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Technical News: Voltage Drop Considerations

The document discusses voltage drop considerations in electrical conductors, emphasizing the importance of sizing conductors to prevent overheating and ensure adequate voltage at the load. It defines voltage drop and provides equations for calculating it, highlighting its significance for various types of equipment. Additionally, it references the 2005 National Electrical Code recommendations for maximum allowable voltage drops in branch and feeder circuits.

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Felipe Gustavo
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18 views1 page

Technical News: Voltage Drop Considerations

The document discusses voltage drop considerations in electrical conductors, emphasizing the importance of sizing conductors to prevent overheating and ensure adequate voltage at the load. It defines voltage drop and provides equations for calculating it, highlighting its significance for various types of equipment. Additionally, it references the 2005 National Electrical Code recommendations for maximum allowable voltage drops in branch and feeder circuits.

Uploaded by

Felipe Gustavo
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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TECHNICAL NEWS Engineertinion


Informa
from
for the ional
THE OKONITE COMPANY
Profess r
July, 2005 Edition: 0018 Enginee

Voltage Drop Considerations


Conductors are generally sized for two purposes. The first is to provide a low enough resistance to carry the de-
sired current load without overheating the cable. The second purpose is to assure that the voltage at the load is
sufficient to operate the equipment. For typical resistive and inductive loads, the voltage will decrease from the
supply to the load. The decrease is due to the conductor resistance, inductive reactance and the load itself. This
voltage decrease is normally called voltage drop or voltage regulation. It can often be the limiting factor when
selecting the conductor size or cable design. Voltage drop is defined as the difference between the voltages at
the transmitting and receiving ends of a feeder, main, or service. It is normally expressed as a percentage and is
calculated from the following equation:

V =
(V S - VL ) x 100
Where: V = the voltage drop in percent
VS = the transmitting or source voltage
VL VL = the receiving or load voltage
The receiving or load voltage is dependent upon the conductor resistance, the inductive reactance between the
conductors, the load current and the load power factor. The source voltage required for a given load voltage can
be calculated from the following equation.
Where: R = the total ac resistance of the feeder
X = total inductive reactance of the feeder
( VL cos q + RI) + (VL sin q + XI) 2
2
VS =
cos 2 = power factor of the load
I = Load current
Why is it important?
Some types of equipment can be damaged if the load voltage is not high enough. Inductive equipment, such as
motors or fluorescent light ballasts, will draw more current if the load voltage is not high enough. The higher
current can cause overheating and reduce operating life. Too low of load voltage could cause data loss or dam-
age to sensitive equipment such as computers, printers, etc. Resistive loads, such as electrical heaters or incan-
descent light bulbs will not draw more current but will only produce less power (e.g., less heat or light).
Voltage Drop and the NEC
The 2005 National Electrical Code recommends that conductors for branch circuits should be sized to prevent a
3% maximum voltage drop (see 210.19 (A) FPN No. 4). For feeder circuits, the recommended limit is 3%. For
combination feeder and branch circuits the recommended limit is 5% (see 215.2 (A) (3) FPN No. 2). Also, the
NEC requires that grounding conductors must be increased in size when the circuit conductors are increased
for voltage drop. The NEC should be reviewed for other more specific application requirements with respect to
voltage drop.
More Information
For more information on calculating voltage drop, visit our “Engineering Technical Center” at the Okonite
website: http://www.okonite.com/engineering/voltage-regulation.html or see back for the office nearest you.
John R. Cancelosi
Manager, Application Engineering

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