor temperature and load in real time.

Green environmental protection plan

Develop recyclable materials (such as halogen-free flame-retardant polyethylene) to reduce environmental pollution after cables are discarded; Promote low-energy consumption production processes to meet the ESG requirements of the new energy industry.

Iii. Typical Cases

In the power industry, a certain manufacturer provides 1000kV cross-linked polyethylene insulated cables for ultra-high voltage transmission projects. These cables use high-purity aluminum conductors and multi-layer insulation shielding, reducing transmission losses by 15%.

New energy vehicles: Developed highly flexible charging cables for a certain car manufacturer, with a bending resistance of over 100,000 times and compatible with fast charging technology (current density up to 5A/mm²).

Offshore wind power: Develop 35kV submarine cables resistant to seawater corrosion, featuring a structure of copper conductors + polyethylene insulation + lead sheaths, with a service life of over 25 years.

Summary

Power cable manufacturers precisely match the differentiated demands of various industries through material innovation, performance customization, standard adaptation and full-chain services. In the future, with the development of new energy, smart grids and other fields, cable products will be further upgraded towards high reliability, intelligence (such as built-in sensors) and greenness to adapt to more complex application scenarios.