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Si zi ng of power cabl es for ci rcui t breaker control l ed feeders (techni cal arti cl e by mr. Asi f Eqbal )
Asif Eqbal
Sizing of power cables for circuit breaker controlled feeders
(part 3)
Continued from article Sizing of power cables for circuit breaker controlled feeders (part 2)
3. Criteria Starting and running voltage drops in cable
This criterion is applied so that the cross sectional area of the cable is suf f icient to keep the voltage drop
(due to impedance of cable conductor) within the specif ied limit so that the equipment which is being
supplied power through that cable gets at least the minimum required voltage at its power supply input
terminal during starting and running condition both.
Cables shall be sized so that the maximum voltage drop between the supply source and the load when
carrying the design current does not exceed that which will ensure saf e and ef f icient operation of the
associated equipment. It is a requirement that the voltage at the equipment is greater than the lowest
operating voltage specif ied f or the equipment in the relevant equipment standard.
6.6kV substati on l ayout
So bef ore starting with calculation f or voltage drop let us f irst analyze that what is the permissible voltage
drop as per relevant standards and guidelines and what is the possible logic behind selecting these values
as the permissible values.
Indian standard 1255- CODE OF PRACTICE FOR INSTALLATION AND MAINTENANCE OF POWER
CABLES UP TO AND INCLUDING 33 kV RATING in its clause 4.2.3.4 mentions the permissible value f or
dif f erent cross sectional sizes of Aluminium conductor in volts/kM/Ampere f or cables f rom voltage grade of
1.1kV till 33kV. Since we calculate voltage drop in terms of percentage of source voltage, this clause is not
very widely used in basic as well as detailed engineering f raternity.
Its complex unit requires to be multiplied by cable length and ampacity. However one can def initely check f or
any cable size and length, what value is obtained in terms of percentage?
IEEE standard 525 Guide for the Design and Installation of Cable Systems in Substations in its
annexure C, clause number C3 mentions that Voltage drop is commonly expressed as a percentage of the
source voltage. An acceptable voltage drop is determined based on an overall knowledge of the system.
Typical limits are 3% f rom source to load center, 3% f rom load center to load, and 5% total f rom source to
load. These values are indicated diagrammatically below.
dV1 is the
drop f rom
source
(Transf ormer)
to load center
(PCC) which
should be less
than or equal
to 3%. Feeder
connecting
source to load
center is also
known as
primary f eeder.
dV2 is the
drop f rom load
center (PCC)
to individual
loads which
should be less
than 3%.
Feeder
connecting
load center to individual loads is also known as secondary f eeder.
dV2 = dV1 + dV2 is the total drop f rom source (Transf ormer) to load which should be less than or equal to
5%
So f ar we have underst ood:
1. What are primary and secondary f eeders?
2. What are the permissible values of voltage drop in cables f or dif f erent types of f eeder?
3. What are the governing standards f or permissible voltage drop values?
Now before proceeding further some fundamental question that should be asked is:
Even though all the electrical equipments are rated f or negative tolerance of 10% in voltage, and system
voltage variation allowed is also 10% on negative side than why do we design the cable f rom source to
load f or a voltage drop of 5% maximum, what is wrong if the cable is also designed f or voltage drop of
10%?
Well answer to this lies in the f act that there is a rule of thumb that 2 percent of voltage is lost at
terminations and other points like cable joints in a circuit between the power source and the load. Such
voltage loss are not indicated and accounted f or in cable sizing calculation. The cable sizing calculation
only considers the voltage drop in cable conductor f rom source to load. It is prudent to make certain that
the designed voltage drop does not exceed 5% to avoid problems af ter installation.
It is much more costly to remove and replace an existing cable or piece of equipment that is under rated
versus the cost of equipment and cables designed with a degree of extra size and avoid problems due to
inadequate voltage at the load.
The NEC recommends or requires a maximum voltage drop of 5%, but realistically connection impedances,
deterioration of terminals due to heat and age, etc; add resistance to the total circuit.
