Development of A Software Package For Ca
Development of A Software Package For Ca
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4 authors, including:
Rohan Lucas
University of Moratuwa
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calculate ampacities is the predominant method used in
Sometimes there are no derating factors to address the U.S., IEC 287 is the predominant method used
different types of installation methods and internationally.
excessive thermal heat effects.
Transactions of the IEE Sri Lanka – September 2003 D.G.A.K.Wijeratna, J.R. Lucas, H.J.C.Peiris, H.Y.R.Perera
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Both methods employ the application of thermal From equation (2) a formula can be obtained for the
equivalents of Ohm's and Kirchoff's Laws to a simple permissible current as given in equation (3).
Transactions of the IEE Sri Lanka – September 2003 D.G.A.K.Wijeratna, J.R. Lucas, H.J.C.Peiris, H.Y.R.Perera
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2.2 Important parameters affecting ratings Conductor
2.2.1 Temperature
Insulation
Temperature rise is the most important parameter, but
this is governed by the base ambient temperature for Sheath/Screen
the given cable location and the maximum temperature
applicable to the insulation and cable construction. For
buried cables, if the soil is warm it absorbs less heat Bedding
and consequently the rating will be reduced.
Armour
2.2.2 Conditions of Installation
Outer Serving
A cable in air generally dissipates heat better than a
cable buried in the ground, but in this respect the cable Figure 2 - Cross section of a single core metal sheathed,
diameter (or more particularly the surface area) is more wire armoured power cable.
important. A few important points to note are as
follows. Nearly every part of a cable produces heat in one way
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or another. Within the external periphery of the cable
A direct buried cable dissipates heat more there are four heat sources produced by losses in the
readily than a cable in a duct. following.
• For buried cables the rating decreases with the i. Cable Conductor
depth of burial, because (it is assumed) the heat
finally goes to the ground surface. A deeper ii. Metallic Sheath/Screen
cable sees more total soil resistance. iii. Cable Armouring
• Soil thermal resistivity is also an important iv. Dielectric
factor. This determines how well the soil carries
away the heat.
3.1 Conductor I2R Loss
• Adjacent cables contribute heat and may induce
A loss occurs in the cable conductor, which is
additional losses in the cable itself. Closer
proportional to the conductor resistance and to the
cables have more effect in reducing the rating.
square of the current being carried and it is known as
2.2.3 Shielded grounding “I2R loss”. This loss normally represents the largest
heat source in the cable.
Multipoint grounding increases circulating currents in
When the cable carries a.c. currents, the conductor
the sheath. Therefore the losses will be increased and
resistance increases due to the skin and proximity
the rating will be decreased. Single-point grounding
effects. Skin effect is a phenomenon, which accounts
eliminates sheath currents, but induced voltages on the
for the increase in resistance of a conductor due to self-
sheath has to remain within given limits even away
from the grounded point. inductance. This effect causes the current density in
the conductor to be higher towards the outer surface.
2.2.4 Cable Design Although skin effect is generally considered negligible
at power frequency, the effect becomes significant
The cable design determines the ability to transfer heat
with larger cross sections (greater than 150 mm2).
from the conductors to the outer surface. This varies
with the materials used and the number of layers in the
Proximity effect is a phenomenon of mutual
construction.
inductance between the conductors of adjacent phases
which creates the tendency for the currents in these
3.0 POWER CABLE LOSSES conductors to flow along one side of the conductor
cross section. This effect can be disregarded for cables
A power cable consist of several components, some of smaller than about 185mm2 cross section.
which may or may not be present dependant on
requirements. The conductor and the insulation are the
most basic components seen in any power cable. As
3.2 Sheath/Screen Losses
the voltage increases other components are added to
The magnetic fields of the currents flowing in the
handle higher electrical stresses.
conductors induce e.m.f. s in the metallic sheath/screen
Figure 2 illustrates a cross section of a power cable
, which under certain conditions causes heavy currents
which consists of a bedding, metallic sheath, steel wire
to flow in the sheath/screen and generate losses.
armour and an outer jacket.
