Cable networks are too important and too expensive to manage with a simple run-to-failure or time-based replacement strategy. In medium-voltage systems, the real challenge is not only finding faults after they happen, but understanding which cable sections are ageing, which defects are becoming critical, and which assets can remain in service safely for longer. That is why condition-based maintenance is becoming the future of cable network asset management.
A condition-based approach starts with better diagnostics. BAUR’s cable diagnostics platforms show this clearly. The portable frida TD is designed for cable testing, cable sheath testing, dissipation factor measurement, Monitored Withstand Test, and optional partial discharge measurement when combined with PD-TaD 62 and BAUR Software 4. BAUR positions it as a new generation in cable system condition evaluation, combining testing and dissipation factor measurement in one device with automated testing and diagnostic sequences.
The reason this matters is simple. Condition-based maintenance depends on measuring actual insulation condition, not assuming all cables age at the same rate. BAUR states that dissipation factor measurement with 0.1 Hz VLF truesinus® provides differentiated information on the ageing condition of paper-insulated mass-impregnated and PE/XLPE cables, and can even distinguish between new, slightly damaged, or severely water-tree-damaged PE/XLPE cables. That gives asset managers a practical basis for prioritizing replacement instead of treating the whole network the same way.
This is where condition-based maintenance becomes more valuable than time-based maintenance. A purely time-based approach may replace cables that still have useful life left, while missing other cables that are deteriorating faster than expected. A condition-based approach uses real measurement data to decide which assets need attention first. BAUR’s own wording around dissipation factor measurement makes this point directly: the diagnostic information makes it possible to prioritise the need to replace cables.
The case becomes even stronger when partial discharge testing is added. In BAUR’s modular PHG 80 TD PD platform, partial discharge testing is used in addition to cable testing and dissipation factor measurement. BAUR explains that partial discharge testing allows fast and reliable evaluation of partial discharge activity and the location of PD faults in a cable, so potential faults can be recognised early and further damage reduced. In other words, condition-based maintenance is not only about understanding broad insulation ageing. It is also about identifying localised weak points before they become failures.
A major advantage of BAUR’s approach is that it is built around VLF truesinus® as a common voltage source. BAUR states that VLF truesinus® is the only voltage shape that enables both reliable voltage testing and precise dissipation factor and partial discharge measurements. Because the voltage is load-independent, symmetrical, and continuous, it supports precision, reproducibility, and comparability of results. That matters in asset management because a condition-based strategy only works if results are consistent enough to compare across time and across different cable sections.
Condition-based maintenance also depends on historical trend analysis, not only one-time testing. BAUR states that the key cable data can be stored in user-friendly software, and that results of every test and every measurement are saved along with those cable data, creating a comprehensive cable database that allows operational evaluation on the basis of historical trends. This is one of the strongest reasons condition-based maintenance is the future: it allows cable owners to move from isolated test reports toward a structured long-term view of network condition.
That shift from isolated testing to data-based asset planning is exactly what cable network operators need. Instead of asking only, “Did this cable pass today?” they can ask better questions: “Is this cable ageing faster than expected?” “Is partial discharge activity increasing?” “Which route should be tested again first?” “Which replacement will have the biggest reliability impact?” Those are asset-management questions, and they can only be answered well when the maintenance strategy is based on actual cable condition.
BAUR’s product structure also supports this future-oriented approach at different levels of the network. A portable system such as frida TD supports efficient field diagnostics for medium-voltage cables up to 20 kV dissipation factor measurement, while the higher-capacity PHG 80 TD systems extend dissipation factor measurement up to 50 kV operating voltage and add advanced PD testing with calibration according to IEC 60270, PD inception and extinction voltage measurement, and PD phase resolving for classification of PD fault locations. This means a condition-based strategy can scale from smaller diagnostic tasks to broader utility-level asset management programs.
Another important point is efficiency. BAUR highlights automated testing and diagnostic sequences on both portable and modular systems. In practice, that means more repeatable workflows, less dependence on manual setup, and faster collection of useful cable condition data. For asset managers, this is important because condition-based maintenance only works when testing is practical enough to be done regularly and consistently across the network.
The future of cable network asset management is not simply more testing. It is smarter testing connected to better decisions. When cable testing, tan delta diagnostics, partial discharge evaluation, and historical trend storage are brought together, maintenance teams can reduce unnecessary replacement, target the assets that actually need intervention, and improve reliability with more confidence. That is why condition-based maintenance is becoming the stronger long-term strategy for medium-voltage cable networks.
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