Top
Dif f erence between voltage drop and voltage dip?
A voltage dip is a decrease in the magnitude of a supply voltage having the duration of some cycles to
seconds. A voltage dip is a power quality problem which occurs due to:
Sudden change in the load, such as suddenly switching ON the large inductive load or any temporary f ault in
the utility side of the system and impedance of source (Transf ormer)
Voltage dip is a sort of transient negative side f luctuation of bus voltage which is experienced by all other
loads connected to that bus, however it is caused by switching ON of any one single load of large
magnitude. It is mainly experienced as a decrease in bus voltage due to starting of large motor. Since bus
voltage decreases so other loads connected to that bus experience a f luctuation of voltage. We of ten
come across this phenomenon at our home also when due to sudden switching ON of ref rigerator or an air
condition the voltage f luctuates.
Even in case of utility the addition of a large load will normally be scheduled with the utility so they can
project the time of day that a load, such as an of f ice or industrial plant, is turned on. Whereas the voltage
drop is the drop in supply voltage bef ore it reaches to the load. It is totally because of impedance of the
connecting cable. It is because of this reason that f or checking the adequacy of transf ormer MVA capacity
and suitability of its percentage impedance that we conduct voltage dip calculation af ter sizing of
transf ormer. Same can also be done by motor starting studies.
Now let us come back to the original topic that is voltage drop and its calculation. As we already know about
the permissible values of voltage drop so let us calculate and derive an expression f or the same in terms
of impedance of cable, cable length and source voltage.
Let us consider a ref erence phasor as V. Direction of V as X axis and perpendicular to V as Y axis.
Approximation OC = OF which is almost equal to OE as EF can be neglected because EF << OF
X component of voltage drop:
= Vdx = AE = AD + DE = AD + BG
= IRCos + IX Sin (Equation-1)
Y Component of voltage drop:
= Vdy = CE = CG-EG
= CG-BD
= IXCos IRSin (Equation-2)
X component of VS:
VSx = OE = (OC2 CE2)
VSx = VS2 Vdy2 (Equation-3)
V = OE AE = VSx Vdx (Equation-4)
Now Voltage drop Vd is:
Vd = VS V = VS (VSx Vdx)
(Putting the value of V f rom equation-4)
Vd = VS + Vdx VSx
Vd = VS + Vdx VS2 Vdy2 Equation -5 (Putting the value of VSx f rom equation-3)
Now substituting the values of Vdy and Vdx from equation-2 and equation-1 respectively:
Vd = VS + (IRCos + IX Sin) (VS2 (IXCos IRSin)2 (Equation -6)
Equation-6 is the final expression for voltage drop where:
VS = the supply voltage
I = the load current
R = the resistance of cable conductor in Ohms/kM
X = the reactance of cable conductor in Ohms/kM
The above equation f or voltage drop is recommended f or exact calculation as per IEEE-241, Recommended
Practice f or Electric Power Systems in Commercial Buildings, clause number 3.6.1 and IEEE-141,
Recommended Practice f or Electric Power Distribution f or Industrial Plants, clause number 3.11.1
Many consultants recommend the use of above f ormula f or exact calculation of voltage drop in cables
meant f or power plants. However as per IEEE-525, Guide f or the Design and Installation of Cable Systems
in Substations, equation number C.2b of Annexure C recommends the use of f ollowing f ormula:
Vd = IRCos + IXSin (Equation-7)
Since cable length is usually expressed in meters so bef ore substituting in above expression proper unit
conversion should be done.
Sometimes multiple runs of cable are used so number of runs should come as division f actor in above
expression f or equivalent resistance. Multiplying f actor of 3 is to be taken f or 3 phase system.
So we get two dif f erent f ormulas f or voltage drop f rom two standards of same code IEEE. However the
f ormula mentioned in equation number -6 can be approximated as f ormula given in equation-7, if the
vertical component of voltage drop Vdy is negligible as compared to supply voltage.
