CABLE SIZING CALCULATION
RIO GLEN JOSUA
ABOUT
Sizing Of Electrical Cables (I.E. Cross-sectional Area) And Its Implementation In Various International Standards
WHY WE DO CALCULATION?
The proper sizing of an electrical (load bearing) cable is important to ensure that the cable can :
o Operate continuously under full load without being
o Withstand the worst short circuits currents flowing through the cable
o Provide the load with a suitable voltage (and avoid excessive voltage drops)
o Ensure operation of protective devices during an earth fault (Optional)
WHEN WE DO CALCULATION?
This calculation can be done individually for each power cable that needs to be sized, or alternatively, it can be used to
produce cable sizing waterfall charts for groups of cables with similar characteristics (e.g. cables installed on ladder
feeding induction motors).
GENERAL METHODOLOGY
STEPS
All cable sizing methods more or less follow the same basic six step process:
1) Gathering data about the cable, its installation conditions, the load that it will carry, etc
2) Determine the minimum cable size based on continuous current carrying capacity
3) Determine the minimum cable size based on voltage drop considerations
4) Determine the minimum cable size based on short circuit temperature rise
5) Determine the minimum cable size based on earth fault loop impedance
6) Select the cable based on the highest of the sizes calculated in step 2, 3, 4 and 5
1. DATA GATHERING
The first step is to collate the relevant information that is required to perform the sizing calculation. Typically, you will
need to obtain the following data:
1. Load Details
- Load type: motor or feeder
- Three phase, single phase or DC
- System / source voltage
- Full load current (A) - or calculate this if the load is defined in terms of power (kW)
- Full load power factor (pu)
- Locked rotor or load starting current (A)
- Starting power factor (pu)
- Distance / length of cable run from source to load - this length should be as close as possible to the actual
route of the cable and include enough contingency for vertical drops / rises and termination of the cable
tails
2. Cable Construction
- The basic characteristics of the cable's physical construction, which includes:
- Conductor material - normally copper or Aluminum
- Conductor shape - e.g. circular or shaped
- Conductor type - e.g. stranded or solid
- Conductor surface coating - e.g. plain (no coating), tinned, silver or nickel
- Insulation type - e.g. PVC, XLPE, EPR
- Number of cores - single core or multicore (e.g. 2C, 3C or 4C
3. Installation Conditions
How the cable will be installed, which includes:
- Above ground or underground
- Installation / arrangement - e.g. for underground cables, is it directly buried or buried in conduit? for
above ground cables, is it installed on cable tray / ladder, against a wall, in air, etc.
- Ambient or soil temperature of the installation site
- Cable bunching, i.e. the number of cables that are bunched together
- Cable spacing, i.e. whether cables are installed touching or spaced
- Soil thermal resistivity (for underground cables)
- Depth of laying (for underground cables)
For single core three-phase cables, are the cables installed in trefoil or laid flat?
2. CABLE SELECTION BASED ON CURRENT
RATING
Current flowing through a cable generates heat through the resistive losses in the conductors, dielectric losses
through the insulation and resistive losses from current flowing through any cable screens / shields and
armouring.
The component parts that make up the cable (e.g. conductors, insulation, bedding, sheath, armour, etc) must be
capable of withstanding the temperature rise and heat emanating from the cable. The current carrying capacity of a
cable is the maximum current that can flow continuously through a cable without damaging the cable's insulation and
other components (e.g. bedding, sheath, etc). It is sometimes also referred to as the continuous current rating or
ampacity of a cable.
Cables with larger conductor cross-sectional areas (i.e. more copper or Aluminum) have lower resistive losses and
are able to dissipate the heat better than smaller cables. Therefore a 16 mm2 cable will have a higher current carrying
capacity than a 4 mm2 cable.
Base Current Ratings
International standards and manufacturers
of cables will quote base current ratings of
different types of cables in tables such as the one
shown on the right. Each of these tables pertain
to a specific type of cable construction (e.g.
copper conductor, PVC insulated, 0.6/1kV voltage
grade, etc) and a base set of installation
conditions (e.g. ambient temperature, installation
method, etc). It is important to note that the
current ratings are only valid for the quoted types
of cables and base installation conditions.
