Power Carriers

Part 1 - cables
  Introduction.
 Power cable construction.
 Cable classifications.
 Flame retardant cables.
 Cable notation.
Content  Skin effect.
 Proximity effect.
 Wires.

Muhammad Ibrahim - Muhammad.eg9@gmail.com 2

  Electrical power needs carriers in order to be transferred from the
supply to the loads.
 Those carriers come in the form of conductive materials such as
Copper or Aluminum.
 Since the operating voltages is hazardous, the power carriers are
ought to be insulated.

Introduction  types of power carriers:

1. Power conductors in case of HV.
2. Power cables in case of HV, MV, LV.
3. Busways / Raceways in case of LV.
4. Wires in case of LV (small branch circuits).

Muhammad Ibrahim - Muhammad.eg9@gmail.com 3

 1) Conductor (Al or Cu).
2) Conductor screen (semi conductive) / shield.
3) Main insulation (PVC / XLPE / LSF ….).

Cable 4) Filler / bedding.

construction 5) Insulation screen.

6) Inner sheath (bedding).(PVC)
7) Armour (Steel or Aluminum).(𝜑or t 0.1:3 mm)
8) Outer sheath / outer jacket (PVC 0nly).

Muhammad Ibrahim - Muhammad.eg9@gmail.com 4

 Cable
construction

Muhammad Ibrahim - Muhammad.eg9@gmail.com 5

  Medium voltage cables.

Cable
construction

Muhammad Ibrahim - Muhammad.eg9@gmail.com 6

  Conductor: plain stranded soft drawn copper or aluminum.
 Conductor screen: semi conductive material to enhance electric field
distribution which is distorted due to stranding.
 Insulation: materials such as cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) and
polyvinyl chloride (PVC) provide high temperature resistance and excellent
dielectric strength-providing enhanced electrical properties.
 Copper screen (mesh shield): to terminate all field line preventing
Cable interference with other surrounding electromagnetic waves
(communications).
construction  Bedding: a layer to create a protective barrier between the insulation and
the Armour.
 Armour: a steel or aluminum Armour provides mechanical protection to
allow the cable to withstand the mechanical stresses to which it is
exposed.
 Sheath: the constituent parts of the cable are held together by a sheath
offering a further level of protection. Black sheaths can be carbon-loaded
for UV stability.

Muhammad Ibrahim - Muhammad.eg9@gmail.com 7

 1. According to conductor type.
2. According to the core.
3. According to operating voltage.
Cable 4. According to armoring.
classifications 5. According to insulation.
6. According to sheathing.

Muhammad Ibrahim - Muhammad.eg9@gmail.com 8

 1-According to conductor type:
 Copper (Cu):
a) The most common in LV applications.
b) Low resistance which means lower cross section area.
c) Heavier than Al.
Cable  Aluminum (Al):
classifications a) Used in MV networks and occasionally in LV applications.
b) Higher resistance which means we have to use bigger CSA.
c) Lighter than Cu.

𝜎𝐶𝑢
Note: ≈ 1.6
𝜎𝐴𝑙

Muhammad Ibrahim - Muhammad.eg9@gmail.com 9

 Cable
classifications

Muhammad Ibrahim - Muhammad.eg9@gmail.com 10

 2- According to the core (single/multi):
≫ Number of conductors:
a) Single core
 branch circuits.
 Earthling cables & earthling bare conductors.
 Risers.

Cable  large CSA > 240 mm² .

classifications b) Two core cable.

 branch single phase circuits with no earth.

c) Three core cable.

 balanced 3 phase loads (motors).
 single phase with earth.
 MV cables

Muhammad Ibrahim - Muhammad.eg9@gmail.com 11

 2- According to the core (single/multi):
≫Number of conductors:
d) Four core cable (3.5 & 4).
 unbalanced 3 phase loads (main feeders)

Cable e) Five core cable (3+0.5+0.5 / 4+0.5).

classifications  unbalanced 3 phase loads (main feeders) with

earthling cable included.

≫ Core type:
Solid (usually in Dc circuits).
Stranded.

Muhammad Ibrahim - Muhammad.eg9@gmail.com 12

 Cable
classifications

Muhammad Ibrahim - Muhammad.eg9@gmail.com 13

  3- According to operating voltage:

LV / MV / HV / EHV

Cable
classifications

Muhammad Ibrahim - Muhammad.eg9@gmail.com 14

  3- According to operating voltage:

LV / MV / HV / EHV

Cable
classifications

Muhammad Ibrahim - Muhammad.eg9@gmail.com 15

  4- According to armoring:

unarmored

Cable STA
classifications

SWA

Muhammad Ibrahim - Muhammad.eg9@gmail.com 16

 SWA STA
Strength Lower Higher
Flexibility Higher Lower
Price Higher Lower
Weight Higher Lower
Diameter Higher Lower

Cable
classifications

Muhammad Ibrahim - Muhammad.eg9@gmail.com 17

  4- According to armoring:

 Notes on armored cables:

 In some cases the armor is used for earthing, in such case it better
be Al TA.
 Armouring of Single Core Cable
1. Armouring by non-magnetic material either Aluminum Tape or
aluminum Wire armouring to reduce the magnetic losses.
Cable 2. If it is required for single core cable to be armored by steel wire
classifications Armouring, the magnetic circuit around the single core cable
should be interrupted by inserting insulated copper wires
between the steel wires as shown in the figure.

Muhammad Ibrahim - Muhammad.eg9@gmail.com 18

  5- According to insulation:
 Outer insulation: PVC (more flexible than XLPE) or LSHF.
 Inner insulation: PVC or XLPE.

Cable
classifications

Muhammad Ibrahim - Muhammad.eg9@gmail.com 19

 Maximum temperature in case of short circuit for 1 second.