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There are two types of losses which occur as sheath The power factor of the cable insulation is dependent
eddy loss and the sheath circulating loss. Sheath eddy on frequency, temperature and applied voltage. It is of
loss is due to the induced eddy currents, which flow a very low order for low and medium voltage cables
circumferentially in the sheath/screen of the three-core but this value rises rapidly with higher voltages.
cable or in the sheath/screen of the three single core
cables. This loss reaches its maximum value when the 4.0 METHODOLOGY
cable conductors are situated as close as possible to
one another. The loss can be reduced by increasing the The main procedure followed in designing software
sheath resistance and by increasing the ratio of cable can be divided into four steps. The first step is to
spacing to sheath diameter. In many instances this loss obtain the system of equations from the IEC standard.
is small and can be disregarded. The algorithm is then developed according to the
The sheath circulating loss, which only occurs in system of equations. This algorithm is used for writing
single core cables systems, is due to induced current the program with Microsoft Visual Basic. The final
flowing along metallic sheath/screen and returning step is obtaining the required output from the program.
through the sheaths of the other phase or through earth. The main algorithm (i.e. the procedure for obtaining
This only exists when the sheaths of two or three the current rating of a power cable) is shown as a flow
single core cables are bonded together at two different chart in figure 3 .
positions, such as the ends of the cable route. This loss
decreases as the sheath resistance is increased and the Start
three cables are placed closer together. However, the
closer formation results in a greater eddy loss and also Calculate temperature difference (∆θ)
increases the mutual heating of the three cables.
Armour losses usually consist of the following. Calculate A.C. resistance (R)
• Losses due to currents in the armouring, both in
the form of circulating currents and eddy Calculate sheath loss factor (λ1)
currents.
• Losses due to magnetic field around the cable Calculate armour loss factor (λ2)
conductor under consideration and also losses
due to the fields caused by currents in other Calculate thermal resistances
conductors of a group of single core cables. T1, T2, T3, T4
These combined magnetic fields produce
significant hysterisis losses. Calculate continuous current (Icont)
For power cables with non-magnetic armour, the usual
practice is to take the combined sheath and armouring
resistance as a whole and to calculate all losses as The details of the yes
sheath losses. daily load cycle
available ?
Transactions of the IEE Sri Lanka – September 2003 D.G.A.K.Wijeratna, J.R. Lucas, H.J.C.Peiris, H.Y.R.Perera
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The maximum operating temperature varies according 4.5.1 Non-Magnetic Armour
to the type of insulation used. The ambient temperature
is usually taken as 30 oC for above ground installations The general procedure is to combine the calculation of
and 20 oC for underground installations. loss in the armour with that of the sheath. In place of
sheath resistance, a parallel combination of sheath and
4.2 Calculate Dielectric Loss (Wd) armour can be used (The root mean square value of
sheath and armour diameter replaces the mean sheath
As the dielectric loss is voltage dependant, it is taken diameter).
into account for values of equal or greater than the
limiting voltage level Uo related to the insulation 4.5.2 Magnetic armour
For the magnetic armour λ2 is calculated according to
material being used. Typical values are as follows.
Insulation Material U0 (kV) the armour type (i.e. steel wire or steel tape) and the
PVC 6 number of cores in the cable.
XLPE 63.5
The dielectric loss per unit length in each phase is 4.6 Calculate Thermal resistances
given by equation (4).
The heat path from the cable conductor(s) to the “sink”
Wd = ω CU02 tanδ (W/m) (4) of heat, traverses the following items in turn.
Insulation Metallic sheath Bedding
4.3 Calculate A.C. Resistance (R) Armor Outer Serving Ground or air
When considering steady conditions there is no
longitudinal heat flow in the cable, so that it is The thermal resistances of metallic portion of this heat
immaterial what length of the cable is considered when path are so small in comparison with others. Therefore
calculating the rating. It is convenient to use 1m. they can be neglected and the list now reduces to,
The a.c. resistance per unit length of the conductor at Insulation(T1) Bedding (T2)
its maximum operating temperature is given in Outer Serving (T3) Ground or air(T4)
equation (5)
R = R' (1 + y s + y p )
The total thermal resistance consists of resistances
partly in series and partly in parallel, so that it is
(5)
necessary to figure out the values of these so called
partial thermal resistances. Each partial resistance can
Factor (λ1)
4.4 Calculate Sheath/Screen Loss be split up into two factors, one being essentially the
thermal resistivity of the material and the other a
function of the material through which the heat passes
It is convenient to express sheath/screen losses as a
(The latter factor being called the geometric factor).