Installed Current Ratings
When the proposed installation conditions differ from the base conditions, derating (or correction) factors can be
applied to the base current ratings to obtain the actual installed current ratings. International standards and cable
manufacturers will provide derating factors for a range of installa conditions, for example ambient / soil temperature,
grouping or bunching of cables, soil thermal resistivity, etc. The installed current rating is calculated by multiplying
the base current rating with each of the derating factors, i.e :
𝐼𝑐 = 𝐼𝐵 × 𝐾𝑑
Where :
𝐼𝑐 is the installed current rating (A); 𝐼𝐵 is the base current rating (A); 𝐾𝑑 are the product of all the derating factors
For example, suppose a cable had an ambient temperature derating factor of 𝐾𝑎𝑚𝑏 = 0.94 and a grouping
derating factor of kg = 0.85, then the overall derating factor 𝐾𝑑 = 0.94 x 0.85 = 0.799 . For a cable with a base current
rating of 42A, the installed current rating would be 𝐼𝑐 = 0.799x42 = 33.6A
Cable Selection and Coordination with Protective Devices
1. Feeders
When sizing cables for non-motor loads, the upstream protective device (fuse or circuit breaker) is typically
selected to also protect the cable against damage from Thermal Overload The protective device must therefore be
selected to exceed the full load current, but not exceed the cable's installed current rating, i.e. this inequality must be
met :
𝐼𝑛 ≤ 𝐼𝑝 ≤ 𝐼𝑐
Where :
𝐼𝑛 is the full load current (A); 𝐼𝑝 is s the protective device rating (A); 𝐼𝑐 is the installed cable current rating (A)
2. Feeders
Motors are normally protected by a separate thermal overload (TOL) relay and therefore the upstream protective
device (e.g. fuse or circuit breaker) is not required to protect the cable against overloads. As a result, cables need only
to be sized to cater for the full load current of the motor, i.e :
𝐼𝑛 ≤ 𝐼𝑐
Where :
𝐼𝑛 is the full load current (A); 𝐼𝑐 is the installed cable current rating (A)
Of course, if there is no separate thermal overload protection on the motor, then the protective device needs to be
taken into account as per the case for feeders above.
3. VOLTAGE DROP
A cable's conductor can be seen as an impedance and therefore whenever current flows through a cable, there will
be a voltage drop across it, which can be derived by Ohm’s Law. The voltage drop will depend on two things :
- Current flow through the cable
- Impedance of the conductor
Cable Impedances
The impedance of the cable is a function of the cable size (cross-sectional area) and the length of the cable. Most cable
manufacturers will quote a cable’s resistance and reactance in Ω/km
Calculating Voltage Drop
Full load currents are normally used, but if the load has high startup currents (e.g. motors), then voltage drops based on
starting current (and power factor if applicable) should also be calculated.
For a three phase system :
𝟑𝑰(𝑹𝒄 cos 𝜽 + 𝑿𝒄 cos 𝜽)𝐿
𝑽𝟑∅ =
𝟏𝟎𝟎𝟎
For a DC system :
𝟐𝑰𝑹𝑳
𝑽𝑫𝑪 =
𝟏𝟎𝟎𝟎
Max. Permissible Voltage Drop
It is customary for standards (or clients) to specify maximum permissible voltage drops, which is the highest
voltage drop that is allowed across a cable. Should your cable exceed this voltage drop, then a larger cable size should
be selected.
Maximum voltage drops across a cable are specified because load consumers (e.g. appliances) will have an input
voltage tolerance range. This means that if the voltage at the appliance is lower than its rated minimum voltage, then
the appliance may not operate correctly.
In general, most electrical equipment will operate normally at a voltage as low as 80% nominal voltage. For
example, if the nominal voltage is 230VAC, then most appliances will run at >184VAC. Cables are typically sized for a
more conservative maximum voltage drop, , in the range of 5 – 10% at full load.
Calculating Maximum Cable Length due to Voltage Drop
It may be more convenient to calculate the maximum length of a cable for a particular conductor size given a
maximum permissible voltage drop (e.g. 5% of nominal voltage at full load) rather than the voltage drop itself. For
example, by doing this it is possible to construct tables showing the maximum lengths corresponding to different cable
sizes in order to speed up the selection of similar type cables.
The maximum cable length that will achieve this can be calculated by re-arranging the voltage drop equations and
substituting the maximum permissible voltage drop (e.g. 5% of 415V nominal voltage = 20.75V).
For a three phase system:
𝟏𝟎𝟎𝟎𝑽𝟑∅
𝑳𝑴𝑨𝑿 =
𝟑𝑰(𝑹𝒄 cos 𝜽 + 𝑿𝒄 cos 𝜽)
For a DC system:
𝟏𝟎𝟎𝟎𝑽𝑫𝑪
𝑳𝑴𝑨𝑿 =
𝟐𝑹𝑳
4. SHORT CIRCUIT TEMPERATURE RISE
During a short circuit, a high amount of current can flow through a cable for a short time. This surge in current flow
causes a temperature rise within the cable. High temperatures can trigger unwanted reactions in the cable insulation,
sheath materials and other components, which can prematurely degrade the condition of the cable. As the cross-
sectional area of the cable increases, it can dissipate higher fault currents for a given temperature rise Therefore, cables
should be sized to withstand the largest short circuit that it is expected to see.
Minimum Cable Size Due to Short Circuit Temperature Rise
The minimum cable size due to short circuit temperature rise is typically calculated with an equation of the form :
𝒊𝟐 𝒕
𝑨=
𝒌
Where :
A = is the minimum cross-sectional area of the cable (mm2)
i = is the prospective short circuit current (A)
t = is the duration of the short circuit (s)
k = is a short circuit temperature rise constant
The temperature rise constant is calculated based on the material properties of the conductor and the initial and final
conductor temperatures. Different international standards have different treatments of the temperature rise constant,
but by way of example, IEC 60364-5-54 calculates it as follows :
𝜃𝑓 − 𝜃𝑖
𝒌 = 𝟐𝟐𝟔 ln 1 + for copper conductor
234.5+𝜃𝑖
𝜃𝑓 − 𝜃𝑖
𝒌 = 𝟏𝟒𝟖 ln 1 + for Aluminium conductor
228+𝜃𝑖
Where :
𝜃𝑓 = is the final conductor temperature (deg C)
𝜃𝑖 = is the initial conductor temperature (deg C)
Initial Final Conductor Temperature
The initial conductor temperature is typically chosen to be the maximum operating temperature of the cable. The
final conductor temperature is typically chosen to be the limiting temperature of the insulation. In general, the cable's
insulation will determine the maximum operating temperature and limiting temperatures.
