Ricerc@Sapienza

In the last years, the frequency and the intensity of adverse meteorological conditions are on the rise and climate changes have the potential to affect negatively the electrical systems in many different ways. Local or extended electrical outages have been and are caused by extremely severe negative meteorological events of different nature, like strong wind, wet snow, heavy rain and heat waves. Of course, such interruptions of electrical system affect also critical infrastructures with a negative impact on all the human and industrial activities.

MV underground cable systems are one of the main assets in electrical distribution infrastructures in densely populated urban areas. Experience of several distribution operators (DSOs) has shown an increasing number of failures of MV underground cable joints in the summer period. e-distribuzione, the main Italian DSO, and the University of Roma “La Sapienza” have investigated the causes of these joints failures, ran a temperature measurement campaign on cable joints and performed experimental inspections on both failed and not-failed cable joints.

During the summer periods of the last few years there have been unexpected increased numbers of failures of underground cable joints of the medium voltage (MV) network both of e-distribuzione and of other Italian electrical distributors. As a result of this, the University of Roma 'La Sapienza' and e-distribuzione started a cooperation with the aim to investigate on causes of such failures and for finding the most appropriate countermeasures in terms of improvement of technologies, operative procedures and operation.