An aerial cable or air cable is an insulated cable usually containing all conductors required for an electrical distribution system (typically using aerial bundled cables) or a telecommunication line, which is suspended between

utility pole A utility pole is a column or post typically made out of wood used to support overhead power lines and various other public utilities, such as electrical cable, fiber optic cable, and related equipment such as transformers and street lights. I ...

s or electricity pylons. As aerial cables are completely insulated there is no danger of electric shock when touching them and there is no requirement for mounting them with

insulators Insulator may refer to: * Insulator (electricity), a substance that resists electricity ** Pin insulator, a device that isolates a wire from a physical support such as a pin on a utility pole ** Strain insulator, a device that is designed to work ...

on pylons and poles. A further advantage is they require less right of way than overhead lines for the same reason. They can be designed as

shielded cable A shielded cable or screened cable is an electrical cable that has a common conductive layer around its conductors for electromagnetic shielding. This shield is usually covered by an outermost layer of the cable. Common types of cable shieldi ...

s for telecommunication purposes. If the cable falls, it may still operate if its insulation is not damaged. As aerial cables are installed on pylons or poles, they may be cheaper to install than

underground cable In civil engineering, undergrounding is the replacement of overhead cables providing electric power, electrical power or telecommunications, with underground cables. It helps in wildfire prevention and in making the power lines less susceptible ...

s, as no work for digging is required, which can be very expensive in rocky areas.

Use

Aerial cables are mostly used for telecommunication systems or for power transmissions with voltages below 1000 volts. Aerial cable for voltages up to 69,000 volts has also been built, for the supply of farms, waterworks, transmitters and other facilities outside of urban areas. Aerial cables are not often used in transmission circuits because of the difficulty in insulating such high voltage wire. Because of the proven reliability benefits of insulated aerial cables over traditional air-insulated wire, the Electric Power Institute has been working with utility companies to develop better insulating materials. In 1996 they were able to successfully convert one lower-voltage transmission circuit to insulated cable.

References

{{reflist Power cables Electric power distribution

Use

See also

References