Standards Specifications for Instruments

Cables

INSTRUMENT CABLES

This specification covers the requirements for instrument signal cables, thermocouple extension
cables, RTD cables and power / control cables.

Single pair shielded thermocouple extension cables shall be used between thermocouple head and
junction boxes / transmitters / local control panel mounted instruments.

Single triad shielded signal cables shall be used between RTD head and junction boxes /
transmitters / local control panel mounted instruments.

For fieldbus compatible instrument single pair shielded cable shall be used between instrument to
junction box/ local panel and to control room. Foundation Field bus shall be Type-A cable.
Construction of same shall be as Per IEC 61158-2. Trunk cable shall be used of 1 Pair, 5 Pair, 12 Pair.

Single pair shielded signal / alarm cables shall be used between field instruments / switches and
junction boxes / local control panels.

Separate Multipair/ multitriad cables shall be used between junction boxes/ local control panel and
control room as per following applications. • 4-20 mA signals (for conventional HART Transmitters)
• Foundation Field signals • Thermocouple signals • Resistance Temperature Detectors (RTD)
signals • Switch contacts / Proximity switch contacts • Gas detectors

Power cables shall be used between power supply distribution boards and power consumers such
as control panels, DCS / PLC cabinets, any instruments requiring power supply, etc.

Control cables shall be used for solenoid valves.

For solenoid valve signals and power supply to instruments, junction boxes shall be used

The cable design shall generally follow BS 5308 Part-1 for various cables above. Thermocouple
cables design shall comply with ANSI MC 96.1. The power and control cables shall be generally as
per BS 6346. For these cables, equivalent IEC/IS specifications are also acceptable

The insulation grade shall be 1100 V for all cables.

The primary insulation shall be cross-linked Polyethylene with temperature rating 70 deg.C
conforming to BS- 5308 / IS 7098. Inner and outer sheath / jacket shall be made of extruded fire
retardant, low smoke,low halogen, low toxic, polymeric compound having physical properties as
per IS-5831 –Type ST2.

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All cables shall be armoured and suitable for operation when installed as follows: – Directly buried
in the ground – Fastened to cable ladder rack or tray in the open air – In underground ducts – In
overhead closed cable ducts

Running length of the cable shall be printed at least at every 5 meter interval. For multipair/ multi-
triad cables, pair identification shall be provided with numbers at interval of not more than 250 mm
as per standard.

Ensure a minimum of 20% of quantity of each type of cables supplied as spare.

A pair of communication wire shall be provided for multipair / multritraid cables. Each wires shall
be 0.5 mm2 of plain annealed single or multi-strand copper conductor with 0.4 mm thick 70 Deg.C
XLPE insulation.

CABLE DESIGN AND TESTING STANDARDS

Instrument signal, RTD and thermocouple cables

DESCRIPTION STANDARDS
Conductors BS 6360/ IS 8130 for instrument
signal and RTD cables and
ANSI MC 96.1/IEC-60584-3 for
thermocouple cables.
Insulation: Insulation shall be Cross-linked
XLPE Polyethylene (XLPE) as per BS 5308 / IS 7098.
Armour Round wire armour galvanized steel
as per IS 1554 Part 1
Inner & Outer Extruded Fire Retardant, Low Smoke,
Sheath-PVC Low Halogen, Low Toxic, PVC
having physical properties as per
IS 5831-Type ST2.
Flammability and chemical properties shall be
as follows:
• Oxygen Index: 30 (minimum) at
room Temp as per ASTM-D-2863-77
• Temperature Index: 250 Deg C
(minimum)
at Oxygen Index of 21 as per ASTM-D-2863.
• Light Transmission: 70%
(minimum) as per IEC 1034.
• Flammability test: As per
IEC 332 Part-1 & Part-3 Cat A
• Corrosivity of combustion gases: pH-index>
4.3,
Electrolytic conductivity < 100 micro S/cm as

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Testing of the instrument signal and RTD
cables.
Testing / Calibration of thermocouple cables.
Dimensions
per IEC 754-2
• Toxicity index: Maximum 05 Gases to be
extracted – HCL, HBr, HF, CO, CO2, NO, SO2,
HCN as per NES-713. HCL shall be first gas to be
extracted.
Inner Sheath and outer sheath thickness: Min.
Inner sheath thickness and outer sheath
thickness shall be as per IS:1554(P-1)1988
(should not be less
than 0.5 mm).
BS 5308
ANSI MC96.1 / IEC-60584-2
BS 5308

