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Tubing Encapsulated Cable
Tubing Encapsulated Cable Description:
Tubing Encapsulated Cable (TEC), is typically used in oil, natural gas, and geothermal wells to provide power and communication to downhole gauges. TEC Cable contains a core consisting of insulated electrical conductor(s). The tubing is generally deployed by strapping it to the outside of the production tubing or casing. However, it may also be free-hanging (self-supporting) inside the production casing. It may be encapsulated and can be included along with pressure tubing and mechanical components, such as bumpers, within a flatpack. The tubing is frequently supplied as 5,000 to 35,000 ft. coils on a wooden or steel reel, depending on the size.
Tubing Encapsulated Cable Features:
Encapsulation, Insulation and Filler Materials contain a wide range of materials with a variety of generic names and trade names. The table below outlines the acronym, generic name, and trade name, as well as the specific temperature in which these different materials must be installed.
|
Abbreviation |
Generic Name |
Minimum Installation Temperature of Encapsulation Materials |
|
ECTFE |
Ethylene Chlorotrifluoroethylene |
-60℃ |
|
ETFE |
Ethylene Tetrafluoroethylene |
-60℃ |
|
FEP |
Fluorinated Ethylene Propylene |
-100℃ |
|
HDPE |
High Density Polyethylene |
-40℃ |
|
PFA |
Perfluoroalkoxy |
-100℃ |
|
PA |
Polyamide |
-40℃ |
|
PP |
Polypropylene |
-10℃ |
|
PVDF |
Polyvinylidene Fluoride |
-20℃ |
|
TPO-PP |
Thermoplastic polyolefin |
-20℃ |
Tubing Encapsulated Cable Construction:
Ourtubing encapsulated cables are made with 5 layers and can be constructed with the following materials:
Conductor Layer: can be comprised of 20 AWG to 12 AWG, solid or stranded, bare copper, tinned copper, nickel plated copper, or silver plated copper.
Insulation Layer: can be comprised of either FEP, PFA, ETFE, or ECTFE.
Extruded Filler Layer: can be comprised of PFA, FEP, or Polypropylene.
Armor Layer: can comprised of 316L Stainless Steel, Alloy 825, or Alloy 625
Final Layer: an encapsulation layer can be comprised of FEP, PFA, ETFE, ECTFE, TPV, PVDF or Polypropylene.
Tubing Encapsulated Cable Specification:
|
Conductor |
O.D. |
O.D. |
Solid Bare Copper |
Stranded (7 strands) Bare Copper |
|
AWG |
in |
mm |
Ohms / kft |
Ohms / m |
Ohms / kft |
Ohms / m |
|
18 |
0.0403 |
1.02 |
6.52 |
21.4 |
6.66 |
21.8 |
|
17 |
0.0453 |
1.15 |
5.15 |
16.9 |
5.27 |
17.3 |
|
16 |
0.0508 |
1.29 |
4.1 |
13.5 |
4.18 |
13.7 |
|
15 |
0.0571 |
1.45 |
3.24 |
10.6 |
3.31 |
10.9 |
|
14 |
0.0641 |
1.63 |
2.57 |
8.45 |
2.62 |
8.62 |
|
13 |
0.072 |
1.83 |
2.04 |
6.69 |
2.08 |
6.82 |
|
12 |
0.0808 |
2.05 |
1.62 |
5.31 |
1.65 |
5.43 |
|
11 |
0.0907 |
2.3 |
1.29 |
4.22 |
1.32 |
4.3 |
|
10 |
0.102 |
2.59 |
1.019 |
3.34 |
1.039 |
3.41 |
|
9 |
0.114 |
2.9 |
0.808 |
2.65 |
0.825 |
2.71 |
|
8 |
0.128 |
3.25 |
0.641 |
2.1 |
0.654 |
2.14 |
Tubing Encapsulated Cable Applications:
There are numerous different applications for the use of Tubing Encapsulated Cable / TEC cable. These applications can include, but are not limited to:
Oil and gas refineries
Oil well monitoring
Powering downhole equipment and instrumentation
Underground power distribution
Substation connections
Pressure sensing equipment
Data collection.
