University of Cape Town

Department of Electrical Engineering

EEE4115F 2021

CABLES

A power system comprises sources, loads and connections between them. The connection is
usually by metallic conductor. Various names are used: wire, cable, feeder, branch, transmission
line, distributor, etc.

Overhead lines usually comprise bare conductor, insulated by the air, supported above the ground
on structures, from which the conductors are insulated.

Cables are insulated from their surroundings by a non-conducting sheath. Cables are usually
installed underground, on cable trays, or fixed to supports. Sometimes cables are supported as
overhead lines (aerial bundle conductor cables).

Selecting a cable or conductor

There are several constraints on the selection of conductors and cables:

• voltage drop
• continuous and short-time thermal rating
• mechanical strength
• environment
• cost

The performance and cost are affected by the materials, construction and installation, so consider
the alternatives.

Cable insulation

The insulation for cables extends over the whole length of the conductor. It has to be flexible,
resistant to the effects of heating, mechanically strong to resist damage, as well as being a good
insulator. Early cables were insulated with double layers of cotton or with rubber. Modern cable
insulations include:
• PVC (polyvinyl chloride)
• oil impregnated paper, encased in a layer of lead (PILC) or corrugated aluminium
• XLPE (cross linked polyethylene)

A single conductor in a layer of insulation is an insulated wire or a single-core cable. Several cores,
insulated from each other, can be manufactured in one cable. The cores of multi-core cables may
be round or shaped.

The cable may be armoured to resist physical damage by layers of steel wire, steel tape or medium
density polyethylene (MDPE). The outside of the cable may be covered with a layer of PVC or
tarred jute to reduce water penetration to the armouring.

Special cables are made using fire-retardant insulation for safety-critical installations.
Environmental regulations also require cables with special reduced smoke/chemical emissions in
cases of fire.

The structure of typical cables are illustrated in Figure 1.

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Figure 1: Multi-core cable construction [Aberdare]

Current-carrying capacity of conductors and cables

Conductor heating

Conductor resistance depends on the resistivity of the conductor material, the cross-sectional area
and the length.

The current flowing through the resistance of the conductor results in:
• voltage drop dV = I.R
• power loss P = dV.I = I2.R
• energy loss P.t = I2.R.t during period t

These equations apply for dc, and the equations for ac are very similar (dV = I.Z, and power loss =
|I|2.R), provided the ac current is defined as Irms.

Consider a conductor made up of many short lengths in series, as shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2: Distributed resistance in a conductor

The heat generated as losses in the conductor will heat the conductor, but is dissipated radially into
the surroundings, as illustrated in Figure 3 for an overhead line or an underground cable.

Figure 3: Heat dissipation from a conductor or cable

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The rate of cooling increases with:
• Greater difference in temperature between the conductor and its surroundings
(ambient). The ambient conditions used for most installations in SA are indicated in
Table 1.

Table 1: Ambient conditions for conductors in South Africa

Overhead line PVC cable XLPE cable
Maximum operating temperature 90C 70C 90C
Ambient temperature 30C (air) 25C (ground)
Ground thermal resistivity 1,2 K.m/W

• For overhead conductors: higher wind speed and lower energy absorption from solar
radiation.
• For underground cables: lower ground thermal resistivity.

Continuous current rating

The continuous rating, when time t is long, (called the thermal rating or the continuous current
carrying capacity) describes the condition when:
Rate of heat generated in the conductor resistance = Rate of heat lost by cooling.
The ‘rate” is measured by the power I2.R and R is virtually constant,
Therefore, P  I2 and the thermal rating can be expressed in [A]
Note the thermal rating is independent of the operating voltage of the conductor. Small differences
arise for cables operating at different voltages because of the temperature limits of the insulation
and the effects of cable insulation on the heat transfer. Some typical nominal thermal ratings for
cables are shown in Table 2
Table 2: Some typical nominal thermal ratings for cables
Area of each 3-core Al PILC 2-coreCu PVC 1-core Cu XLPE
conductor [mm2] in ground [A] in ground [A] in ground [A]
1,5 23
2,5 30
4 38
6 48
10 64
16 82
25 80 126 169
35 100 147 205
50 125 176 245
70 155 215 302
95 185 257 366
120 210 292 422

The thermal rating must be adjusted if the conditions of the installation differ from the standard
conditions defining the nominal rating, as shown in Table 3.

Table 3: Derating factors for underground cables

Ground temperature C 25 30 35 40
Derating factor for XLPE cable 1 0.96 0.92 0.88
Derating factor for PVC cable 1 0.95 0.90 0.85
Ground thermal resistivity [K.m/W] 1.0 1.2 1.5 2.0
Derating factor 1.08 1 0.93 0.83
Depth of burial [mm] 500 800 1000 1250
Derating factor 1 0.97 0.95 0.94
2 cables laid together, spacing [mm] Touching 150 300 600
Derating factor 0.81 0.87 0.91 0.94

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Example 1: Determine the continuous current rating of a 16 mm2 2-core copper PVC cable,
buried 800 mm deep in clay soil with thermal resistivity 1,5 K.m/W and ground temperature 25°C.

From Table 4 Current rating = 82 A

From Table 5 Derating factor for temperature 1
Derating factor for thermal resistivity 0,93
Derating factor for depth 0,97
Effective current rating = 82 x 0,93 x 0,97 = 74 A

The effective current rating limits the maximum load which can be delivered by an overhead line or
cable.
Example 2: Calculate the maximum power that can be delivered by the cable operating at 230 Vac
if the load power factor is 0,85.

Effective maximum current 74 A

Voltage at load 230 V
Maximum apparent power S  230 x 74 = 17,02 kVA
Maximum power P = S cos = 17,02 x 0,85 = 14,47 kW

Example 3: Calculate the power delivered if the cable operates at 550 V and the load power factor is
0,95.

Imax = 74 A
P = 550 x 74 x 0,95 / 1000 = 38,67 kW
This power could be delivered at 230 V, but a larger size cable would be needed.

Exercise: Draw a graph of power delivered (at upf and at pf=0,9) against cable size, using 2-core
copper PVC cable operating at 230 or 550 V, where the overall current capacity derating factor is
0,95.

Fault rating

The maximum operating temperature allows for extra heating caused by a fault. Fault current flows
for only a short time, after which the circuit breaker trips or the fuse blows to protect the system. It
is assumed that no heat can be dissipated during the short period of the fault. All the energy is
converted into raising the temperature of the conductor. Factors affecting the temperature rise
include:
• specific heat of conductor
• size of conductor
• duration of fault current

The allowable short circuit current [A] is defined by

Isc = k.A/√t
where k = constant combining temperature limits and conductor material, as shown in Table 4
A = area of conductor [mm2]
t = duration of short circuit [s]

Table 4: Short circuit constants

Insulation Operating SC final Conductor k [A/mm2]
material temperature temperature material
PVC or PILC 70 160 Copper 115
Aluminium 76
XLPE 90 250 Copper 143
Aluminium 92

Example 4: Calculate the maximum allowable fault duration for 35 mm2 Cu XLPE cable if the
fault current is 7 kA.
T = (k.A/Isc)2 sec = (143 x 35 / 7000)2 = 0,51 sec

Cable selection exercise: Select a 12,7 kV 1-core copper conductor XLPE cable to supply a load
of 2,7 MW at power factor of 0,90. Two cables (phase and neutral) are laid together in the ground,
touching, and no other derating factor applies. A fault current of 12 kA could flow for up to 1,2 sec.
The cable size must be adequate for the continuous current rating and the fault current.

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