Power and control cables

DESCRIPTION STANDARD
Conductors IS : 8130 / BS 6360
Insulation-XLPE Insulation shall be Cross-linked
Polyethylene (XLPE) as per BS 5308 / IS 7098.
Armour Round wire armour galvanized steel
as per IS 1554 Part 1
Inner & Outer Sheath-PVC Extruded Fire Retardant, Low Smoke, Low Halogen,
Low Toxic, PVC
having physical properties as per
IS 5831 Type ST2.
Flammability and chemical properties shall be as
follows:
• Oxygen Index: 30 (minimum) at
room Temp as per ASTM-D-2863-77
• Temperature Index: 250 Deg C
(minimum) at Oxygen Index of 21 as per ASTM-D-
2863.
• Light Transmission: 70%
(minimum) as per IEC 1034.
• Flammability test: As per IEC 332
Part-1 & Part-3 Cat. A
• Corrosivity of combustion gases: pH-index> 4.3,
Electrolytic conductivity < 100 micro S/cm as per
IEC 754-2
• Toxicity index: Maximum 05 Gases to be
extracted – HCL, HBr, HF, CO, CO2, NO, SO2, HCN as
per
NES-713. HCL shall be first gas to be extracted.
Inner Sheath and outer sheath
thickness: Min. Inner sheath

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 thickness and outer sheath thickness
shall be as per IS:1554(P-1)1988,
should not be less than 0.5 mm.
Testing and Dimensions of the cables IS : 1554 Part I, BS 6469 / BS 6346

CABLE CONSTRUCTION

The various mechanical / electrical parameters indicated here are indicative and shall be select /
design the cables as per applicable standards.

Instrument signal cables (4 – 20 mA or switch contacts):

ITEM DESCRIPTION
Conductor • 7 stranded / 0.53 mm dia (1.5 mm2) stranded
i) Single Pair annealed tinned copper
ii) 6/ 12 Pair conductors of electrolytic grade
copper.
• 7 stranded / 0.53 mm dia (1.5 mm2)
annealed tinned copper conductors of
electrolytic grade copper.
Insulation Cross-linked Polyethylene (XLPE) as per BS
5308/IS 7098.
Inner & outer sheath PVC, fire retardant, low smoke, low
halogen, low toxic, polymeric compound.

Pairs Two insulated conductors shall be

uniformly twisted together to form a pair at
least 10 twists per meter.
Maximum DC resistance Shall not exceed 12.3 ohms/ km at 20ºC for
cables with 1.5 mm2 conductor
Mutual capacitance BS 5308 Part 1
L/R ratio of adjacent cores /pairs BS 5308 Part 1
Shield Shield shall be aluminium backed mylar /
polyester tape bonded together with the
metallic side down helically applied with either
side having 25% overlap and 100% coverage.
The minimum shield thickness shall be 0.05
mm in case of single pair and 0.075 mm in case
of multipair cable.
Drain wire Drain wire shall be provided for
individual pair and overall shield with 0.5 mm2
multistranded bare tinned annealed copper
conductor continuously in contact with
aluminium side of shield. The drain wire
resistance including shield shall not exceed 30

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 ohm/km. Electrostatic noise rejection ratio
shall be over 76 dB.

Colour coding • Individual pair core insulation :

Blue & White
• Inner jacket : Black
• Outer jacket : Blue for intrinsically
safe application and black for non IS
applications.

RTD cables:

ITEMS DESCRIPTION
Conductor • 7 stranded / 0.53 mm dia (1.5 mm2) annealed
1 Triad tinned copper conductors of electrolytic grade
6/ 8 Triad copper.
• 7 stranded / 0.53 mm dia (1.5 mm2) annealed
tinned copper conductors
of electrolytic grade copper.
Insulation Cross-linked Polyethylene (XLPE) as per BS 5308 / IS
7098
Inner & outer sheath PVC, fire retardant, low smoke, low halogen, low
toxic, polymeric compound.
Triads Three insulated conductors shall be uniformly
twisted together to form a Triad at least 10 twists
per meter.
Maximum DC resistance Shall not exceed 12.3 ohms/ km at 20ºC for cables
with 1.5 mm2 conductor.
Mutual capacitance BS 5308 Part 1
L/R ratio of adjacent triads BS 5308 Part 1
Shield Shield shall be aluminium backed mylar / polyester
tape bonded together with the metallic side down
helically applied with either side having 25%
overlap and 100% coverage. The minimum shield
thickness shall be 0.05 mm in case of single triad
and 0.075 mm in case of multitriad cable
Drain wire Drain wire shall be provided for individual pair and
overall shield with 0.5 mm2 multistranded bare
tinned annealed copper conductor continuously in
contact with aluminium side of shield. The drain
wire resistance including shield shall not exceed 30
ohm/km. Electrostatic noise rejection ratio shall be
over 76 dB.
Colour coding • Core insulation: Red, Yellow and Blue
• Inner jacket : Black
• Outer jacket : Blue for intrinsically
safe application and black for non-IS

