Device Comprising a Cable or Cable Accessory Containing a Fire-Resistant Composite Layer

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device comprising a cable and/or a cable accessory, said cable and/or said cable accessory comprising at least one composite layer obtained from a composite composition based on at least one aluminosilicate geopolymer composition and on at least one low-viscosity organic polymer or oligomer, and also to the process for preparing same.

Claims

1. A device comprising: a power and/or telecommunications cable and/or a power and/or telecommunications cable accessory, wherein said cable and/or said cable accessory comprises at least one composite layer obtained from a composite composition comprising at least one organic polymer or oligomer that is liquid at ambient temperature and at least one aluminosilicate geopolymer in the form of a gel, said aluminosilicate geopolymer in the form of a gel being obtained from an aluminosilicate geopolymer composition comprising an alkali metal aluminate or an aluminosilicate, an alkali metal silicate, water and optionally an alkali metal base.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the alkali metal silicate is selected from sodium silicates, potassium silicates and a mixture thereof.

3. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the alkali metal aluminate is a sodium aluminate.

4. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the alkali metal base is selected from KOH, NaOH and mixtures thereof.

5. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the aluminosilicate geopolymer composition comprises from 0.5% to 20% by weight of an alkali metal aluminate, from 15% to 50% by weight of an alkali metal silicate, from 0 to 3% by weight of an alkali metal base and from 50% to 90% by weight of water.

6. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the aluminosilicate geopolymer composition comprises from 15% to 50% by weight of solids, relative to the total weight of said composition.

7. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the organic oligomer or polymer that is liquid at ambient temperature is selected from polyorganosiloxanes, polyethylenes, ethylene/vinyl acetate copolymers, polyethylene glycols, epoxide resins and acrylic resins.

8. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the organic oligomer or polymer that is liquid at ambient temperature is a silicone oil having a viscosity ranging from 5000 to 50 000 cP at 25 C.

9. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the organic polymer or oligomer that is liquid at ambient temperature represents from 15% to 50% by weight, relative to the total weight of the composite composition.

10. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the composite composition further comprises a crosslinking agent.

11. The device as claimed in claim 10, wherein the crosslinking agent represents from 0.2% to 5% by weight, relative to the total weight of the composite composition.

12. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the composite layer has a thickness ranging from 0.5 to 4 mm.

13. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the composite layer is an inner layer of said cable or of said cable accessory.

14. A process for preparing a device comprising a power and/or telecommunications cable and/or a power and/or telecommunications cable accessory, as defined in any one of the preceding claims, said method comprising at least the following steps: 1) the preparation of a composite composition according to at least the following steps: i) the preparation of an aluminosilicate geopolymer composition comprising an alkali metal aluminate or an aluminosilicate, an alkali metal silicate, water and optionally an alkali metal base, in order to form an aluminosilicate geopolymer, said aluminosilicate geopolymer composition and the aluminosilicate geopolymer being as defined in any one of claims 1 to 6, and ii) the mixing of an organic polymer or oligomer that is liquid at ambient temperature as defined in any one of claims 7 to 9, with the aluminosilicate geopolymer from step i), and iii) optionally the addition of a crosslinking agent as defined in either one of claims 10 and 11 to the mixture from step ii); and 2) the application of the composite composition from step 1): either around one or more elongated conductive elements and/or around an inner layer of a power and/or telecommunications cable when the device is a cable, or around at least one of the inner layers of a joint or a termination when the device is a cable accessory, in order to form a composite layer as defined in claim 1.

15. The process as claimed in claim 14, wherein step i) comprises the following substeps: i-a) the preparation of an aqueous alkali metal silicate solution with an SiO.sub.2/M.sub.2O molar ratio ranging from 1.6 to 35, M being an alkali metal, the weight concentration of the alkali metal silicate in water ranging from 30% to 60%, and i-b) the preparation of an aqueous solution of alkali metal aluminate, the weight concentration of the alkali metal aluminate in water ranging from 1.2% to 20%, and i-c) the mixing of the aqueous solutions from substeps i-a) and i-b).

16. The process as claimed in claim 14, wherein step 2) is carried out by high-temperature or ambient-temperature extrusion of said composite composition.

