Physical Characteristics and Electrical Resistivity of Electric Cables Sold in Delta State. A case Study of Isoko Metropolis

Abstract

There is a record increment of substandard electrical accessories in Nigeria, mostly in rural areas. This study was done to assess the qualities of electric cables sold in Delta State, Nigeria. Samples of commonly used electric cables (1 mm², 1.5 mm^2, and 2.5 mm²), were randomly procured from ten major electrical stores within Isoko metropolis of Delta state.  The selected cables were subjected to core size and electrical resistivity tests. Results of the tests showed that most of the cables failed to meet NIS recommendations for electric cables and wires. The physical characteristics results depicted that 80% of the 1 mm² cable diameter fell below 1.3 mm;70% of the 1.5 mm² cable diameter fell below the 1.38 mm; while 80% of the 2.5 mm² cables fell below the 1.78 mm recommendations. In terms of electrical resistivity, 40% of the 1 mm² cable met the NIS recommendation of 2.15 X 10^-7 for 1 mm²cable;50% of the 1.5 mm² cables were able to meet the NIS recommendation of 2.0 X 10^-7; likewise, the results revealed that it is only 30% of the 2.5 mm² cables met the NIS recommendation of 1.85 X 10^-7. This study had revealed that most of the electric cables sold in the rural parts of the country are not up to NIS recommendations. Therefore there is an urgent need for the regulatory agencies to beam their searchlight to the rural area of the country, in order to save the people from imminent electrical disasters.