Heat Shrink Serving Oil Industry

TE's Raychem Heat Shrink Technology is serving utilities and industries for more than 40 years. Among others it's oil barrier, flame retardant and fire resistant properties made this technology perfectly suitable for extreme environments.

The Challenge

Oil production takes place in the Omani desert where the electrical components are facing harsh environments. Any failure can cause an electrical breakdown which would result in the stoppage of the oil production. Besides, the risks of failures are augmented due to:

• Temperatures up to 60°C
• High UV level
• Sulphur from diesel vehicle emissions
• Sand damages

Combined together, this factors can cause spot punctures which lead with time to severe and erosion of the stress control and insulation materials of the terminations and the cable screen wire. 

An Omani oil and gas exploration and production company that mainly contributes to the oil crude and gas supply of the Sultanate was equipped with hundreds of heat shrink terminations all over its large concession area. This production company exports its hydrocarbons worldwide and couldn’t afford an electrical outage in its hundreds producing fields and thousands producing wells.  

After facing electrical breakdowns due to 33 kV heat shrink terminations’ failures that were only 2 or 3 years in service, the Omani company was looking for products able to withstand extreme environmental conditions for several years. Efficiency, safety and reliability of the installations are critical priorities for the company. 

The Solution

TE Connectivity (TE)’s engineers worked closely with the customer’s team to design a new 33 kV heat shrink termination in EVA  (Ethylene Vinyl Acetate) material that would ideally meet challenges.  The result of this cooperation is an innovative heat shrink termination with an extra layer of insulation. It allows the increase of the wall thickness of the insulation tube at the bottom end of the terminations, resulting in the significant risk reduction of pin holes.   

TE’s experience in design has been combined with Raychem material expertise. Our specially formulated EVA material has been used into the heat shrink terminations production because it exhibits a high UV radiation resistivity and a very low degree of surface cracking, it was the ideal solution to withstand harsh environment like a desert.

The Results

TE's experts assisted the customer's team from the choice of the material to the technical support during the installation. 

By delivering a tailor-made solution to its customer TE reinforced its position of solution provider. The customer adopted TE's products based on EVA material into its specification and awarded us as a key supplier for 33 kV heat shrink terminations, insulators and surge arresters.

About the Author

TE Connectivity is a global industrial technology leader creating a safer, sustainable, productive and connected future. Our broad range of connectivity and sensor solutions, proven in the harshest environments, enable advancements in transportation, industrial applications, medical technology, energy, data communications and the home. With approximately 80,000 employees, including more than 7,500 engineers, working alongside customers in approximately 140 countries, TE ensures that EVERY CONNECTION COUNTS.

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