Cost saving drying of water-cooled cables

In addition to standard wires and multicores, wire and cable manufacturer, Concept Cables can tailor products to specific needs.

A recent challenge was to find a way to remove the residual moisture film from water-cooled insulated cable products during production.

ACI's new 'LINE-Dry' System offered a solution. ACI estimates that, compared to the compressed air system previously used, the blower- Carbolite did not need an afterburner; a 600 x 1200mm Inconel 601 retort was used to contain the nitrogen/ hydrogen atmosphere.

Inconel-coated catch trays were added to the retort to capture any process material that might fall from the load. The nitrogen/ hydrogen reducing gas was premixed and below the explosive limits for hydrogen.

As uniform heating of the load was critical, a 3-zone control system compatible with NADCAP 2750 D, Class 2, was installed.

powered wire/cable drying system can give up to a 10- fold reduction in energy costs and Paul Randall of Concept Cables, says product quality has improved.

The ACI system can handle products to 25mm dia at speeds of 500m/min.

The blower is an ACI variable speed multi-stage unit controlled via a speed controller. Two versions are available, one with the dryer heads enclosed to contain displaced moisture; the other is an open unit. Air is delivered at up to 2.8psi (80in. SWG) at speeds of 8800m/min at 80°C.