fraction of the conductor losses, as both are dependant
on the square of current. The dimensions of the cable affect the thermal
resistance, and calculations can be made in the case of
The power loss in the sheath or screen consists of single core cables, as the heat flow is radial to the core.
losses caused by circulating current (λ1’) and eddy However, multicore cables offer a very complex
current (λ1”) and is given in equation (6) problem owing to the distortion of the lines of heat
λ1=λ’1 +λ”1
flow. This problem has been resolved by the use of
(6) geometric factors. The calculation of these factors T1,
For single core cables with sheath bonded at both ends T2, T3 is dependant on the cable materials and cable
of an electrical section, only the loss due to circulating type.
current in the sheath needs to be considered. An With cables buried in the ground the heat transmitted
electrical section is defined as a portion of the route through the cable passes into the surrounding soil. No
between points at which the sheath or screens of all conclusive evidence is available regarding the nature
cables are solidly bonded. of heat flow in the soil, but the basis used for
Transactions of the IEE Sri Lanka – September 2003 D.G.A.K.Wijeratna, J.R. Lucas, H.J.C.Peiris, H.Y.R.Perera
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Porous or well-drained soils have a higher thermal Thus this software has been developed to meet the
resistivity. In the program four types of soil have been need for modern engineering software tools, and it can
considered according to the different weather be used with minimal training. This application can be
conditions. If there is a variation in soil resistivity over easily customized to the materials and practices used
a period of twelve months, the current rating should be by each member utility, allowing the ultimate user (for
based on the highest value of soil thermal resistivity example, a design technician with limited engineering
observed. expertise) to apply the program with maximum
efficiency and minimum complexity.
With cables carrying a heavy load continuously, some
drying out of the soil immediately surrounding the 5.1.1 Factors to be taken into account in using the
cable may occur, increasing the value of soil thermal software
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resistivity. But in the program it is considered that soil
− Above ground installation- 30oC
Ambient temperature
drying out does not occur and the value of soil thermal
− Underground installation-20oC
resistivity remains constant during the operation of the
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cable. The value of T4 is calculated considering all
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these factors. Power Frequency – 50 Hz
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Voltage – between 6 kV and 33 kV
4.7 Current Rating Installation Method – Single circuits directly
buried and laid in free air (protected from or
4.7.1 Calculate Continuous Current Rating (Icont) exposed to solar radiation)
The continuous current rating of the cable Icont is 5.2 The Operation
calculated using the equation 3 given in section 2. The program consists of several dialog boxes where
However, this equation has to be adjusted for catering the user can input the required details of the cable
to the effect of intensity of solar radiation, for cases of design for the calculation of current rating. Some data
cables laid in free air and directly exposed to the solar is user defined while some data has to be selected from
radiation. a menu.
4.7.2 Calculate Cyclic Rating For each component of the cable, a separate dialog
box is introduced and the user can enter the
Calculation of cyclic rating is varies according to the dimensions, material and type of the particular
details known about the daily load cycle. For this component. Before entering the data the user is given
program it is considered that only the loss load factor an option for selecting whether a particular component
(µ) of the load cycle is known. (Which can be is existing or not in the cable design, because other
calculated using the 24 hourly load values ). The cyclic than the main components (the conductor and the
rating factor (M) can be calculated using the equations insulation) some components may not always exist in a
given in the IEC 853 standard. The cyclic rating is cable design. The installation environment of the cable
obtained by multiplying the value of continuous is very important in ampacity calculation and the user
current (Icont) by the cyclic rating factor. can enter the laying method, installation method and
the soil condition for underground installations.
4.7.3 Assumptions made in the Current Rating
Calculation Procedure 5.2.1 Calculation of Continuous current rating
The following assumptions have been made. Once all the needed data has been entered, the user can
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proceed to the calculation part. The continuous current
Soil drying out does not occur. rating as well as the other parameters of the cable like
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a.c.. Resistance, dielectric loss, loss factors of metallic
Conditions do not vary along the cable route.
