Chapter Seven

Underground Cables

1
Introduction
Underground cables have several advantages such as
less liable to damage through storms or lightning, less
chances of faults, smaller voltage drop and better
general appearance.
However, their major drawback is that they have
greater installation cost and introduce insulation
problems at high voltages compared with the
equivalent overhead system.
For this reason, underground cables are employed
where it is impracticable to use overhead lines.

2
An underground cable essentially consists of one or
more conductors covered with suitable insulation and
surrounded by a protecting cover.
Several types of cables are available and the type of
cable to be used will depend upon the working voltage
and service requirements.
They may be classified in two ways according to the
type of insulating material used in their
manufacturing or/and the voltage for which they are
manufactured.

3
In general, an underground cable must fulfil the
following necessary requirements :
1. The conductor used should be tinned stranded
copper or aluminium of high conductivity. Stranding
is done so that conductor may become flexible and
carry more current.
2. The conductor size should be such that the cable
carries the desired load current without overheating
and causes voltage drop within permissible limits.

4
3. The cable must have proper thickness of insulation
in order to give high degree of safety and reliability at
the voltage for which it is designed.
4. The cable must be provided with suitable
mechanical protection so that it may withstand the
rough use in laying it.
5. The materials used in the manufacture of cables
should be such that there is complete chemical and
physical stability throughout.

5
Insulating Materials for Cables
In general, the insulating materials used in cables
should have the following properties :
1. High insulation resistance to avoid leakage current.
2. High dielectric strength to avoid electrical
breakdown of the cable.
3. High mechanical strength to withstand the
mechanical load on the cables.
4. Low cost so as to make the underground system a
viable proposition.

6
5. Non-inflammable.
6. Non-hygroscopic i.e., it should not absorb moisture
from air or soil. The moisture tends to decrease the
insulation resistance and hastens the breakdown of
the cable. In case the insulating material is
hygroscopic, it must be enclosed in a waterproof
covering like lead sheath.
7. Unaffected by acids and alkalies to avoid any
chemical action.

7
The principal insulating materials used in cables are:
Rubber
Vulcanised India Rubber (VIR)
Impregnated Paper
Varnished Cambric
Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)

8
Electric Stress in a Single-Core Cable
If the dielectric strength of the insulating material is
exceeded during the operation of the cable, the
insulation will break down.
Hence, the cable must be designed so that the electric
field strength, or the maximum electric stress, at the
surface of the conductor does not exceed that required
to break down the insulation.
It has been found that the optimal ratio of the radius
of the cable to the radius of the conductor is given by:
 𝑅 1
=2.718
𝑅2 9
Smaller ratios will result in unstable cable operation, in
that the dielectric will tend to break down.
Any ratio exceeding 2.718 will result in satisfactory
cable operation.
For economic reasons, however, it is best to maintain
the ratio close to 2.718.
10
Grading of Cables
In order to minimize the difference between the
maximum and minimum electric field strengths in the
cable, many cables contain several layers of dielectric
material.
This process is known as grading, and two types of
grading are commonly used. (Capacitance grading and
inter-sheath grading)

11
 In capacitance grading two or more layers of different
dielectrics are used to insulate a cable.
Two such layers are shown below and the
permittivities of these layers are so chosen that the
maximum field strength is the same in both regions.
For equal maximum field strengths, we must have:
𝜀 1 𝑅2 =𝜀 2 𝑅3
 
If is the maximum allowable electric field strength,
the operating voltage V of the cable is:
  𝑅2 𝑅1
(
𝑉 =𝐸𝑚𝑎𝑥 𝑅3 𝑙𝑛
𝑅3
+ 𝑅 2 𝑙𝑛
𝑅2) 12
13
In inter-sheath grading, the cable contains several
layers of a single dielectric material, separated by
coaxial metallic sheaths that are inserted into the
dielectric and maintained at predetermined voltages.
A cable with one such inter-sheath is shown below.

 𝑅 1𝑅2
= =𝑎
𝑅2 𝑅3

14
If
  the inter-sheath is kept at voltage , then at the surface
of the conductor 𝑉 −𝑉 𝑉 −𝑉
  1 1
𝐸3 𝑚𝑎𝑥 = =
𝑅2 𝑅3 𝑙𝑛𝑎
𝑅3 ln
( )𝑅3
At the surface of the inter-sheath, the maximum
electric field  is 𝑉1 𝑉1
𝐸2 𝑚𝑎𝑥 = =
𝑅1 𝑅2 𝑙𝑛𝑎
𝑅 2 ln
( )
𝑅2

For the maximum electric fields to be the same at these

two surfaces, we must have
15
Cable Capacitance
The capacitance per unit length of a single-conductor
cable is given by:
  in F/m

In a three-conductor cable, the capacitances between

pairs of conductors and between the conductors and
the sheath are shown below, where equilateral spacing
is assumed.
To find the capacitance per phase, the delta connected
capacitances are changed to their equivalent wye form.
16
17
Cable Inductance
The inductance per unit length of a single conductor
cable is given by:

Analytical expressions leading to the per phase

inductance of a three conductor cable are extremely
cumbersome and are beyond the scope of this course.

18
Dielectric Loss and Heating
 In an underground cable, heat is generated through
losses in the conductor and the sheath, and dielectric
loss in the insulation.
The dielectric loss in the insulation of the cable occurs
due to leakage currents.
In other words the capacitance of the cable may be
considered to be lossy, having a resistance as shown
below.

19
 The loss in

 In terms of the loss angle :

20
Overhead Lines versus Underground Cables
The inductance is more predominant in case of
overhead lines whereas capacitance in the case of
underground cables.
The large charging current on very high voltage cables
limits the use of cables for long length transmission.
The conductor in the overhead line is less expensive
than the underground cable. The size of the conductor
for the same power transmission is smaller in case of
overhead lines than the cables because of the better
heat dissipation in overhead line.

21
The insulation cost is more in case of cables than
overhead lines.
The erection cost of an overhead line is much less than
the underground cable.

22