BENTONITE AS A BACKFILL IN UDERGROUND POWER TRANSMISSION

Industrial and commercial design framework appendix WESTERN POWER DISTRIBUTION

The rating of the cable section can be restored if the ducts are bentonited after the cables have been installed. To ensure the thermal equivalence to the direct buried parts of the route, the ducts shall be completely filled with a bentonite-sand-cement mixture. The filling medium shall be prepared by adding 20 parts of sand and 8 parts of cements, by weight, to 100 parts of a 10:1 water/bentonite mixture. The bentonite forms a gel, which is stabilized by the cement, and the addition of sand increases the loadbearing properties of the mixture. If it is necessary to remove this mixture, it may be flushed out of the ducts by using high-pressure water jets. Ducts, which are filled with a bentonite mixture, shall be installed wherever possible in a concrete surround but if not, any joints in the duct run must be effectively sealed.At the duct ends, the gap around the cable must be effectively sealed to prevent migration of the bentonite mixture and preserve its moisture content under service conditions.

Website THORNE & DERRICK UK International Electrical Exports Bentonite Compound

Bentonite is a moisture retaining clay used as an earth electrode back-fill to help lower soil resistivity. The Bentonite clay is a sodium activated montmorillonite which when mixed with water swells to many times its original volume. If underground power cables are required to run at maximum direct burial rating when installed in cable duct, then the cable duct should be filled with Bentonite mixture (100 parts of 10:1 Bentonite / water mix to 20 parts sand and 8 parts cement). The Bentonite mixture should be pumped into the cable duct so totally excluding the air and on completion of the filling be sealed to prevent any escape of Bentonite mixture. Bentonite can be supplied in granular or powder form - the granular form is easier to handle as the powder can cause dust in windy conditions. Granular Bentonite is the preferred option for filling trenches as the substance can be mixed in the trench.

Website CBI ELECTRONICS African cables PURPOSE OF BENTONITE MIX IN CABLE DUCTS

.To eliminate this thermal problem on relatively short duct runs (less than 70m), the air space in the duct should be replaced with a mixture of bentonite, cement, sand and water. The mixture should be pumped into the duct using standard pressure grouting techniques. When sealed within the duct, the mixture remains a gel which can be flushed out using water jets. The grout is sufficiently stiff to provide a constraint

against thermo-mechanical movement of the cable. The ducts must be effectively sealed to prevent loss of the filling medium and also to preserve its moisture content under service. Provided that the moisture content is retained, the thermal resistivity of the bentonite mixture will be less than 1.2K.m/W. The use of bentonite results in an increase in current rating of approximately 10% implying in certain cases negligible de-rating when compared to the direct in-ground current rating.

This specification is intended to be used by third parties installing new connections that will be adopted by SSE Power Distribution (SSEPD). 4.4 Duct filling

If the cable is required to run at its maximum direct burial rating when it is installed in a duct for more than 15 metres, then the duct must be filled with Bentonite mixture. (100 parts of 10:1 Bentonite / water mix to 20 parts sand and 8 parts cement.) This mixture must be pumped into the duct so totally excludes the air and on completion of the filling be sealed to prevent any escape of Bentonite mixture

Shore Station: Ground Return Electrodes Tim McGinnis NEPTUNE Project Power Group 5.4 Backfill Materials

5.4.1 Chemical backfills A chemical backfill used with galvanic anodes provides an environment which is conducive for anode dissolution. A typical mixture is 75% powdered gypsum (CaSO4), 20% granular bentonite and 5% sodium sulfate. This mixture has a resistivity of 50 -cm and is suitable for use in high resistivity soils. The function of the bentonite is to absorb water and expand, thus ensuring good contact between anode and soil by lowering groundbed resistance. A 75% bentonite 25 % gypsum mixture (250 -cm) is recommended for low moisture soils.