June 14^th, 2010

ELLIS PATENTS TAKES TO THE WORLD STAGE AT CIGRE 2010

Leading cable cleat manufacturer, Ellis Patents will present a paper on the cleating of high voltage cables in underground cable tunnels at the 2010 CIGRE (International Council on Large Electric Systems) Session in Paris on August 22^nd, 2010.

The Yorkshire-based company, which has forged a strong reputation as a champion of correct cleating practice, submitted the idea for the paper to CIGRE’s approval board in late 2009 and completed it in conjunction with Balfour Beatty earlier this year.

The paper, which has the full title ‘Fixing arrangements and accessories for flexibly installed HV cable systems in underground cable tunnels’, outlines the importance of short circuit testing such cleats and suggests a standard test protocol. It will be presented as part of a special report session on insulated cables chaired by Pierre Argaut of cable manufacturer, SILEC Cable, France.

Richard Shaw, managing director of Ellis Patents, said: “The role of the cable cleat in any electrical installation is of paramount importance and our aim in recent years has been to educate the market as to how vital it is that cleats are correctly specified.

“The CIGRE session provides us with a wonderful opportunity to communicate this message directly to those responsible for the installation of HV underground tunnels in locations across the world – something we feel can lead to the eventual adoption of an industry wide practice for delivering consistent fault protection on these expensive and important installations.”

Ellis Patents will also be exhibiting at CIGRE’s Technical Exhibition, which runs from August 23^rd – 27^th, 2010 at the Palais de Congres. The company will be showing its Centaur cable saddle – a heavy duty cleat that was developed with the specific intention of providing fault protection for HV cables up to 400kV with a diameter range of 100 to 160mm.

The CIGRE Session is a biennial event held in Paris every even numbered year. It is the organisations most important event and brings together over 3,000 delegates from across the globe.

The paper ‘Fixing arrangements and accessories for flexibly installed HV cable systems in underground cable tunnels’ was prepared by Andrew Booth of Ellis Patents and Alwyn Hanekom of Balfour Beatty Utilities Solutions

CIGRE is one of the leading worldwide organisations on electric power systems, and covers technical, economic, environmental, organisational and regulatory aspects. Founded in 1921, and based in France, it is a permanent, non-governmental and non-profit international association that aims to:

• Facilitate and develop the exchange of engineering knowledge and information between engineering personnel and technical specialists in all countries as regards generation and high voltage transmission of electricity.
• Add value to the knowledge and information exchanged by synthesising state-of-the-art and world practices.
• Make managers, decision-makers and regulators aware of the synthesis of CIGRE's work in the area of electric power.
• More specifically, issues related to planning and operation of power systems, as well as design, construction, maintenance and disposal of HV equipment and plants are at the core of CIGRE's mission. Problems related to protection of power systems, telecontrol, telecommunication equipment and information systems are also part of CIGRE's area of concern

For more information on Ellis Patents visit www.ellispatents.co.uk , or call IPD at 1300 556 601.