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Thermocouple Cables:

ITEMS DESCRIPTION
Conductor • 16 AWG or 1.5 mm2 solid
i) Single pair cable conductors.
Conductor material should be as
follows:
K type T/C – Nickel / Chromium;
Nickel / Aluminium (KX), Class 1.
Insulation Cross-linked Polyethylene (XLPE) as per BS 5308 / IS
7098 Colour code: Nickel / Chromium: Green Nickel
/ Aluminium: White
Pairs Two insulated conductors shall be
uniformly twisted together to form a pair at least
10 twists per metre. The lay length of adjacent pairs
/ Triads
in case of Multipair cables shall not be equal, to
reduce cross-talk.
Mutual capacitance BS 5308 Part 1
L/R ratio of adjacent pairs BS 5308 Part 1
Core inductance Shall not exceed 4 mH/km. However, for J-type
thermocouple inductance could be 8 mH/km.
Shield Shield shall be aluminium backed mylar / polyester
tape bonded together with the metallic side down
helically applied with either side having 25%
overlap and 100% coverage.The minimum shield
thickness shall be 0.05 mm in case of single pair and
0.075 mm in case of multi pair cable.
Drain wire Drain wire shall be provided for
individual pair and overall shield with 0.5 mm2
multistranded bare tinned annealed copper
conductor continuously in contact with
aluminium side of shield. The drain wire resistance
including shield shall not exceed 30 ohm/km.
Electrostatic noise rejection ratio shall be over 76
dB. Drain wire shall be provided for individual pair
and overall shield with 0.5 mm2 multistranded bare
tinned annealed copper
Colour coding Outer sheath colour – Green
Inner sheath colour – Black

Note: All thermocouple extension cable shall be matched and calibrated in accordance with IEC-60584-2 /
ANSI MC 96.1

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Control cables:

ITEMS DESCRIPTION
Conductor 2 Core / 7 stranded / 0.53 mm dia (1.5 mm2)
Multi-core type annealed tinned copper conductors of electrolytic
grade copper.
Insulation Cross-linked Polyethylene (XLPE) as per BS 5308 / IS
7098
Inner & outer sheath PVC, fire retardant, low smoke, low
halogen, low toxic, polymeric compound.
Maximum DC resistance Shall not exceed 12.3 ohms/ km at 20ºC for cables
with 1.5 mm2 conductor
Core Identification IS : 1554 / BS 6746

Power cables:

ITEMS DESCRIPTIONS
Conductor 7 stranded / 0.67 mm dia. (2.5 mm2) annealed
tinned copper conductors of electrolytic grade
copper. The size of the conductor specified here is
minimum. However, the exact size of the conductor
shall be selected based on the length of cable and
power consumption. For higher conductor sizes,
aluminium can be considered.
Insulation Cross-linked Polyethylene (XLPE) as per BS 5308 / IS
7098
Core Identification IS-1554 / BS 6746
Colour coding Outer sheath colour –Black
Neutral wire insulation colour – Black
Phase wire insulation colour – Red
Ground wire insulation colour – Green

Special Cables
Ethernet cables

EIA/TIA 568 A Category 5, 4 pair 0.5 mm2 (24 AWG) solid conductors, with plastic foil wrapping.
Overall screen to consist of aluminium bonded polyester tape and tinned copper wire. Overall
sheath shall be light grey PVC.

Fibre optic cable

62.5 / 125 micron multimode, graded index, glass silica fibre core, mechanical protection provided
by round galvanized steel armour with polyester laminated tape layered over inner sheath. Outer
sheath shall be orange.HDPE conduit shall be orange colour.

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Foundation Fieldbus(FF) cables colour code:

FF Trunk cables shall be Orange with 4 Black longitudinal stripes at 90 deg apart. FF Spur cables (IS)
shall be Orange with 4 Blue longitudinal stripes at 90 deg apart.