17. The process as claimed in claim 14, characterized in that it wherein said process further comprises a step 3) of crosslinking the organic polymer or oligomer that is liquid at ambient temperature, when the composite composition from step 1) comprises a crosslinking agent.

Description

[0164] The invention will be better understood, and other aims, details, features and advantages thereof will become more clearly apparent, during the course of the following description of particular embodiments of the invention which are given solely by way of nonlimiting illustration with reference to the appended figures.

[0165] In these figures:

[0166] FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an electric cable from the prior art, not in accordance with the invention;

[0167] FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an electric cable according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0168] For reasons of clarity, only the elements essential for the understanding of the invention have been represented schematically in these figures, this not being done to scale.

[0169] The electric cable 10, illustrated in FIG. 1, corresponds to a fire-resistant medium-voltage electric cable of SHXCHX type, for marine-type applications.

[0170] This electric cable 10 comprises: an elongated central electrically conductive element 1 and, successively and coaxially around this central conductive element 1, an inner semiconducting shield 1.1, an electrically insulating layer 2 (e.g. made of crosslinked ethylene-propylene elastomer, EPR), an outer semiconducting shield 2.1, a semiconducting tape layer 3, a metal braid 4 (e.g. consisting of tin-plated copper wires of circular cross section), an inner sheath comprising a polyester tape 5 and tin-plated copper wires 6, a polyester tape 7 and an outer sheath 8 (e.g. made of elastomer).

[0171] The electric cable 11 illustrated in FIG. 2 corresponds to an electric cable having a similar structure to the cable of FIG. 1, but into which two composite layers as defined in the invention have been incorporated.

[0172] This electric cable 11 comprises: an elongated central electrically conductive element 1 and, successively and coaxially around this central conductive element 1, an inner semiconducting shield 1.1, an electrically insulating layer 2 (e.g. made of crosslinked ethylene-propylene elastomer, EPR), an outer semiconducting shield 2.1, a semiconducting tape layer 3, a metal braid 4 (e.g. consisting of tin-plated copper wires of circular cross section), a composite layer 9 as defined in the invention, an inner sheath comprising a polyester tape 5 and tin-plated copper wires 6, a polyester tape 7, a composite layer 9 as defined in the invention, and an outer sheath 8 (e.g. made of elastomer).

[0173] The following examples make it possible to illustrate the present invention. They do not have any limiting effect on the overall scope of the invention as presented in the claims. The ratios between the oxides are molar ratios, and the percentages indicated are percentages by weight.

EXAMPLES

[0174] The raw materials used in the examples are listed below: [0175] aqueous sodium silicate solution at approximately 50% by weight, of waterglass type from Simalco, of formula Na.sub.2O.2SiO.sub.2 and with an SiO.sub.2/Na.sub.2O molar ratio of approximately 2, [0176] sodium aluminate, Sigma-Alrich, [0177] tap water, [0178] sodium hydroxide, Sigma Aldrich, of purity >85%.

[0179] Unless otherwise indicated, all these raw materials were used as received from the manufacturers.

Example 1: Preparation of a Fire-Resistant Device in Accordance with the Invention

[0180] An aluminosilicate geopolymer composition was prepared in the following way: an alkali metal silicate solution was prepared by dissolving mixing 900 g of sodium aluminate in 9 kg of H.sub.2O. 9 kg of an aqueous sodium silicate solution are added to this solution.

[0181] Said aluminosilicate geopolymer composition comprised 28.6% by weight approximately of solids relative to the total weight of said composition.

[0182] After the mixing, the geopolymerization took place and an aluminosilicate geopolymer in the form of a gel was obtained. The aluminosilicate geopolymer was then mixed with 5 kg of liquid EVA in order to form a composite composition.

[0183] 300 g of talc were then added to the resulting composition.

[0184] The composite composition was extruded at high temperature around an elongated electrically conductive element made of copper with a cross section 20 mm.sup.2 using an extruder sold under the trade name FAIREX. The temperature within the extruder ranged from 60 C. to 135 C. approximately.

[0185] The composite layer had a thickness of 2.5 mm approximately.