MV-YJLV-6-6kV
6/6 kV Aluminium MV Cable — YJLV Screened Medium Voltage Power Cable
Screened MV construction on aluminium conductors: 40 to 45 % of the drum weight of copper at the equal-ampacity size.
Aluminium is not exotic in medium voltage work; it is routine on long utility feeders where the conductor is the dominant cost and installation weight governs drum lengths. This build carries the identical screened structure — conductor screen, XLPE, insulation screen, metallic screen — over a compacted Class 2 aluminium or alloy 8030 conductor, at 6/6 kV with 3.4 mm nominal insulation.
Select aluminium here with eyes open on two points. First the size mapping: to equal a 95 mm² copper MV circuit you generally move to 120 mm² or 150 mm² aluminium, so check whether the larger diameter still fits the duct and whether the larger lug barrels fit the terminations and the MV joint bodies. Second, screening and jointing aluminium at 6 kV demands care; Voltcore supplies recommended bimetallic connector sets and the torque data with each order.
Specification
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Rated voltage U0/U (Um) | 6/6 (7.2) kV |
| Conductor | Class 2 stranded aluminium or alloy 8030, IEC 60228 |
| Core count | 3 core, sizes 25 - 400 mm² |
| Insulation thickness | 3.4 mm nominal |
| Conductor screen | Extruded semiconductive cross-linked compound |
| Insulation screen | Extruded semiconductive compound, strippable or bonded |
| Metallic screen | Copper tape min. 0.10 mm or copper wires with counter-helix tape |
| Laying-up | Screened cores cabled with polypropylene fillers and binder tape |
| Oversheath | PVC type ST2, black |
| Max conductor temperature, continuous | 90 °C |
| Max conductor temperature, short circuit (5 s) | 250 °C |
| Short-circuit rating note | Aluminium k-factor 94 versus 143 for copper at same temperatures |
| Minimum bending radius | 15 × overall diameter, multi-core |
| Test voltage at 50 Hz | 21 kV AC, 5 min |
Layer-by-layer construction
Listed from the conductor outward. Read this alongside the specification table — the two together tell you whether the cable will survive its installation method.
- 1. ConductorAluminium or alloy 8030 wires to IEC 60228 Class 2, compacted, with more wires per section than the copper equivalent to preserve flexibility
- 2. Conductor screenExtruded semiconductive cross-linked compound engineered to bond to aluminium and resist moisture at the strand interface
- 3. Insulation3.4 mm nominal XLPE applied in the same triple head as both screens and cross-linked under pressure
- 4. Insulation screenExtruded semiconductive layer, supplied strippable to reduce the jointing time on aluminium cores
- 5. Metallic screenCopper tape or copper wires with counter-helix tape per core, sized to the earth-fault duty declared in the enquiry
- 6. Assembly and oversheathCores laid up with polypropylene fillers, bound, then PVC bedding and black PVC type ST2 oversheath extruded over the assembly
Reference dimensions and weights
| Nominal cross-section (mm²) | Conductor structure (no./mm) | Insulation thickness (mm) | Metallic screen (mm²) | Approx. overall diameter (mm) | Approx. net weight (kg/km) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3×25 | 7/2.14 | 3.4 | 16 | 44.0 | 2280 |
| 3×35 | 7/2.52 | 3.4 | 16 | 47.0 | 2550 |
| 3×50 | 19/1.78 | 3.4 | 16 | 49.8 | 2810 |
| 3×70 | 19/2.14 | 3.4 | 16 | 53.5 | 3240 |
| 3×95 | 19/2.52 | 3.4 | 16 | 57.3 | 3800 |
| 3×120 | 37/2.03 | 3.4 | 25 | 60.6 | 4220 |
| 3×150 | 37/2.25 | 3.4 | 25 | 64.3 | 4680 |
| 3×185 | 37/2.52 | 3.4 | 25 | 68.4 | 5350 |
| 3×240 | 37/2.85 | 3.4 | 25 | 74.4 | 6380 |
| 3×300 | 61/2.52 | 3.4 | 25 | 79.5 | 7150 |
Reference figures for preliminary sizing and drum planning. Overall diameter and weight vary with strand construction and sheath thickness tolerance; certified drawings are issued with each quotation.