Short Circuit Energy
The short circuit energy 𝒊𝟐 𝒕 is normally chosen as the maximum short circuit that the cable could potentially experience.
However for circuits with current limiting devices (such as HRC fuses), then the short circuit energy chosen should be the
maximum prospective let- -through energy of the protective device, which can be found from manufacturer data.
5. EARTH FAULT LOOP IMPEDANCE
Sometimes it is desirable (or necessary) to consider the earth fault loop impedance of a circuit in the sizing of a
cable. Suppose a bolted earth fault occurs between an active conductor and earth. During such an earth fault, it is
desirable that the upstream protective device acts to interrupt the fault within a maximum disconnection time so as to
protect against any inadvertent contact to exposed live parts.
Ideally the circuit will have earth fault protection, in which case the protection will be fast acting and well within the
maximum disconnection time. The maximum disconnection time is chosen so that a dangerous touch voltage does not
persist for long enough to cause injury or death. For most circuits, a maximum disconnection time of 5s is sufficient,
though for portable equipment and socket outlets, a faster disconnection time is desirable (i.e. < 1 s and will definitely
require earth fault protection).
However for circuits that do not have earth fault protection, the upstream protective device (i.e. fuse or circuit breaker)
must trip within the maximum disconnection time. In order for the protective device to trip, the fault current due to a
bolted short circuit must exceed the value that will cause the protective device to act within the maximum disconnection
time. For example, suppose a circuit is protected by a fuse and the maximum disconnection time is 5s, then the fault
current must exceed the fuse melting current at 5s (which can be found by cross-referencing the fuse time-current
curves).
By simple application of Ohm's law :
𝑽𝟎
𝑰𝑨 =
𝒁𝒔
Where 𝑰𝑨 is the earth fault is current required to trip the protective device within the minimum disconnection time
(A) 𝑽𝟎 is the phase to earth voltage at the protective device (V) and 𝒁𝒔 is the impedance of the earth fault loop (Ω).
It can be seen from the equation above that the impedance of the earth fault loop must be sufficiently low to
ensure that the earth fault current can trip the upstream protection.
The Earth Fault Loop
The earth fault loop can consist of various return paths other than the earth conductor, including the cable armour
and the static earthing connection of the facility. However for practical reasons, the earth fault loop in this calculation
consists only of the active conductor and the earth conductor.
The earth fault loop impedance can be found by :
𝒁𝒔 = 𝒁𝒄 + 𝒁𝒆
Where :
𝒁𝒔 = the earth fault loop impedance
𝒁𝒄 = the impedance of the active conductor
𝒁𝒆 = the impedance of the earth conductor
Assuming that the active and earth conductors have identical lengths, the earth fault loop impedance can be
calculated as follows :
𝑳 𝟐 𝟐
𝒁𝒔 = 𝑹 𝒄 + 𝑹𝒆 + 𝑿𝒄 + 𝑿𝒆
𝟏𝟎𝟎𝟎
Where 𝑳 is the length of the cable (m) ; 𝑹𝒄 dan 𝑹𝒆 are the ac resistances of the active and earth conductors respectively
(ohm/km); 𝑿𝒄 dan 𝑿𝒆 are the reactances of the active and earth conductors respectively (ohm/km)
Maximum Cable Length
The maximum earth fault loop impedance can be found by re-arranging the equation above :
𝑽𝟎
𝒁𝒔 𝒎𝒂𝒙 =
𝑰𝑨
Where 𝒁𝒔 𝒎𝒂𝒙 is the maximum earth fault loop impedance (ohm); 𝑽𝟎 is the phase to earth voltage at the protective
device (V); 𝑰𝑨 is the earth fault current required to trip the protective device within the minimum disconnection time (A)
The maximum cable length can therefore be calculated by the following:
𝟏𝟎𝟎𝟎𝑽𝟎
𝑳𝒎𝒂𝒙 =
𝑰𝑨 𝑹𝒄 + 𝑹𝒆 𝟐 + 𝑿𝒄 + 𝑿𝒆 𝟐
Note that the voltage 𝑽𝟎 at the protective device is not necessarily the nominal phase to earth voltage, but usually a
lower value as it can be downstream of the main busbar. This voltage is commonly represented by applying some factor c
to the nominal voltage. A conservative value of c = 0.8 can be use so that :
𝑽𝟎 = 𝒄𝑽𝒏 = 𝟎. 𝟖𝑽𝒏
Where 𝑽𝒏 is the nominal phase to earth voltage (V)
THANK YOU
