Lovisil® KB Branch Joint: Network Companies Achieve Commercial Leeway
10 March 2005
Network companies in England and Germany are very positive about their experience using Lovisil® medium-voltage branch joints. Sales Manager Frans Hartwig summarises some of the reactions.
"With a branch joint outside the door, we no longer need a separate station. That's obviously a direct saving. The disadvantage however, is that you can't just switch over in the event of a failure. So many of our customers offer their buyers both options when a new section of cable has to be laid. That gives network companies more commercial leeway" says Hartwig, balancing the pros and cons. "Then energy buyers can themselves weigh up the possible losses due to failure against the extra investment of the station". The branch joint also appears to be popular with wind generator parks, where the generated energy is supplied to the network through branch joints.
The branch joint is not only available for polymeric-polymeric joints, but also for transition joints. "There was a lot to be gained here, because until recently branch joints were only available for single-core polymeric cables. To connect those to paper-insulated lead cables you first had to create two transition cable joints with polymeric cable in between. Including the three single-core joints that meant a total of five joints you had to fit. Our system requires just one," says Frans Hartwig.