That is we are neglecting the vertical component of both the inductive drop and resistive drop. So
approximating VS-Vdy almost equal to VS the f ormula in equation-6 will be reduced to f ormula in equation-
7.
Resistance of cable conductor
Resistance of cable conductor is calculated f rom resistivity value of conductor material at 20 C, which is a
standard temperature f or testing adopted by all cable manuf acturers. Resistivity is concerted into
resistance by f ollowing f ormula:
Rdc = X L / A
Where:
= Resistivity at 20 C
L= 1 kM length
A = Cross sectional area of conductor.
This resistance is DC resistance at 20C. It is converted to DC resistance at 90 C by the f ollowing
conversion f ormula:
Rt = R
20
(1 + T)
Where:
R
20
= Resistance at 20 C
= Coef f icient of linier expansion of Aluminium
T = Temperature at which resistance is to be calculated
For sizing of cables f or AC system the resistance of conductor to be selected should be AC resistance at
90 C and not DC resistance. DC resistance is selected f or sizing of cables f or DC system like battery,
battery charger etc.
A conductor of f ers a greater resistance to a f low of alternating current than it does to direct current. When
the term ac resistance of a conductor is used, it means the DC resistance of that conductor plus an
increment that ref lects the increased apparent resistance in the conductor. This increment is mainly caused
by:
Skin ef f ect
This results in a decrease of current density toward the center of a conductor. A longitudinal element of the
conductor near the center is surrounded by more magnetic lines of f orce than is an element near the rim.
Thus, the counter-emf is greater in the center of the element. The net driving emf at the center element is
thus reduced with consequent reduction of current density. In simple terms the current tends to crowd
toward the outer surf ace.
Proximit y Ef f ect
In closely spaced ac conductors, there is a tendency f or the current to shif t to the portion of the conductor
that is away f rom the other conductors of that cable. This is called proximity ef f ect. The f lux linking the
conductor current in one conductor is distorted by the current in a nearby conductor which in turn causes a
distortion of the cross-sectional current distribution.
The above mentioned two f actors are f or increased resistance is generally expressed as the AC/DC
resistance ratio. There are other magnetic ef f ects can also cause an additional increase in AC/DC
resistance ratios. However we are not going to discuss them in this article. ac/dc ratio is determined by skin
ef f ect f actor and proximity ef f ect f actor.
Rac = (AC/DC) ratio x Rdc
For f requencies higher than 60 hertz, a correction f actor f or the values of resistance is applied as f ollows:
x = 0.027678 f/Rdc
Where:
f = f requency in hertz
Rdc = conductor DC resistance at operating temperature, in ohms per 1000 f eet. The inductance of a
multi-conductor cable mainly depends on the thickness of the insulation over the conductor.
Inductive reactance of cable conductor
The inductive reactance of an electrical circuit is based on Faradays law. That law states that the induced
voltage appearing in a circuit is proportional to the rate of change of the magnetic f lux that links it. The
inductance of an electrical circuit consisting of parallel conductors, such as a single-phase concentric
neutral cable may be calculated f rom the f ollowing equation:
XL = 2 f (0.1404 log S/r + 0.153) x 10
-3
Where:
XL = Ohms per 1000 f eet
S = Distance f rom the center of the cable conductor to the center of the neutral
r = Radius of the center conductor
S and r must be expressed in the same unit, such as inches.
Please note that we do not do any calculation f or f inding inductive reactance or resistance of cable. It is
cable manuf acturers job to do it and place the values in tabulated f orm in catalog. We directly select the
values f rom catalog as has been done above.
Now, in technical articles part-2 and part-1 we had considered the sizing of cable f or DOL motor f eeder
rated at 160kW supplied by 415V. Minimum required area was calculated as 3CX240 Sq mm Al, XLPE,
however due to continuous current requirement the cable cross section required was calculated as
3CX300 Sq mm.
Now let us check the running and starting voltage drop f or the same using exact equation-6 as well as
approximated equation-7.