Engineering characteristics
- Identical screened insulation system to copper MV cable, so partial discharge and life expectations are unchanged by the conductor metal.
- Around 55-60 % lower net drum weight than the size-equivalent copper build, and still well below it after moving up two sizes.
- Compacted aluminium conductors plus a semiconductive screen formulated for aluminium keep strand-interface moisture out.
- Lower short-circuit adiabatic capacity per mm² than copper — k = 94 versus 143 — which we account for when sizing against fault duty.
- Alloy 8030 annealed wire resists creep, addressing the historical relaxation problem seen with pure aluminium terminations.
- Straight joints use deep-crimp bimetallic ferrules; Voltcore ships a matched connector and torque schedule with each project.
- Available armoured as YJLV22 or YJLV32 using the same steel tape or steel wire lines as the copper MV range.
Typical applications
- Long rural MV distribution feeders for utility and electrification programmes
- Renewable energy plant collection circuits on open ground
- Industrial park MV rings where route length dominates the cable budget
- Temporary or staged MV supply for construction and mining operations
- Substation-to-plant feeders where trench and duct space is not restrictive
- Overhead to underground transition circuits using aluminium throughout
Ordering options
- Alloy 8030 or pure aluminium conductor depending on project standard
- Armoured YJLV22 with steel tape, or YJLV32 with steel wire for graded routes
- Heavier metallic screen using double-wound copper wire construction
- Water-blocking construction for duct routes below the water table
- Bimetallic lug sets and jointing compound supplied with the shipment
Standards manufactured to
- IEC 60502-2
- GB/T 12706.2
- IEC 60228 (conductor, Class 2)
- IEC 60889 (aluminium wire for stranding)
- IEC 60885-3 (partial discharge measurement)
- IEC 61238-1 (mechanical and compression connectors)
Manufactured to other standards on request. Send the standard number with your RFQ and we will quote against it rather than against a near-equivalent.
Price and availability for YJLV 6/6 kV Aluminium Conductor Medium Voltage Cable
Include cross-section, core count, voltage grade, route length and installation method — those five determine price more than anything else on the page.
- Engineer-reviewed before pricing
- Reference drawings issued with the quotation
- Free sample up to free sample up to 5 m
YJLV 6/6 kV Aluminium Conductor Medium Voltage Cable — frequently asked questions
How much weight does aluminium save at medium voltage?
Before size substitution the aluminium build is typically 55-60 % lighter than the copper equivalent; even allowing one or two sizes up, net weight stays around 40-45 %. As an example, 3-core 300 mm² screened YJV at 6/10 kV is roughly 12,700 kg/km, while this 6/6 kV aluminium version is about 7,150 kg/km, allowing far longer drums per lift.
What short-circuit rating does aluminium have at 6 kV?
Use an adiabatic k-factor of 94 for aluminium against 143 for copper at the same 90 °C start and 250 °C finish. In practice that means aluminium needs roughly 1.5 times the cross-section to survive an equivalent fault. Send the busbar fault level and clearing time and Voltcore returns the minimum section for both metals side by side.
Does screening work the same way over an aluminium conductor?
Yes. The conductor screen fills the strand interstices exactly as it does over copper, and the field remains radial. The differences are chemical: Voltcore uses a screen compound formulated for aluminium adhesion and specifies joint compound at terminations to prevent oxide reformation, which is where aluminium MV joints historically fail.
When would copper be the better choice despite the price?
Where space is tight, routes include many bends, or terminations are crowded: copper is smaller at equal ampacity and tolerates bending better. It also suits indoor switchrooms where lug and joint body dimensions are fixed. Choose aluminium for long, straight, low-flex route profiles where cost per kilometre matter most.
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