Cable size and Voltage drop calculation for

LT / LV (Low tension/Low voltage)

Purpose

The purpose of this document is lay to down the guidelines and design procedure for
performing the LV cable size  and voltage drop calculation.

Relevant IS standards:-

IS:694/1990 for PVC cable

IS:1554 part-1/ 1998 for heavy duty PVC cable

IS: 7098 part-1 /1988 for XLPE cable

Procedure

The  cable size is selected base on the four following consideration:-

1. Cable Derating Amp should be higher than Full Load Current of Load.

2. Cable voltage drop should be less than De ned voltage drop .

3. No of Run of Cable ≥= (Full Load current / Cable Derating Current).

4. Cable Short Circuit Capacity should be higher than System S.C Capacity.

Steps for cable size & voltage drop calculation–

Following steps are to be followed to conclude proper techno-economical cable size and
voltage drop for a consumer.

Step-1:- Cable Size According To Load Current

Calculate load current for a consumer using following formulas

                             IL     =   KW   / (∛ * V * pf )

Where ,

                    IL      =       Load current of the electrical consumer (in Amp)

                   KW  =   Output KW nameplate Rating of the load .In case of a battery charger    
                                  maximum  load considering normal load + boost charging to be            
                                    considered.
                      V   =    Line to line voltage in case of 3 ph ac line to phase in case of 1 ph AC /  
                                     DC  voltage  in case of Dc ( in KV and name plate voltage rating of the
                                       consumer, not the switchgear bus voltage) in KV.

                      Pf      =    Power factor in case of AC voltage at rated load

Compare the cable size as per short circuit and according to load current select the
higher cable size.

Step-2 E ective current carrying capacity (D Rating factor / Rating factor)

The current carrying capacity of a cable corresponds t the maximum current that it can
carry under speci ed conditions without the conductors exceeding the permissible limit
of steady state temperature for the type of insulation concerned. Derating factor or
correction factor(C) shall be applied every where the installation condition di er from
those for which values of current carrying capacity are de ned derating factors generally
considered are as follows:

              a) In ground Installation (Direct Burial)

C  =Cs * Cg * Cd *Ct
Where,
               Cs = Rating factor for variation in ground temperature

              Cg= Rating factor for Group of cables

               Cd= Rating factor for Depth of laying

               Ct=Rating for thermal resistivity) Above ground installation

 

b)  Above Ground Installation 

                             C = Ca * Cg

Where,

              Ca= Rating factor for variation in ambient air temperature      

             Cg= Rating factor for Grouping cables

C)    Values of di erent derating factors for calculating ‘C’ shall be taken as per                    
          manufacture catalogs. The value of C thus calculated is multiplied by the cables        
            continuous current obtained from the standard tables and gives the derated
current             capacity of cables.

D)      In case cables laid partially in air and large size in ground, take the derating                
           factor from ground calculation.
Total load current after derating Factor (Purpose for select the cable from manufacture
data sheet for voltage drop calculation)

                       I   = I˪/C

Step-3 Veri cation of cable size according to permissible voltage drop during steady state
operating conditions and motor start up.

For Three Phase circuits

Voltage drop can be computed using the formula

%Vd =   ∛ * I * L (Rac *Cos???? + X * Sin????)* 100   / (N * V *1000)

Vd =   ∛ * I * L (Rac *Cos???? + X * Sin????)  / (N * 1000)

For Single Phase Circuit

Vd =   2 * I * L (Rac *Cos???? + X * Sin????)* 100   / 1000

Where,

             Vd = Voltage drop percentage

           ????    = Power factor angles as considered to calculate I

             L    = Line current in Amps

              V    = System voltage in Volts

             Rac = Ac conductor resistance at maximum rated conductor temperature in KM    

                            ohms per KM (70 deg C for PVC,  90 deg C for XLPE

             X    = Reactance in ohms per km at rated frequency

              L    = Cable length in Km

              N   = Number of runs (for star delta feeder, minimum no of runs is 2)

Indian Electricity Rules  specify maximum voltage variation from the declared  voltage
at consumer’s supply point as  +65 for LV and MV +6%, -9% for HV and + 10%, 12.5% for
EHV systems.