Resistance of conductor of 3CX300 mm Sq Al, XLPE cable = 0.128 Ohms/kM (From manuf acturers
catalog)
Reactance of conductor of 3CX300 mm Sq Al, XLPE cable = 0.071 Ohms/kM (From manuf acturers
catalog)
Cable length = 150Mtr (assumed f or this calculation)
Running power f actor of motor = 0.85
Starting power f actor of Motor = 0.3
Starting current of motor = 6 times rated current
Assuming a drop of 1.5% in the cable f or incomer f eeder, that is f rom (source) to load center (PCC) which
we have not calculated here f or sake of simplicity and space limitation.
Modif ying equation-6 f or proper units:
L = length of cable = 150 Mtr
N = Number of parallel runs of cable = 1
Substituting the values all the values in the above equation:
Running voltage drop = 2.52% f rom load center (PCC) to Motor.
Total running voltage drop f rom source to load = dV1 + dV2 = 1.5% + 2.52% = 4.02% which is < 5%.
Starting voltage drop = 11.4% f rom load center (PCC) to Motor.
Hence total starting voltage drop f rom source to load = dV1 + dV2 = 1.5% + 11.4% = 12.9% which is < 15%.
As any motor is capable of starting properly if voltage available at its supply terminal is 85 to 80% of rated
voltage, hence the selected cable size of single run of 3CX300 Sq mm Aluminum, XLPE insulated conductor
is suf f icient in all conditions of running and starting f or motor rated at 160kW supplied by 415V and
situated at 150Mtrs f rom the load center.
Now we can verif y the above obtained result by the approximate f ormula so that we can analyze the
amount of approximation involved in using that f ormula.
Modif ying equation-7 f or proper units:
L = length of cable = 150 Mtr
N = Number of parallel runs of cable = 1
Substituting the values all the values in the above equation
Running voltage drop = 2.5% f rom load center (PCC) to Motor.
Total running voltage drop f rom source to load = dV1 + dV2 = 1.5% + 2.5% = 4.0% which is < 5%.
Starting voltage drop = 11.05% f rom load center (PCC) to Motor.
Hence total starting voltage drop f rom source to load = dV1 + dV2 = 1.5% + 11.05% = 12.55% which is <
15%.
Hence we can see that even the approximate f ormula does give accuracy till one place of decimal and can
be used. We can do a small case study by varying the cable length f rom 50 Mtrs to 150 Mtrs in steps of 15
Mtrs and analyze the dif f erence in voltage drop by the use of two f ormulas.
No. Cable Length Exact Formula Approximate Formula
Running Starting Running Starting
1 50 2.35% 5.20% 2.35% 5.18%
2 65 2.56% 6.35% 2.61% 6.29%
3 80 2.80% 7.47% 2.86% 7.39%
4 95 3.10% 8.60% 3.12% 8.50%
5 110 3.30% 9.70% 3.37% 9.60%
6 125 3.63% 10.00% 3.63% 10.70%
7 140 3.90% 12.10% 3.88% 11.81%
8 150 4.02% 12.90% 4.05% 12.55%
Hence we can observer that voltage drop only af ter one place of decimal as obtained by exact f ormula is
on lesser side where as approximate f ormula till the route length of 100 Mtrs gives voltage drop on higher
side. For route length above 100 Mtrs both the f ormulas almost converge to give same value of running
voltage drop.
Hence it is advisable to go f or exact f ormula as f ar as possible however the approximate f ormula also
gives the f airly accurate result.
With the completion of third and f inal criteria of voltage drop we come to the end of sizing of power cables
f or breaker controlled motor f eeders supplied by 415V supply. With this methodology readers can develop a
f ormulated excel sheet f or sizing of power cables f or circuit breaker controlled f eeders.
Ref erences:
1. Electrical power cable engineering, edited by William A Thue, Publishers: MARCELD EKKER INC.
NEW YORK
2. IEEE Red book
3. IEEE Grey book
4. IEEE-525
5. IEEE-835
6. Indian standard-1255 (second revision)