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ChapterG Determination of Voltage Drop
ChapterG Determination of Voltage Drop
The impedance of circuit conductors is low but not negligible: when carrying
load current there is a voltage drop between the origin of the circuit and the load
terminals. The correct operation of a load (a motor, lighting circuit, etc.) depends
on the voltage at its terminals being maintained at a value close to its rated value.
It is necessary therefore to determine the circuit conductors such that at full-load
current, the load terminal voltage is maintained within the limits required for correct
performance.
This section deals with methods of determining voltage drops, in order to check
that:
b They comply with the particular standards and regulations in force
b They can be tolerated by the load
b They satisfy the essential operational requirements.
The value of 8 %, while permitted, can lead to problems for motor loads;
for example:
b In general, satisfactory motor performance requires a voltage within ±5 % of its
rated nominal value in steady-state operation,
b Starting current of a motor can be 5 to 7 times its full-load value (or even higher).
If an 8 % voltage drop occurs at full-load current, then a drop of 40 % or more will
occur during start-up. In such conditions the motor will either:
v Stall (i.e. remain stationary due to insufficient torque to overcome the load
torque) with consequent over-heating and eventual trip-out
v Or accelerate very slowly, so that the heavy current loading (with possibly
undesirable low-voltage effects on other equipment) will continue beyond the
normal start-up period
b Finally an 8 % voltage drop represents a continuous power loss, which, for
continuous loads will be a significant waste of (metered) energy. For these reasons
it is recommended that the maximum value of 8 % in steady operating conditions
should not be reached on circuits which are sensitive to under-voltage problems (see
Fig. G28).
DB422312_EN.eps
MV consumer
LV consumer
8% [a]
5% [a]
Load
Simplified table
Calculations may be avoided by using Fig. G30 next page, which gives, with an
ampere, in terms of:
b Kinds of circuit use: motor circuits with cos φ close to 0.8, or lighting with a cos φ
close to 1.
b Type of circuit; single-phase or 3-phase
Voltage drop in a cable is then given by:
K x IB x L
K is given by the table,
IB is the full-load current in amps,
L is the length of cable in km.
The column motor power “cos φ = 0.35” of Fig. G30 may be used to compute the
voltage drop occurring during the start-up period of a motor (see example no. 1
[1] Values of r according to IEC60909-0 after the Fig. G30).
and Cenelec TR 50480. See Fig. G38.
Fig. G30 Phase-to-phase voltage drop ΔU for a circuit, in volts per ampere per km
G21
Examples
Example 1 (see Fig. G31)
A three-phase 35 mm2 copper cable 50 metres long supplies a 400 V motor taking:
DB422313_EN.eps
50 m / 70 mm² Cu
IB = 150 A
20 m / 2.5 mm² Cu
IB = 20 A