Cable
classifications

Muhammad Ibrahim - Muhammad.eg9@gmail.com 20

 PVC XLPE
Price Lower Higher
Max. operating temp. (°C) 70,85 90
Max. S.C. temp. for 1 sec. (°C) 160 250
Flexibility Higher Lower

Cable  Notes:
classifications  For the same current rating, the XLPE insulated cable will have a
smaller cross section area, hence at higher current ratings we may
use XLPE insulated cables.
 XLPE is used only for the inner layer of insulation.
 MV cable inner insulation is always XLPE for higher temperature
and to withstand the high level of short circuit.

Muhammad Ibrahim - Muhammad.eg9@gmail.com 21

  6- According to sheathing:

Cable
classifications

Muhammad Ibrahim - Muhammad.eg9@gmail.com 22

  Advantages:
1. No toxic fumes during fire.
2. Minimize smoke (Allow people to breathe for longer time).
3. Minimize fire propagation (Reduce damage).
4. Long time before burning (increase time for people to escape).
 Most common uses:
1. Hotels.
LSHF 2. Power stations.
3. Petrochemical plants.
4. Industrial areas. LSF: low smoke and fumes.
LSHF: low smoke halogen free.
5. Cinemas.
LSZH: low smoke zero halogen.
6. Theaters.
7. Public closed places.
8. Tunnels.

Muhammad Ibrahim - Muhammad.eg9@gmail.com 23

  LSHF (low smoke halogen free) or LSZH (low smoke zero halogen)
versus PVC:

LSHF

Muhammad Ibrahim - Muhammad.eg9@gmail.com 24

  Limit the propagation of fire.
 Used particularly with fire alarm systems, EMCCs for life safety
applications, fire pumps , power stations, petrochemical plants,
industrial plants, etc.…

Flame retardant
cable & Flame
resistant Cable

Muhammad Ibrahim - Muhammad.eg9@gmail.com 25

 Cable outer
R&S&T sheath
CSA (i.e. 4 cores)
RE:
Reduced
Neutral
Number
of
parallel
feeders 4](3*240+120)+120[
PE: Protective
Cable notation Cu/XLPE/SWA/PVC Earth
(separate)

conductor

Outer
Inner
Armour insulation
insulation

Muhammad Ibrahim - Muhammad.eg9@gmail.com 26

  Skin effect is a tendency for alternating current (AC) to flow
mostly near the outer surface of an electrical conductor, such as
metal wire . The effect becomes more and more apparent as the
frequency increases.

What is skin
effect ?

Muhammad Ibrahim – Muhammad.eg9@gmail.com 27

  Skin depth is due to the circulating eddy currents (arising from a
changing H field) cancelling the current flow in the center of a
conductor and reinforcing it in the skin.

Why does it
happen ?

Muhammad Ibrahim – Muhammad.eg9@gmail.com 28

  skin effect is not present at DC current.
 It becomes more apparent as the frequency goes higher.

How does it
relate with
frequency ?

Muhammad Ibrahim – Muhammad.eg9@gmail.com 29

  Overall effect shows in limiting the cross section area of cables
and we are obligated to use stranded cables to maximize outer
surface area.
 Combined with proximity effect it leads to lowering cables current
carrying capacity (CCC)
It’s effect on  Typically R (ac) = 1.1 → 1.2 R (dc) @ power frequency for

power cables Copper & Aluminum.

Muhammad Ibrahim – Muhammad.eg9@gmail.com 30

  When the conductors carry the high alternating voltage then the
currents are non-uniformly distributed on the cross-section area of
the conductor. This effect is called proximity effect.

What is proximity
effect
(electromagnetism) ?

Muhammad Ibrahim – Muhammad.eg9@gmail.com 31

  When two or more conductors are placed near to each other, then
their electromagnetic fields interact with each other. Due to this
interaction, the current in each of them is redistributed such that
the greater current density is concentrated in that part of the
strand most remote from the interfering conductor.

Why does it
happen ?

Muhammad Ibrahim - Muhammad.eg9@gmail.com 32

  Frequency – The proximity increases with the increases in the
frequency.
 Diameter – The proximity effect increases with the increase in the
conductor.
 Structure – This effect is more on the solid conductor as
Parameters compared to the stranded conductor (i.e., ASCR) because the
cross section area of the stranded conductor is smaller than the
affecting the solid conductor.

phenomenon  Material – If the material is made up of high ferromagnetic

material then the proximity effect is more on their surface.

Muhammad Ibrahim – Muhammad.eg9@gmail.com 33

  If DC flows on the surface of the conductor, then the current are
uniformly distributed around the cross section area of the
conductor. Hence, no proximity effect occurs on the surface of the
conductor.
 In Ac the effect is significant & must be taken into consideration.
 Catalogues may involve this effect as “Grouping derating factors”

It’s effect

Muhammad Ibrahim – Muhammad.eg9@gmail.com 34

Resistance
modification
accordingly

Muhammad Ibrahim - Muhammad.eg9@gmail.com 35

  For low load branch circuits we use wires.
1. Minimum CSA for lighting circuits is 3 mm².
2. Minimum CSA for power circuits is 4 mm².
 Common practice:
1. For lighting branch circuits minimum CB rating is 16A.
2. For power branch circuits minimum CB rating is 20A
Wires 3. For LP minimum incoming CB is 40A MCCB.
4. For PP minimum incoming CB is 63A MCCB.

Muhammad Ibrahim - Muhammad.eg9@gmail.com 36

 Please respect the Intellectual property rights of the author.
 Do not share, reuse or redistribute this material without a clear
permission from the author.

Muhammad Ibrahim - Muhammad.eg9@gmail.com 37