Borealis: a wide range of cable and wire applications

Borealis, Vienna, Austria, and Borouge, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, have provided a wide range of technologies and material solutions for Wire’s cable and wire sector in Düsseldorf.

Borlink’s proprietary high-voltage direct current technology, HVDC, enables the use of extruded cables that can achieve higher voltages and transmission levels than before. This increases the capacity, efficiency and security of power grid supplies. Borlink offers high electrical performance, has passed pre-qualification up to 640 kV and enabled long cable lengths and therefore a small number of connection points. In addition, XLPE cross-linked polyethylene is recyclable.

This technology has been selected for use in many large projects. These include, for example, a large offshore wind farm in China’s Jiangsu Province that was constructed in 2019 and a number of offshore projects in the North Sea that were recently commissioned. In total, more than 8000 km of cables based on HVDC XLPE technology have been laid so far, and more than 8000 km are already being planned.

XLPE for German Energy Corridors

The largest current project is the German Corridor project. This should allow electricity from renewable sources, such as offshore wind farms, to be transmitted via underground lines with minimal losses and over hundreds of kilometres. The 525 kV rated Borlink HVDC insulated XLPE ground cable will be used for the majority of this project, particularly the SüdLink and SüdOstLink lanes.

SüdLink uses two power cable systems, each rated at 2 gigawatts and spanning more than 2,500 kilometres. The northern part of the SüdOstLink Corridor includes a circuit with a capacity of 2 gigawatts and about 500 km of cable. After the completion of the project, the German Corridors will have a capacity of 8 gigawatts to transmit green electricity from northern Germany to its south. This is comparable to the amount of electricity generated by 7 to 8 nuclear power plants, which is almost double the electricity needs of Denmark.

Passed the pre-qualification test for high voltage cable insulation

Another material is Borlink LS4201S from Borouge, which has successfully passed prequalification tests by leading testing facilities such as KEMA Labs and China Electric Power Research Institute CEPRI. This material is intended for power cable applications up to 230 kV.

Packaging materials with up to 50% post-consumer recycling

Borealis aims to make 100% of its consumer products recyclable, reusable or made from raw materials from renewable sources by 2025. In this context, the company has already made progress: with the continuous development of its first packaging product, Borcycle M ME7153SY, made from 50% post-consumer recycled PCR material, the activities in the field of cables and wires are now ramped up. . This material is made possible by the company’s proprietary Borcycle M technology, which turns plastic waste streams into high-quality, high-performance products. As an ever-evolving and transformative technology for mechanical recycling, Borcycle M brings new life to polyolefin-based post-consumer waste.

Up to 50% of post-consumer recycled content is included in the first Borcycle M sheath material for medium voltage cables. Photo: Borealis

Preparations are underway for the first product launch of Borcycle-M Composite for Cable Covering, scheduled for December 2022: Borcycle M ME7153SY is a medium density polyethylene (MDPE) composite used in the production of medium and low voltage cables. The material is easy to color, has good workability and a smooth surface finish. Borcycle M ME7153SY also has good ESR resistance to UV rays and low water permeability.

ADCA-free products by the end of 2022

The chemical compound azodicarbonamide ADCA, which is mainly used as a blowing agent in the manufacture of polyethylene compounds for data cables, has been classified as a substance of very high importance (SVHC) by the European Chemicals Agency. For this reason, Borealis has decided to phase out all ADCA-based cable and wire products by the end of 2022.

A new ADCA-free HDPE for coaxial cable, Borealis HE1116, will be launched in 2022. However, Borealis already offers three ADCA-free products: Chemically ADCA-Free Materials, Borealis HE1355 and Borealis ME1254, and Borealis HE4883 ADCA Foam Free Data Cable Manufacturing. Borealis is one of the first power companies to commit to removing all ADCA-based cable and wire products from its portfolio. This project is scheduled to be fully implemented by the end of 2022.

“Our technologies such as Borlink, Borstar and Borcycle are the building blocks of our innovation,” explains Bart Verhol, Borealis Global Energy Commercial Director. “We can also envision developing energy grades based on Bornewables, our portfolio of high-quality circular polyolefins made from 100% renewable feedstocks derived from waste and tailings streams.”

www.borealisgroup.com

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