A comparative economic analysis for underground distribution cables insulated with TR-XLPE and EPR

This paper provides an economic evaluation of the cost of owning underground cables with different extruded insulation materials. In this analysis, a comparison is made between the total owning cost of cables made with Union Carbide HFDA/B 4202 tree retardant crosslinked polyethylene (TR-XLPE) insulation compound and three different ethylene propylene rubber (EPR) insulation compounds. This information is provided as a tool which can be used by electric utility engineers to understand the costs associated with different cable insulation materials.