Rating factor:-
Rating factor for variation in ambient temperature for cable laid in air

Air in Temp in C 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60

MV cable XLPE
1.16 1.11 1.06 1.00 0.094 0.88 0.81 0.74
insulated

 
Rating factor for variation in ground temperature for cable laid in direct ground

Ground Temp in C 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50

MV cable XLPE
1.12 1.08 1.04 1.00 0.96 0.91 0.87 0.82
insulated

Rating factor for Depth of laying for cable lay in direct in ground
 

Depth of laying 3000 &

750 1050 1200 1500 1800 2000 2500
in mm above

MV cable XLPE
1.00 0.99 0.97 0.95 0.94 0.93 0.87 0.90
insulated

Group rating factors for circuits of three core cables lay direct in ground

Spacing
No of between
cables in cable 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Group centre in
mm

Touching 1 0.8 0.68 0.62 0.58 0.55 0.52 0.50 0.48 0.46 0.45 0.44
MV cable
XLPE 
150 1 0.84 0.74 0.69 0.65 0.62 0.59 0.57 0.55 0.54 0.53 0.52
insulated
300 1 0.87 0.79 0.75 0.72 0.69 0.67 0.66 0.65 0.64 0.63 0.62
Source:
OMAN 450 1 0.90 0.83 0.80 0.77 0.75 0.73 0.72 0.71 0.70 0.70 0.69
Cables
600 1 0.91 0.86 0.83 0.80 0.78 0.77 0.75 0.75 0.74 0.74 0.73

Soil Correction Factor of Soil (When Thermal Resistance of Soil is not known)

Nature of Soil Ct

Very Wet Soil 1.21

Wet Soil 1.13

Damp Soil 1.05

Dry Soil 1

Very Dry Soil 0.86

 
 let’s take  Quick Example
Q- Which cable size use for 3 phase motor for buried / underground cable?

Data Available/ Require

Motor Rating 100 HP ,

Temperature is approximate 45 C,

Distance 300 mtr ,

Depth of laying depth in 750 mm,

Number of cable per trench is 1,

Soil resistivity (Mostly provided by Civil department) 1,

Demand factor is 1,

System short circuit capacity 6 ka.

power factor is 0.8.

Calculations :-

Load current ( I˪ )=  ?

           Motor 100 Hp = 74.6 KW (1 HP=0.746 kw)

           I˪= 122.5 A

         Total derating factor (C) =  ?

 According to above detail:

      Ground temperature correction factor (Cs) = 0.91

      Cable depth correction factor (Cd) = 1

      Cable distance correction factor (Touching)(Ct) = 1

      Soil correction factor (Cg) = 1

      Derating factor (C )=  Cs * Cg *Ct * Ct

                              C = 0.91

Total load current after derating Factor = 122.5/ 0.91=134.61 amp

Select the cable size (Cable Manufacture data sheet : Havells )) for voltage drop.

Selection of cable – Case #1

Let’s select 3 core 70 Sq.mm cable for single run,

Current capacity of 70  Sq.mm cable is 135 Amp,

Resistance =0 .532 Ω/Km and
Reactance = 0.076 mho/Km

Total derating current of 70 Sq.mm cable = 135 · 0.91 = 122.85 Amp.

Voltage drop of cable = (1.732 * 122.5 * 100 (0.532 *0.8 + 0.076 * 0.6) *100) / (1 *415* 1000) = 2.24%
To decide 70 Sq.mm cable, cable selection condition should be checked.

1. Cable derating Amp (122.85 Amp) is higher than full load current of load (122.5
Amp)= O.K

2. Cable voltage drop (2.24%) is lower than de ned voltage drop (5%) = O.K

3. Number of cable runs (1) ≥ (122.5A / 135A = 0.78) = O.K

4. Cable short circuit capacity (5.32KA) is higher than system short circuit capacity at
that point (6.0KA) = Not OK

  “70 Sq.mm cable not satis ed all four condition and so it is advisable not to use.”

Selection of cable – Case #2

Let’s select 3 core 95 Sq.mm cable for single run,

Current capacity of 95 Sq.mm cable is 165 Amp,

Resistance =0 .384 Ω/Km and
Reactance = 0.076 mho/Km

Voltage drop of cable =

(1.732 * 122.5 * 100 (0.384 *0.8 + 0.076 * 0.6) *100) / (1 *415* 1000) = 1.8%

 To decide 95 Sq.mm cable, cable selection condition should be checked.

1. Cable derating Amp (150.15 Amp) is higher than full load current of load (122.5
Amp)= O.K

2. Cable voltage drop (1.8%) is less than de ned voltage drop (5%) = O.K

3. Number of cable runs (1) ≥ (122.5A / 165A = 0.74) = O.K

4. Cable short circuit capacity (7.22KA) is higher than system short circuit capacity at
that point (6.0KA) = O.K

    “95 Sq.mm cable satis ed all four condition and so it is advisable to use.”