Cable Testing:-

Acceptance test certificates is mandatory, along with newly procured cables.

Type Test:-

Certificate from independent test house for the following tests shall be furnished for the FRLS low
halogen sheathed cable.

a) Flammability Test as per IEC 60332, Part-III, Cat A.

b) Electrostatic noise Rejection test.

c) Oxygen Index, Temperature rating, light transmission, pH Index, electrical conductivity and
toxicity index for the cable

Routine Test and Acceptance test:-

Each of the following tests to be carried out during various stages of manufacturing. related
documentations shall be reviewed. In addition, the following test shall be carried out for checking
properties of low halogen FRLS sheathing material.

 Light Emission test as per IEC-1034. Acceptance norms shall be minimum 70%
 Determination of the degree of acidity of gases evolved during combustion as per IEC 754-2
(pH value to be minimum 4.3 and conductivity to be maximum 100 micro Siemens/cms
 Toxicity Index as per NES-713. Value shall not exceed 5
 Tear Resistance as per BS 7655 Section 6.1
 Abrasion test method as per BS 6724 Annexure E

These tests shall be carried in presence authorized representatives. Immediately after completion
of the electrical test the ends of the cable shall be sealed to prevent ingress of moisture with
suitable of rubber/PVC caps.

CABLE DRUMS

Cables shall be drummed in continuous lengths on cable drums. For protection during transport
and storage, battens shall be fitted around the entire periphery of the drum.

Drum identification shall be painted black on both sides of drum with permanent oil paint. The
following information shall be given on the drums as a minimum:

 Drum identification number

 Voltage grade

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  Type of cable
 Number of cores and cross-sectional area
 Cable quantity
 Purchaser’s order number and item number
 Total weight of cable and drum

IDENTIFICATION MARKS ON CABLES:

Signal Cables:

Outer Embossing: Following embossing should be in bold fonts at outer sheath at every 5 meter
interval.

 Type of Cable i.e. Signal Cable

 No of Pairs i.e. 1, 6, 12 etc.
 Core Size i.e. 1.5 sq mm etc.

Sequential meter marking shall be embossed at every 1 meter interval

Individual pairs Embossing and identification: Core no shall be printed on each core for
identification at regular interval of 250 mm or so. The pair numbers shall be available on individual
pair by method of polyester number tape also.

Control Cables: Following embossing should be in bold fonts at outer sheath at every 5 meter
interval.

 Type of Cable i.e. Control Cable

 No of Cores i.e. 2, 4, 10, 12, 24 etc.
 Core Size i.e. 1.5 sq mm

Sequential meter marking shall be embossed at every 1 meter interval

Thermocouple Cables:

Outer Embossing: Following embossing should be in bold fonts at outer sheath at every 5 meter
interval.

 Type of Cable i.e. T/C Cable

 No of Pairs
 Core Size i.e. 16 AWG
 Temperature Range

Sequential meter marking shall be embossed at every 1 meter interval .Individual pairs Embossing
and identification: Each core of pair shall be numbered for identification at regular interval of 250
mm or so.

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CABLE GLANDS

Cable glands shall be of SS 316 and double compression type suitable for armoured cables.

All cable glands shall be weatherproof to IP-66. Flameproof glands wherever required shall be
supplied with Ex(d) certification suitable for Gas Groups IIA / IIB / IIC. All cable glands shall be with
LSF shrouds.

For all field items and junction box end, NPT threaded cable glands shall be used and for control
room / control panel end, cable glands shall be ET threaded types.

JUNCTION BOXES

Junction boxes shall be of die-cast aluminium alloy (LM-6) epoxy painted body. All junction boxes
shall be weatherproof to IP 66 as a minimum. Flame proof junction boxes wherever required shall
be supplied with Ex (d) certification. All flame proof JB’s shall be provided with labels for isolating
power supply before opening cover. All JB’s for intrinsic safe signals shall be identified on name
plate accordingly.

Junction box shall have screwed covers.

Junction box sizes shall be standardized to two types accommodate 44 terminals and 88 terminals.
This includes separate terminals for shields and 20% spare terminals. All terminals shall be suitable
for 4mm2 conductors.

Each JB shall be provided with 2 multi-cable entries with one plugged with weather proof, explosion
proof plugs as required.

Plugs shall be Ex (d) certified for flameproof junction boxes.

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