Cable protection: say goodbye to the glass fibre bandage
02 August 2010
Industrial cable protection specialist, Anamet Europe is encouraging those who need to protect cables from high temperatures to swap the traditional glass fibre ‘bandage’ for coverings that can withstand temperatures of up to 538°C. The company is offering no less than 14 different heat protection products, including a number that are capable of protecting multiple cables or hoses in a single ‘wrap’
Cabling installed within areas that are subject to prolonged high temperatures or sudden bursts of intense heat, such as those encountered in brick, ceramic and cement kilns, foundries and heat treatment facilities, clearly need to be protected. Traditionally, many organisations have retro-covered these cables in glass fibre bandaging; however, this is not only extremely labour intensive, but also requires frequent inspection and regular replacement.
In order to address this problem, Netherlands based Anamet has developed a range of easy-to-fit products that are guaranteed to provide long-lasting heat protection. There are two types of products available, braided sleeves that can be used to cover individual cables and braided tape, and wrap, which can be used to cover individual or multiple cables that have already been installed.
The solid E grade glass fibre braided sleeves are coated with thick silicone rubber and are available with a choice of nickel plated brass fittings. The Hiprojacket range comprises three different products, the choice of which depends on the levels of constant or periodic temperature resistance required by the application.
Easy retrofit
Meanwhile, for those who want to retrofit heat protection around multiple cables, Anamet offers a choice of three different products, ranging from Hiprotape to the heavy duty Hiproblanket H-TB wrap, which tolerates a constant temperature of +260°C and up to 1,090°C for periods of up to 20 minutes. These, too, are manufactured from braided fibreglass and coated in iron-oxide silicon rubber.
One of the key benefits of the silicon rubber coating is that it sheds molten metal. Sparks, droplets or weld flash simply roll off this surface, preventing the long-term damage that would be sustained by more conventional coverings.
At the top end of the scale for heat protection is Thermojacket S, which is manufactured from braided E grade fibreglass and coated with acrylic saturant. This product is able to withstand continuous exposure at temperatures from as low as -55° up to +538°C. In common with all other Anamet products, Thermojacket S is extremely durable and long-lasting, even when used in the most hostile of environments.
In circumstances of transient high temperature, such as during metal pouring operations, where temperatures of up to 500°C may be experience for short periods, Hiprojacket will provide a reduction of 50% to the internal temperature, whilst Thermojacket delivers a reduction of about 30% for a single layer cover and up to 40% for a double layer installation.
Anamet’s Ed Dickson says his company has a policy of continuous product development. “The need to upgrade cable protection is a common issue across many industry sectors,” he says, noting that this is the result of companies embarking on continuous process improvement schemes that result in processes running at temperatures higher than those for which the original installation was designed.
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