Six Steps for Selecting the Right High-Temperature Wire and Cable for Reliable Long-Term Service Life
Many specifiers must rely solely on experience when selecting high-temperature wire and cable. And when past experience isn't applicable in a new situation, the outcome may present a few unfortunate surprises. The reason: there is no across-the-board industry standard today that matches wire and cable constructions to the many different types of high-temperature application possibilities.
To ensure the best performance potential over time, specifiers need to be knowledgeable about application environment, wire and cable insulating materials, conductor handling, storage, and installation. Only by taking these factors into consideration is it possible to determine the optimal wire and cable construction for each specific application.
Take, for example, a space shuttle application, where high-temperature wire and cable materials are exposed to space. The combination of environmental factors - a vacuum, radiant heat, and high levels of radiation - virtually eliminates every known extruded polymer available as an insulation material because it might become conductive or fail in this environment. For such an extreme environmental application, specifiers are left with inorganic materials - such as fiberglass or ceramic fiber - as their only wire or cable insulation choice.
More down-to-earth high-temperature wire or cable applications occur in steel mills where excessive moisture can be a problem. Here, specifiers need to use insulation materials specifically designed to prevent moisture from invading the wire or cable.
This article, designed as a tool to help specifiers select the best wiring material for specific, high-temperature applications, provides six steps for evaluating proven wire and cable construction materials plus the correct installation requirements to ensure top performance for environment-specific, high-temperature applications.