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components and thermal resistances of relevant layers
No axial heat transfer takes place. of the cable can be viewed on the screen by clicking a
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button on the screen. The user is also provided with the
Ground ambient temperature remains facility of altering the previously input data. The
constant. output results automatically updates accordingly.
5.2.3 Calculation Cyclic Rating
5. 0 THE SOFTWARE
For buried cables, if the pattern of the daily load cycle
5.1 An Overview is available (The user has to enter the value of the load
hourly for 24 hours in per unit values. i.e. Divide the
Users of Windows based software tools have become each hourly value by the maximum value of that cycle)
to expect a user-friendly graphic interface for the program can calculate the cyclic rating of the cable.
performing their tasks.
Transactions of the IEE Sri Lanka – September 2003 D.G.A.K.Wijeratna, J.R. Lucas, H.J.C.Peiris, H.Y.R.Perera
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5.2.4 Reporting • Consolidates many calculations into one
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simple to use program
Flexibility is provided in easily specifying the Can be used as a tool in designing cables
information to include in the final report including economically
input data and calculation results. Reports can be
directly printed out, previewed on screen and exported A series of cables sizes can be selected and the current
to TXT or HTML formats. rating can be calculated for different installation
methods and from that the optimum size can be
5.2.5 Error Handling selected which lies in the economic range while giving
the desired load capacity. Apart from that the cable
The program needs all the required data of the cable materials and the dimensions of different layers can
components and the installation type as the input for also be changed according the cost of these materials
the program. In the case of missing the required data in designing the cables economically.
the program may get halted while executing or may
output incorrect results. There are several techniques Engineers familiar with manually performing cable
used in the program for preventing the occurrence of calculations will be happy with the flexibility and
this and for justifying the correctness of the output robustness of this software. The customer can use this
results. program as a guide for checking the correct ampacity
values specified by the manufacturer if the details of
the cable are given to the customer when purchasing a
5.3 The Results
new cable.
A sample data from a cable’s manufacturer’s data
sheet is included in the program for the demonstration 6.1 Suggestion for the improvement of
purposes of the software. the software
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of cables.
The results obtained for the value of the continuous Other types of cables such as pipe type cables
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current ratings were about 15% higher than the values and oil filled cables can be considered.
given in the cable manufacturer’s data sheet. Calculations can be expanded to consider
high voltage power cables. (greater than 33
However as the details of the installed environment kV)
(like buried depth, soil condition/weather condition
etc.) are not given in the data sheet, the values are
more conservative in the data sheets. Thus the
7.0 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
calculated values cannot be directly compared with the
values given in the data sheet, and the values obtained The authors wish to express their deepest gratitude to
can be considered to be acceptable. to the staff members of the department of Electrical
Engineering, University of Moratuwa for the help
given in making the project a success. They also wish
to thank Mr. Chandana Samarasinghe of CEB for
6.0 CONCLUSION supporting them to obtain the required IEC standards.
Thanks are also due to Mr. K. Sooriyabandara of
Simply stated the purpose of this project is to calculate Kelani Cables (Pvt.) Ltd. for the assistance given.
current rating of a cable based on a set of user inputs.
User inputs include, but are not limited to cable Finally the support given by Dr. K.M. Liyanage and
dimensions and materials, cable layout and cable the staff at the Computing Centre, University of
operating conditions. The program is useful for both Peradeniya in completing the project successfully is
the customer and the manufacturer. This also permits deeply appreciated.
quick and easy comparison between cable
manufacturers and designs.
8.0 REFERENCES
In short this software is a valuable tool because it
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[1] Barnes C.C. Power Cables: Their Design and
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Automates time consuming process Installation. London: Chapman & Hall Ltd.,
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Handles many cable types and configurations 1966.
Provide quick and accurate results without
table lookups
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[2] British Insulated Callender’s Cables Limited. Appendix
High Voltage Cables, 2nd edition, 1948.
∆θ =Temperature difference
cables,www.southwire.com/tech/library, June yp =Proximity effect factor
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